Undiscovered until today?

[Tracy D'arth]

I see that the vandals have a new ploy.

Installing a  defective culvert where none has been before. At least as C&RT are aware. How long have they been "in control" (sic)?

 

Notice Alert

Coventry Canal
Location: Between Bridge 87 and Bridge 88, between Streethay and Fradley, Coventry Canal
Starts At: Bridge 87, Bearshay Bridge
Ends At: Bridge 88, Brookhay Bridge
Up Stream Winding Hole: Huddlesford Junction
Down Stream Winding Hole: Fradley Junction

Monday 31 October 2022 08:00 until Friday 25 November 2022 17:00

Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Structure failure

---

 

Original message:

 

During the inspection of a newly found culvert between Bridges 87 and 88 on the Coventry Canal, we have found a partial collapse that will require extensive works to undertake a full and substantial repair.

The works will require a temporary closure of the navigation and towpath as the interim protection preventing excessive leaking and further deterioration of the culvert is only suitable in the short term.

We wanted to make sure boaters & towpath users have enough notice to make alternative plans, and so we are letting our customers know now as the work can only safely be delayed until the end of October. As a consequence, there will be a full closure of the canal & towpath from the 31st October.

It is anticipated that the canal will need to be closed for up to 4 weeks, but will be re-opened earlier if possible. This notice is intended to give warning of the closure to canal users in order to pass through the area prior to the start of works. 

We are sorry that this closure is required at this time, but it is essential for the ongoing safety of the canal. We hope that by starting after school half-term week, impact on our customers will be minimised.

Please feel free to contact us on 03030 404040 for any further enquiries.

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/23518/between-bridge-87-and-bridge-88-between-streethay-and-fradley-coventry-canal

You can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices

Edited October 13, 2022 by Tracy D'arth

[PaulD]

There is a pretty obvious channel passing under the canal midway between the bridges. On Google maps satellite view it is about 5 boat lengths in front of the boat. Probably regularly inspected by the linesmen when we had them.

[dmr]

Fixing a culvert in 4 weeks sounds impressive to me. 

[Jon57]

21 minutes ago, dmr said:

Fixing a culvert in 4 weeks sounds impressive to me. 

It only took them 10 years to find it. Give them a chance 🤣

[Martin Nicholas]

It's about here.

[PaulD]

21 minutes ago, Martin Nicholas said:

It's about here.

The ditch runs from the blue lake / pond due south under the canal and railway line into the Mare brook. Been there a while !

[starman]

I can even see it marked on the map in my old Nicholson’s Guide. 

[David Mack]

CRT and BW before them inherited inadequate asset registers. They probably relied on the local knowledge held by individuals, but with no means of capturing that information as staff left information has been lost. I do know that some years ago BW did attempt to set up a comprehensive asset register to help in planning maintenance, but it is inevitable that some assets would not have been identified the first time round. While it is surprising that this culvert had apparently escaped notice, I notice that it passes under both the canal and railway, with the railway on the towpath side, so its presence would not necessarily be noticeable on a walk through. That said the presence of the ditch is fairly obvious from maps/aerial photos, which should at least have prompted a question.

 

I wonder if Network Rail have it on their asset register?

 

[Heartland]

The CRT have some very good maps that show their system, but this is a location of interest as it is close to the Trent Valley Railway and the canal might have been diverted at this point and so deserves further research. This part of the original Coventry Canal was built for the Trent & Mersey Canal and later bought by the Coventry. Construction was the result of the Coleshill Agreement.

[Tonka]

2 hours ago, Heartland said:

The CRT have some very good maps that show their system, but this is a location of interest as it is close to the Trent Valley Railway and the canal might have been diverted at this point and so deserves further research. This part of the original Coventry Canal was built for the Trent & Mersey Canal and later bought by the Coventry. Construction was the result of the Coleshill Agreement.

I thought it was built by the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Co.

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

I thought it was built by the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Co.

 

IIRC the bit from Fazeley to Whittington was built by the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Co. and the bit from Whittington to Fradley was built by the Trent & Mersey Canal Co.

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

IIRC the bit from Fazeley to Whittington was built by the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Co. and the bit from Whittington to Fradley was built by the Trent & Mersey Canal Co.

All built under the Coventry company's Act of Parliament, but they had no money left to build beyond Fazeley. The Coventry Canal Co. later bought back the T&M section, but the B&F section remained part of the BCN until nationalisation. On old 1" OS maps this section is labelled as Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, while the sections either side are marked Coventry Canal. Newer maps show the Coventry name for all of it.

[Ronaldo47]

Some years ago when a dredger pulled up the chain and wooden plug of a forgotten drain over a culvert, thereby inadvertently emptying that section of canal, it was mentioned in the news report that the original canal company's records had been lost when their offices had been bombed during a WWII air raid.  I don't recall which canal this related to.

[Orwellian]

37 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

Some years ago when a dredger pulled up the chain and wooden plug of a forgotten drain over a culvert, thereby inadvertently emptying that section of canal, it was mentioned in the news report that the original canal company's records had been lost when their offices had been bombed during a WWII air raid.  I don't recall which canal this related to.

I'm pretty sure it was the Chesterfield Canal. Got lot's of media coverage.

[matty40s]

Also happened in Manchester.

[MtB]

On 13/10/2022 at 17:00, David Mack said:

I wonder if Network Rail have it on their asset register?

 

Point of Order...

 

Surely culverts like this are a liability not an asset. 

 

 

[Heartland]

Bridge 87 and Bridge 88 are north of Huddlesford junction and south of Fradley and are on the section that Thomas Dadford was responsible for. A feature of BCN bridges is that they had names such as Tamhorn Farm Bridge. regular boaters along this section must notice the difference

[Captain Pegg]

7 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Point of Order...

 

Surely culverts like this are a liability not an asset. 

 

 

It’s an asset. It has a value and without it the owner would not be able to conduct their business.

 

For an organisation like CRT or NR their market value is essentially the value of their infrastructure assets.

 

Trees are a liability and are not classed as an asset; they have no impact on the value of the company.

[LadyG]

21 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

It’s an asset. It has a value and without it the owner would not be able to conduct their business.

 

For an organisation like CRT or NR their market value is essentially the value of their infrastructure assets.

 

 

21 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Trees are a liability and are not classed as an asset; they have no impact on the value of the company.

Is this still true? Trees are storing carbon, and I understand enough trees would or could make the system carbon neutral , more trees more benefits?

Tree planting is now being carried out 

nationally .

 

 

[tree monkey]

15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 

 

Is this still true? Trees are storing carbon, and I understand enough trees would or could make the system carbon neutral , more trees more benefits?

Tree planting is now being carried out 

 

 

 

The term asset here is being used in the contract management sense, I imagine trees are not directly considered on the asset register so as far as CRT as concerned they become a liability because money needs to be spent on a none asset. 

 

On the other hand where I work trees are included in the contract and so become part of the asset register, so money needs to be spent on maintenance as part of the contract 

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

 

 

Is this still true? Trees are storing carbon, and I understand enough trees would or could make the system carbon neutral , more trees more benefits?

Tree planting is now being carried out 

nationally .

 

 

@tree monkey is correct. I’m speaking purely from the business perspective of organisations like CRT and NR that are infrastructure managers by legal constitution. Accordingly they have a fixed definition of what is an asset and those are the pieces of fixed infrastructure that enable them to function. Without bridges, culverts and locks CRT can’t fulfil its function hence those assets are of monetary value, and that value is based on replacement cost.

 

Trees do not allow canals and railways to function, but they may prevent them from functioning and therefore need managing which makes then a liability.

 

On the other hand if your business was involving in producing fruit then trees would be asset.

 

Society as a whole takes a broader view as you demonstrate.

 

[Tracy D'arth]

So, Is C&RT an asset or a liability?    Discuss.