Another Grand Union Lock

[Heartland]

This image was posted on an RCHS io site, but so far has not received a response any ideas of where it might be ?

 

 

[alan_fincher]

The house / lock cottage is unusual with a gable end facing the lock, rather than in line with the towpath.  A great many of the lock cottages south of Braunston, whether still extant or long since demolished are/were single story.

 

I can't immediately place it at all.

 

The relatively small number of wires in the telegraph pole run would suggest quite a long way up from Brentford to me.  At the Southern end the poles were doubled up, at least by the end, although maybe they grew to that.

 

My overall feeling looking at brickwork, cill, gates etc is how unlikely it now is to find any of the GU locks in such good order!

[David Mack]

It definitely has the look of the GU. But the brickwork of the lock looks very clean and consistent compared with the cottage. Which suggests this is a lock which had recently been completely rebuilt at the time the photo was taken.

[Tony Brooks]

That gable end would fit Calcutt top lock, but if this is so the cottage has been extensively redeveloped. I also doubt it because it is wide and the paddle gear is wrong for when the lock was widened.

[David Mack]

45 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

The house / lock cottage is unusual with a gable end facing the lock, rather than in line with the towpath.

All of the barrel roofed cottages on the South Stratford have the 'gable' end facing the canal.

Just now, Tony Brooks said:

That gable end would fit Calcutt top lock, but if this is so the cottage has been extensively redeveloped. I also doubt it because it is wide and the paddle gear is wrong for when the lock was widened.

It's not any of the widened GU locks between Napton and Knowle - they are largely concrete with brick only used for the straight bits of the chamber walls.

[Tony Brooks]

If the image has been printed backwards, then Braunston no. 2 might fit.

 

http://www.grandunioncanal.co.uk/Blisworth-GU/Braunston-Flight-Lock-2_tmb.jpg

[David Mack]

The Grand Junction locks generally have the steps down in line with the lock sidewall. But in the OP's photos the steps are set back on both sides.

[Captain Pegg]

Considering all the above is this possibly a Leicester line or Erewash lock?

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

It don’t look like there’s any of those tall hydraulic ground paddles that’s seen on some (or many?) GU locks,

so that cancels out Calcutt and Stockton,

I can’t remember much of the rest of the GU

 

maybe the Leicester Line could be a good call with those paddles on the top gates?

 

[alan_fincher]

2 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

It don’t look like there’s any of those tall hydraulic ground paddles that’s seen on some (or many?) GU locks,

so that cancels out Calcutt and Stockton,

I can’t remember much of the rest of the GU

 

maybe the Leicester Line could be a good call with those paddles on the top gates?

 

 

Point of order...

The "candlestick" or "Dalek" paddle gear used on all the modernised locks on the Birmingham main line from Calcutt to Knowle is most definitely not hydraulic.

It is entirely mechanical with gears, something that can be proved by peering through the openings into the inner workings.

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Considering all the above is this possibly a Leicester line or Erewash lock?

 

To me it is a strong possibility that this is on the wide section of the GU Leicester main line.

I say this because I am very familiar with the Southern GU locks, Brentford to Braunston, but have not gone up or down the Leicester / Soar section in many decades.  I feel the picture is of somewhere I have not been in a very long while - but I'm probably wrong!

[ditchcrawler]

52 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

The "candlestick" or "Dalek" paddle gear used on all the modernised locks on the Birmingham main line from Calcutt to Knowle is most definitely not hydraulic.

 

So many people seem to think they are 

[magnetman]

So the canal above bends away sharply and the lock cottage isn't there any more. And its not in a flight. 

 

 

If the angle of the camera was wider it would look even more like Batchworth lock than it does already. 

[matty40s]

Only one that it can be on the Leicester Line is Kibworth Top Lock, the house has changed many times over the years....

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

So many people seem to think they are 

doh, yes,

I know they’re not but still said it 🤢

damn

Edited December 22, 2023 by beerbeerbeerbeerbeer

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

The "candlestick" or "Dalek" paddle gear used on all the modernised locks on the Birmingham main line from Calcutt to Knowle is most definitely not hydraulic.

All paddles are 'hydraulic' in the sense that they control the flow of water!

[magnetman]

There is a screw in the candlesticks whereas the granny gear, as the name suggests, has a gear pump and a hydraulic ram. 

 

 

 

Someone on here I forget who once put up rather a nice cutaway image of the Ham Baker gear on the broad section of the Grand Union after Braun St On..

 

Interesting mechanisms. I didn't like them at all. Much preferred the reasonably original gear on the main Grand Union. 

 

 

[GUMPY]

 

[magnetman]

Oh yes it was Laurence Hogg (RIP). 

 

 

One of his images. So basically a bevel and crown ? with a screw in the middle. 

 

[BEngo]

45 deg bevel  wheel, with the teeth on the upper surface and a coarse pitch thread in the centre, roated by a bevel pinion on the winding shaft .

 

Rotate bevel wheel and the screw shaft goes up of down.

 

Mechanical advantage enormous, velocity ratio low.

 

N

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

for novelty, I like using them,

especially when they work proper and you can leave them to lower without winding them down,

 

[magpie patrick]

Very interesting debate on paddle gear that is not on the original post! Does anyone know where the lock is? The steps either side does seem to be a Leicester Section feature 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I reckon Matty40s got it earlier up the thread

[MtB]

On 22/12/2023 at 18:45, matty40s said:

Only one that it can be on the Leicester Line is Kibworth Top Lock, the house has changed many times over the years....

 

 

I think you have it. 

 

There is the same number of steps in both photos, and lock heights tend to be different.

 

 

[alan_fincher]

I agree!

 

If you accept that the current house is a replacement or at least partial rebuild, then Matty's suggestion seems a good 'un.

[Tacet]

On 23/12/2023 at 08:24, BEngo said:

45 deg bevel  wheel, with the teeth on the upper surface and a coarse pitch thread in the centre, roated by a bevel pinion on the winding shaft .

 

Rotate bevel wheel and the screw shaft goes up of down.

 

Mechanical advantage enormous, velocity ratio low.

 

N

Paddle gear of the same principle is used on the Medway.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tonycanalpics.co.uk%2Fseast%2Fmedway%2F2175.jpg&tbnid=bAVU9g3Rx5DzsM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tonycanalpics.co.uk%2Fseast%2Fmedway%2F&docid=ruOJS0Jsl2DzpM&w=367&h=550&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F2#imgrc=bAVU9g3Rx5DzsM