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Tractors of the Grand Union Canal


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The use of towpath tractors has an example of a photo in the Canal & River Trust Archive for a 1920's image relating to the Regents Canal. How many tractors were owned by the Regents Canal and the GU and their length of service may be a question to answer. The towage of of lighters on the lower Grand Union seems to be a separate use. With Thames Lighterage having a number of them in use for that service, and again there is the question of when the tractors ceased to be used.

 

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8 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:

I remember towpath tractors towing boats on the Hanwell flight round about 1963 -1965. I was only a five year old child at the time but remember it well.

They were still taking timber barges up to yards at Southall, Cowley Peachey and Uxbridge then. When we bought the wideboat Progress we had a mooring at Cowley and I converted her there. The lowest bridge up from Brentford was Packet Boat Bridge, and they frequently had to take a few planks off the top to get through. I'd gather up these hardwood planks and leave them in the garden for a bit to dry and in case anyone wished to claim them, but no-one ever did, and Progress won some very fine bulkheads. The next bridge was Benbow Bridge and that has the tightest arch. If the steerer was stood on a box to steer I'd go up in our dinghy 'cos I knew they'd have thrown off a few more at the top offside of the load there.

 

Tam

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On 27/12/2021 at 00:24, Alway Swilby said:

I remember towpath tractors towing boats on the Hanwell flight round about 1963 -1965. I was only a five year old child at the time but remember it well.

Our paths must have crossed as small kids in 64/65 era  as i spent most of my growing up on the Hanwell thicket had family all retired working boatmen in almost every lock cottage there at the time 

One of my Family 

Image4.jpg

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On 27/12/2021 at 00:24, Alway Swilby said:

I remember towpath tractors towing boats on the Hanwell flight round about 1963 -1965. I was only a five year old child at the time but remember it well.

I can remember them from 1953, when I was seven and at St Stephens Primary in Yiewsley right through to your timeframe, 1965, when I would be waiting on the platform at West Drayton station looking down at the wood yard. (on my way to school at Southall.)

Chris

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  • 3 weeks later...

Evenin all

 

I recall seeing towpath tractors for the one and only time on the lower Grand Union is the summer of 1968. We (Dad and family) turned at Bulls Bridge, as i recall, but there was at least operating on the length above Hanwell.

 

Hope this is of interest.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Joseph 

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My dad worked towing barges on the GU out of Brentford using one of these tractors, can't remember how far up the GU he went though. When he first started to drive one he had L plates up, then took his driving test on one said it was easy doing the emergency stop as tractor only able to do 12 mph.

Any one on here remember Tubby Wheeler?

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At the London Canal museum we published a book based on interviews with Tony Byfield then one of the last surviving London canal tractor drivers. The book is an account of his life and times on the London canals and is a vivid account of a previously little-documented story.

 

sadly Tony died last year.

 

The book is available by mail from the museum,

 

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/buybooks.htm

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 13/01/2022 at 07:36, Tim Lewis said:

At the London Canal museum we published a book based on interviews with Tony Byfield then one of the last surviving London canal tractor drivers. The book is an account of his life and times on the London canals and is a vivid account of a previously little-documented story.

 

sadly Tony died last year.

 

The book is available by mail from the museum,

 

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/buybooks.htm

 Tony was a smashing person not only did he know all about the tractors he had a mine of info & tales on the old ways & knew many of the long gone old working boatmen & their familys .The Boswells when they came off the boats brought their boat  from waterways & Tony allowed them to tie up outside his cottage till they got a house .

His first wife also came from a well known boating family

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 24/04/2023 at 17:27, ditchcrawler said:

Looking for a photo of one of these tractors to show a friend I cam across this blog Phil's Workbench: Towpath Tractor (philsworkbench.blogspot.com)

 

This tractor is now on display at the London Canal Museum

 

The Wickham Tractor (canalmuseum.org.uk)

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5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I hope to visit there in June, I have never managed to get there in the past.

Looking forward to seeing you there. If you go on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday you can combine your visit with one of our short tunnel trips or even a longer trip:

 

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/visit/boat-trips.htm

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25 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

Looking forward to seeing you there. If you go on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday you can combine your visit with one of our short tunnel trips or even a longer trip:

 

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/visit/boat-trips.htm

Tuesday I'm afraid, has to fit in with going to France on Wednesday 

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