Yarwood's Fuel Cap

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, BWM said:

https://stores.twiggs.co.uk/products/mall-return-bend-blk-1-bsp

 

https://www.valvestubesfittings.com/black-malleable-iron-180-degree-return-bend-jinan-2132025

 

There's plenty available, I wish I'd found the first link when I needed one!

But both of those have a long parallel section of intermediate diameter between the end rim and the U bend, so don't look like the original.

Good price though!

[Derek R.]

Lump of angle iron with ply step. Slide one way or the other, or lift it out. Makes entering and exiting easy.

There were a pair of holes in the bottom edge of the side doors to hook a steel runged ladder on, one of which can be seen top left.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Derek R.

[alan_fincher]

6 hours ago, BWM said:

https://stores.twiggs.co.uk/products/mall-return-bend-blk-1-bsp

 

https://www.valvestubesfittings.com/black-malleable-iron-180-degree-return-bend-jinan-2132025

 

There's plenty available, I wish I'd found the first link when I needed one!

 

Depending on the clearances available, (which may in turn depend on the exact position of the tanks versus bulkheads), it might be impossible to fit a one piece "inverted U" to  the right hand tank of a large Northwich boat - or at least not without removing the tank from the boat!  Whether you screw it to the riser pipe first, or whether you screw the pipe on the tank, then attempt to add the "inverted U" to the installed pipe, you may find the "U" collides with the bulkhead ad prevents a full 360 degree rotation.

I recall doing one "from bits", I had to assemble it all in a manner that was not entirely obvious at first.

[David Mack]

16 hours ago, Derek R. said:

There were a pair of holes in the bottom edge of the side doors to hook a steel runged ladder on, one of which can be seen top left.

Photographs of one of the engine room ladders in Small Woolwich Alcor. Note that the hooks on the top are different lengths so the ladder is angled towards the back of the engine room. I assume the Big Woolwichs had something similar as Belfast has the holes in the right places on the door thresholds.

[alan_fincher]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Photographs of one of the engine room ladders in Small Woolwich Alcor. Note that the hooks on the top are different lengths so the ladder is angled towards the back of the engine room. I assume the Big Woolwichs had something similar as Belfast has the holes in the right places on the door thresholds.

 

Intriguing!  I had always assmed they went straight down by the  shortest route.

Our Large Northwich, which has its original cabin, also has a pair of holes each side in the bottom door framing.  I have the vaguest memory of the ladders having been discussed on here in the past, and maybe, (just maybe!), some pictures goy posted in the relevant thread.

 

I'd be very interested in the original arrangements in both Large Northwich and Middle Northwich boats.

[Graham_Robinson]

[magnetman]

43 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Intriguing!  I had always assmed they went straight down by the  shortest route.

Our Large Northwich, which has its original cabin, also has a pair of holes each side in the bottom door framing.  I have the vaguest memory of the ladders having been discussed on here in the past, and maybe, (just maybe!), some pictures goy posted in the relevant thread.

 

I'd be very interested in the original arrangements in both Large Northwich and Middle Northwich boats.

I'd be interested to see pictures of these ladders as have spotted one in a place by the canal previously used by homeless persons which is now boarded up. The ladder is outside and liable to get scrapped if anyone gets it.

 

If it happened to be a GUC item I would be tempted to liberate it and try to get it back onto a boat. It does not have the hooks like the one in the picture above. I'll try and get a pic of it next time I'm passing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it has square shaped hooks but also holes in the flat plates at the sides which I found interesting. 4 rungs I think not 3. It is iron/steel. 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

 

Intriguing!  I had always assmed they went straight down by the  shortest route.

Our Large Northwich, which has its original cabin, also has a pair of holes each side in the bottom door framing.  I have the vaguest memory of the ladders having been discussed on here in the past, and maybe, (just maybe!), some pictures goy posted in the relevant thread.

 

I'd be very interested in the original arrangements in both Large Northwich and Middle Northwich boats.

I noticed these when we were moored behind Alcor at the Audlem gathering in 2019. The owner reckoned they were original. No way of being sure, but the transition from the flat strip sides to the round hook ends is forged rather than welded, and the rungs look to be riveted into the sides.

47 minutes ago, Graham_Robinson said:

Ooh! Which supplier is that?

[magnetman]

I'm not convinced that is forged. It could be electric welded very well disguised. Difficult to tell but my first thought was it is welded ie a modified item.  

 

 

The rungs being rivetted does add authenticity though to be fair so I am quite probably wrong. 

[magnetman]

Ladder 

 

no

[Derek R.]

4 hours ago, David Mack said:

Photographs of one of the engine room ladders in Small Woolwich Alcor. Note that the hooks on the top are different lengths so the ladder is angled towards the back of the engine room. I assume the Big Woolwichs had something similar as Belfast has the holes in the right places on the door thresholds.

 

That is interesting, in that one top arm is longer than the other. This would indicate that that particular ladder would be for the starboard side hatch.

Why so? Because when fitted to that side, the ladder would be offset an at angle so as clear the triangular tower of the fuel tank on that side. Likewise any ladder for the port side would need to be its direct opposite in terms of the top arm length to clear the tank on the port side.

 

Either way, I suspect they got cast aside in preference to the step hung on the horizontal tank strap which took up far less space.

Edited July 26, 2023 by Derek R.

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Likewise any ladder for the port side would need to be its direct opposite in terms of the top arm length to clear the tank on the port side.

Yes. Alcor had a handed pair.

[Derek R.]

We looked at ALCOR with a view to purchase back in 1979. At £11,000 was over our budget.

Loved the bus windows.

[fittie]

On 24/07/2023 at 14:36, Derek R. said:

And another one . . .

 

 

It would have failed the conformity thing with 'FUEL OIL'. Had to be 'DIESEL', which is what the silly sticker says in the middle, though quite unreadable. Unlike FUEL OIL. I chisel'd it in.

Fuel Oil is fine for the BSS and I quote,

2.1.2 Is the fuel in use correctly and clearly marked on or adjacent to the fuel filling point? R Check for markings on or adjacent to fuel filling points. The specific fuel type in use must be correctly and clearly marked on or adjacent to all fuel filling points: • ‘Diesel’, ‘Fuel Oil’, ‘Gas Oil’, ‘DERV’, or ‘Biodiesel’; or, • ‘Petrol’, or ‘Gasoline’; or, • ‘LPG Butane/Propane’ as appropriate; or, • ‘Paraffin’ or ‘Kerosene’; or, • ‘Petroi.

[Derek R.]

That's what I would have thought. The inspector disagreed. Don't recall who it was, over 30yrs have passed since then.

[fittie]

W J Yarwood copy.pdf

Edited September 1, 2023 by fittie

[fittie]

One of Lancing's fuel caps

[spud]

3 hours ago, fittie said:

One of Lancing's fuel caps

very original, ha ha ha - is it april fools day

[fittie]

5 minutes ago, spud said:

very original, ha ha ha - is it april fools day

The lettering was copied from another Yarwood's canal boat fuel cap with fuel oil added to comply with the BSS. The original would have been cast lettering in relief while mine is etched but with a nod to the original with a similar style typeface to the one that Yarwood's used, copied from an old maker's plate.

 

I don't get the April fools reference though.

[BWM]

Another Yarwoods component with cast lettering. 

[fittie]

BMW - got one of them too but on a GU boat.

 

[spud]

3 hours ago, fittie said:

The lettering was copied from another Yarwood's canal boat fuel cap with fuel oil added to comply with the BSS. The original would have been cast lettering in relief while mine is etched but with a nod to the original with a similar style typeface to the one that Yarwood's used, copied from an old maker's plate.

 

I don't get the April fools reference though.

because this is a wind up surely, no one would do this to a genuine fuel cap as it was never on any grand union motor like this - ha ha ha, good joke

2 hours ago, fittie said:

BMW - got one of them too but on a GU boat.

 

hawkesbury is a gu boat, elements of elitism from the historic mob yet again

[James Owen]

11 hours ago, fittie said:

One of Lancing's fuel caps

Words fail me 🤣

[fittie]

16 hours ago, spud said:

because this is a wind up surely, no one would do this to a genuine fuel cap as it was never on any grand union motor like this - ha ha ha, good joke

 

This is NOT a genuine/original fuel cap as Lancing's were well and truly knackered.

16 hours ago, spud said:

hawkesbury is a gu boat, elements of elitism from the historic mob yet again

Hawkesbury may be a GU boat but as the tiller did not look like a Yarwood's GU tiller I assumed it could've come from a FMC motor.

If it (the boos thingy) is from the GU Hawkesbury, she was built by Harland & Wolff and not Yarwoods.

So it is not any kind of elitism from the historic mob but rather a little knowledge and in my case very little. 

 

16 hours ago, spud said:

as it was never on any grand union motor like this

I have seen one and it was from a GU/ACC Royality boat and that is were I got the wording from. It, my fuel cap, is just a bit of fun with just a little nod to the past.

 

The other thing that people tell me that is wrong about my boat is the bulkhead makers plate as the GU boats never had them but my boat did and I still have it. I think Lancing is the only GU boat that Yarwoods gave this type of makers plate to. There is a story behind it but that can wait for another time.

Edited September 16, 2023 by fittie

[BWM]

2 hours ago, fittie said:

This is NOT a genuine/original fuel cap as Lancing's were well and truly knackered.

Hawkesbury may be a GU boat but as the tiller did not look like a Yarwood's GU tiller I assumed it could've come from a FMC motor.

If it (the boos thingy) is from the GU Hawkesbury, she was built by Harland & Wolff and not Yarwoods.

So it is not any kind of elitism from the historic mob but rather a little knowledge and in my case very little. 

 

I have seen one and it was from a GU/ACC Royality boat and that is were I got the wording from. It, my fuel cap, is just a bit of fun with just a little nod to the past.

 

The other thing that people tell me that is wrong about my boat is the bulkhead makers plate as the GU boats never had them but my boat did and I still have it. I think Lancing is the only GU boat that Yarwoods gave this type of makers plate to. There is a story behind it but that can wait for another time.

It is on Hawkesbury, and presume was fitted at some point in its working days as a replacement for the original. The tiller/Swan neck was certainly changed as you can see both in pictures from the period.

  Having worked in railway depots, the replacement of some parts on older rolling stock were often drawn from another defective train or pile of bits, so can see how this may have happened.