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Narrowboat Enfield


adrian hogg

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My nephew has just purchased an interesting project and I wonder if anyone has any info on the boat. It rather unusually has a Gardner 5LW installed which looks original fit as there is insufficient room to extract it without a flame axe.

enfield.jpg

5lw.jpg

Edited by adrian hogg
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Is it a Northwich - or a copy of? DAYBREAK the Humber Keel had/has a 5 pot Gardner but I doubt any were fitted to any working narrowboat as original equipment. So original to when?  Possibly a motorised ex butty, But the name ENFIELD is not recorded in any of Yarwoods originals. More knowledgable persons will have more no doubt.                                                                

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Perhaps custom-built for a water-ski-ing instructor.

I've only knowingly seen one n/b with a five-cylinder Gardner. I spoke to the owner as he was going up Cropredy lock several years ago. I can't remember if it had an LW or an L2. Her did mention the boat's origin, I have forgotten the details but I don't think it was an ex-working motor. The only detail of the boat which I do recall is that it appeared to have a wood-planked rear deck.

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57 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Is it a Northwich - or a copy of? DAYBREAK the Humber Keel had/has a 5 pot Gardner but I doubt any were fitted to any working narrowboat as original equipment. So original to when?  Possibly a motorised ex butty, But the name ENFIELD is not recorded in any of Yarwoods originals. More knowledgable persons will have more no doubt.                                                                

 

Looking at the photo of the boat in the OP, it looks to my eye rather like a well crafted modern fabricated steel boat, or the bow does anyway. Probably still quite old, maybe 70s or 80s.

 

Like you I gained the impression it was an ex-working boat but the OP does not actually say this anywhere. I think perhaps I only thought this as the thread in in the History and Heritage section.

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Enfield was built by Water Travel. When we looked at her she was for sale at Cowroast Marina and this was back in 1986. The 5 cylinder Gardner was in her then. In those days she was blue. You could not walk through the engine room into the cabin as there was only an emergency hatch way. We declined to purchase her as we had just had our first child and were after a family boat and Enfield was a single man's boat. There was an airbed as the mattress, the hob was a single or a twin ring and the galley was tiny. The front hatch which you had to lift to get in was very heavy and I dread to think what happens if you drop it on your head or fingers. Think the prop was directly driven from the engine without a reduction box. Didn't hear her running. I also believe she was sold by Norbury Wharf once so they may have some info on her. 

Lovely lines though

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2 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Yes, Parsons F box with 3:1 reduction, as fitted in TYCHO.

Thought is was  used to have a PD2 in an ex camping boat that we  sold in 1986, which is why we looked at Enfield. Still have a paper copy of the PD2 manual. 

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30 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Thought is was  used to have a PD2 in an ex camping boat that we  sold in 1986, which is why we looked at Enfield. Still have a paper copy of the PD2 manual. 

Likewise - we had a PD2 from an ex-ships lifeboat put in YARMOUTH to replace the BMC Commodore, that had a 3:1 on it too. Swung a 23" x 27" pitch prop. Went well and with a straight through exhaust sounded glorious!

 

After we sold up, within three months the new owner reported the crankshaft broke! We travelled all over the system for years without problems, never missed a beat, always started on the button after a few revs with the lifters up. It got replaced with a JP2.

 

578507080_10500109Pict0027(Medium).JPG.9461b83c00784ec7005d71f5dae609da.JPG

1028 0107 Pict0028 (Medium).JPG

 

Giving the PD2 some 'welly' on the Sheffield & S. Yorkshire.

Edited by Derek R.
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12 hours ago, matty40s said:

Why would you want to remove it unless it doesnt work,n?

 

I don't think he does want to remove it. I got the impression from his post that it was his reasoning for it being in there since the boat was built as there would be no way of getting it in without the boat being built around it.

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Some years ago on the BCN Challenge Fulbourne was hard aground in the long pound in the Rushall flight, which was at least a foot down. Then Eddie Fasham in nb Ferrous came along and offered us a tow. I think Ferrous has a 5LW, but draws a bit less than Fulbourne. Certainly enough power to drag us to the next lock, bouncing and rocking our way over the rocks on the bottom!

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1 hour ago, IanM said:

 

I don't think he does want to remove it. I got the impression from his post that it was his reasoning for it being in there since the boat was built as there would be no way of getting it in without the boat being built around it.

Intact, probably not.

However you'd be amazed what can be manhandled through a set of doors utilising no more than 25 Sainsbury bags, a firkin of ale, the local rugby team, a stout overhanging tree, and a yappy Jack Russel intent on getting squished at least once.  

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15 hours ago, adrian hogg said:

My nephew has just purchased an interesting project and I wonder if anyone has any info on the boat. It rather unusually has a Gardner 5LW installed which looks original fit as there is insufficient room to extract it without a flame axe.

enfield.jpg

5lw.jpg

Sounded OK when it passed us last week

 

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3 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Likewise - we had a PD2 from an ex-ships lifeboat put in YARMOUTH to replace the BMC Commodore, that had a 3:1 on it too. Swung a 23" x 27" pitch prop. Went well and with a straight through exhaust sounded glorious!

 

After we sold up, within three months the new owner reported the crankshaft broke! We travelled all over the system for years without problems, never missed a beat, always started on the button after a few revs with the lifters up. It got replaced with a JP2.

 

578507080_10500109Pict0027(Medium).JPG.9461b83c00784ec7005d71f5dae609da.JPG

1028 0107 Pict0028 (Medium).JPG

 

Giving the PD2 some 'welly' on the Sheffield & S. Yorkshire.

When we brought Tadworth from BWB it had a PD2 as did a lot of the Town class boats. It had the spiral on the hand start which released the decompression levers after a set number of turns. This alway happened at top Centre (at least to me) and stopped me dead. Once started it ran well and was powerful enough but after about 5 years it to broke the crankshaft whilst ticking over at top of Atherstone but kept on going we got back to Braunston on reduced revs and when lifted out the crank had broken in the middle of the piston bearing. As we had a spare this was quickly put in and ran for a couple more years before failing so replaced with a petter PJ3 from a generator set which we mated with a prm gearbox. 40 years later that engine is still in the boat now in other ownership.

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14 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

Leeds Engine © MMXXI

 

These 100HP beasts used to work underground in coal mines.

They had a 6LW under the bonnet.

In which country?

Quite a few of the 2LWs in U.K. narrowboats used to drive smaller mining locos. Ours did, in South Africa.

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Here. They were used in many coal mines.

We had a few at Hatfield and at Yorkshire Main single ended pairs were coupled nose to nose for coal hauling when I was there at the end of the 1970s.

 

I don't know about 2LWs but this Hunslet beast had a 4LW.

The first pic is of a Hudswell Clarke. Both these locos were made in the same parish in Leeds, Hunslet.

 

Whittle Colliery Hunslet

 

Both pics from t'internet via Mr Google.

 

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3 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

When we brought Tadworth from BWB it had a PD2 as did a lot of the Town class boats. It had the spiral on the hand start which released the decompression levers after a set number of turns. This alway happened at top Centre (at least to me) and stopped me dead. Once started it ran well and was powerful enough but after about 5 years it to broke the crankshaft whilst ticking over at top of Atherstone but kept on going we got back to Braunston on reduced revs and when lifted out the crank had broken in the middle of the piston bearing. As we had a spare this was quickly put in and ran for a couple more years before failing so replaced with a petter PJ3 from a generator set which we mated with a prm gearbox. 40 years later that engine is still in the boat now in other ownership.

There was a spiral on ours. Was it intended to be used with string (we tried that with no success) or was there some sort of mechanical device connected to it?

 

I never could get past compression with a handle. Roger and I managed it just once, both giving it our all at the same time - even then it was 'only just'!

With the PD3 in TYCHO, I stopped at Buckby bottom one evening but next morning found the battery almost flat (unseen, a fuse had blown when I stepped on a cable entering the engin'ole - no charge). It certainly wasn't going to get over compression. Waited until someone surfaced from the boats which happened to be an older lady. I got her to press the starter button after I'd got it swinging - that did it! Loved the PD - if you can get it over compression they'd fire.

 

I had heard they broke crankshafts, but one ex-boatman said it generally happened when ticking over too slow, but I can't verify it.

Edited by Derek R.
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32 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

There was a spiral on ours. Was it intended to be used with string (we tried that with no success) or was there some sort of mechanical device connected to it?

 

I never could get past compression with a handle. Roger and I managed it just once, both giving it our all at the same time - even then it was 'only just'!

With the PD3 in TYCHO, I stopped at Buckby bottom one evening but next morning found the battery almost flat (unseen, a fuse had blown when I stepped on a cable entering the engin'ole - no charge). It certainly wasn't going to get over compression. Waited until someone surfaced from the boats which happened to be an older lady. I got her to press the starter button after I'd got it swinging - that did it! Loved the PD - if you can get it over compression they'd fire.

 

I had heard they broke crankshafts, but one ex-boatman said it generally happened when ticking over too slow, but I can't verify it.

I’m trying hard to remember how it worked and can’t. It somehow held back both levers until it game to the end of the spiral and then they sprung back. For the life of me I can’t visulise the mechanism that held back the levers.

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PD2 hand starting mechanism. The spiral was intended for a disc to go into the grooves and through that disc was a rod that held the decompressors open. As you turned the starting handle the disc travelled along the spiral and when it reached a set point the rod that held the decompresors open had moved along and the levers would then be free to release and put the engine onto compression. 

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1 hour ago, barry adams said:

PD2 hand starting mechanism. The spiral was intended for a disc to go into the grooves and through that disc was a rod that held the decompressors open. As you turned the starting handle the disc travelled along the spiral and when it reached a set point the rod that held the decompresors open had moved along and the levers would then be free to release and put the engine onto compression. 

Exactly that thanks.

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1 hour ago, barry adams said:

PD2 hand starting mechanism. The spiral was intended for a disc to go into the grooves and through that disc was a rod that held the decompressors open. As you turned the starting handle the disc travelled along the spiral and when it reached a set point the rod that held the decompresors open had moved along and the levers would then be free to release and put the engine onto compression. 

Thank you Barry. Now I know what was missing! Annoyingly enough, I can clearly remember the spiral on the PD2, but I took no photos of that engine and the PD3 was without the spiral:

 

I also remember the one decompression lever was connected through all rocker covers. Cheers both.

 

211410549_081Cassio0810(Medium).jpg.dd601b1ebf7d2fd4e8e5cce8ca704ac0.jpg

Edited by Derek R.
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