Perry Barr Locks - it's not going well

[Midnight]

We've had to close navigation at Perry Barr lock flight on the Tame Valley Canal.

A beam has snapped off at the connection with the headpost on one of the gates at Lock 2, meaning this lock is completely out of action until it can be fixed. 

The reactive response team are going out to assess the damage and determine what repair can be attempted. We'll provide a further update as soon as we receive one.

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/28596/perry-barr-lock-flight-tame-valley-canal

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

 

So we escaped from Yorkshire by the skin of our teeth (electrical issue at Keadby lock). Then found out about a likely delay on the T&M. Now this. Hoping the rapid response team can bodge this one too, otherwise our current plan is up the chute. What's the betting Yorkshire will be closed when we go back. 🙄

[MtB]

Puzzled about why you want to escape Yorkshire.

 

I thought it was nice up there....

 

 

[PeterScott]

17/06/2024 13:59

The reactive response team have now assessed the damage. We're hoping to have the lock beam fixed and navigation back open again midday tomorrow (18/06/24)

 

Well, that seemed quick, for once 🙂

[Midnight]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

Puzzled about why you want to escape Yorkshire.

 

I thought it was nice up there....

 

 

It is but we can only escape for a few days a year. Getting back is usually a problem too. Don't go there the Rochdale summit wolves eat boaters from darn surf.

[IanD]

13 minutes ago, Midnight said:

It is but we can only escape for a few days a year. Getting back is usually a problem too. Don't go there the Rochdale summit wolves eat boaters from darn surf.

Is that because they're fat and juicy and slow and easy to catch, as opposed to Northern boaters who are more like tough little whippets? 😉 

[magpie patrick]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

Puzzled about why you want to escape Yorkshire.

 

I thought it was nice up there....

 

 

 Can't see why anyone would want to escape Perry Barr either! 

 

That said they must be one of the easier flights to avoid, with three other canals leading from the Walsall Level and three more from under spaghetti junction

[Midnight]

Just now, magpie patrick said:

 Can't see why anyone would want to escape Perry Barr either! 

 

That said they must be one of the easier flights to avoid, with three other canals leading from the Walsall Level and three more from under spaghetti junction

 

Being like "tough little whippets" from Yorkshire we want to do the Curly Wurly. Been thinking about it for years now realised we best get it done before it's too late. 😕

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

 

Being like "tough little whippets" from Yorkshire we want to do the Curly Wurly. Been thinking about it for years now realised we best get it done before it's too late. 😕

 

We planned to do that not long ago but also put it off, which turned out to be a good thing given massive weed growth and few boats at the time -- IIRC according to someone on here this meant visits down the weedhatch every few hundred yards... 😞 

[BCN Challenge]

19 minutes ago, Midnight said:

 

Being like "tough little whippets" from Yorkshire we want to do the Curly Wurly. Been thinking about it for years now realised we best get it done before it's too late. 😕

You don’t have to be that tough to do the Curly Wyrley. And you don’t have to transit Perry Barr locks to do it, you can head to Birmingham via Ocker Hill and Ryders Green locks from Rushall. Although it looks like you won’t have a problem at Perry Barr anyway.

[john6767]

19 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

We planned to do that not long ago but also put it off, which turned out to be a good thing given massive weed growth and few boats at the time -- IIRC according to someone on here this meant visits down the weedhatch every few hundred yards... 😞 

The W&E is no problem at all, we did it end to end on the BCN Challenge, including Hollybank Basin, Cannock and Anglesey, plus Daw End, no weedhatch trips at all.  The problem as always is the Walsall!

[BCN Challenge]

11 minutes ago, john6767 said:

The W&E is no problem at all, we did it end to end on the BCN Challenge, including Hollybank Basin, Cannock and Anglesey, plus Daw End, no weedhatch trips at all.  The problem as always is the Walsall!

Those that did the Walsall on the Challenge pretty much all reported that it was as easy as they had ever remembered.

 

Weeds don’t stop anybody going anywhere. They just slow you down. Some folk more than others.

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

.... this meant visits down the weedhatch every few hundred yards... 😞 

We are experienced, we've done the Rochdale many times 😝

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Midnight said:

We are experienced, we've done the Rochdale many times 😝

I believe you can't get a mattress out through a weedhatch though... 😞

[nicknorman]

Perry Barr is rather a pleasant flight once you get past the bottom 2 (which are not too bad either)

[Ex Brummie]

I've never had much weed hatch problems on the Curley Wyrley, but have to have much water filter cleaning (Raw Water cooling)

[Tonka]

If Mr @Midnight was to stop breaking everything then there wouldn't be so many stoppages

[Jon57]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

I believe you can't get a mattress out through a weedhatch though... 😞

I know a man who can. 😁

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

If Mr @Midnight was to stop breaking everything then there wouldn't be so many stoppages

He hasn't got there yet. 🤣

1 minute ago, Jon57 said:

I know a man who can. 😁

He hasn't got there yet. 🤣

Give it time 🤣

[Rob-M]

The Walsall was ok this year apart from the shallow bits by Moorcroft junction and the gate that only opened 6' 10".

 

No weed hatch trips at all but then we were on a boat with no weed hatch but did stick in the lock at 7'.

[agg221]

The Wyrley and Essington isn't too much of a problem at the moment. The most difficult bits of the BCN currently seem to be Bromford Junction (bottom of Spon Lane flight), Moorcroft on the Walsall and the narrows just before Titford Pools. There was a stretch on the way up to Bradley last Friday where I wasn't sure I was going to keep going - dropped to somewhere between 0.5 and 0.25mph but it eventually got through!

Alec

Edited June 17, 2024 by agg221

[john6767]

4 hours ago, BCN Challenge said:

Those that did the Walsall on the Challenge pretty much all reported that it was as easy as they had ever remembered.

 

Weeds don’t stop anybody going anywhere. They just slow you down. Some folk more than others.

The main point was the W&E was not a problem at all, and I think due to all the rain putting an extra couple of inches of water in there it was quite fast.  
 

On the Walsall we did the locks, both ways, but picked up large amounts of plastic, and had to clear a shopping trolley from behind the top gate of one lock, so for us the most time consuming bit.  We also did Tame Valley junction to Pudding Green without any really problem other than the rain!

[BCN Challenge]

2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

The main point was the W&E was not a problem at all, and I think due to all the rain putting an extra couple of inches of water in there it was quite fast.  
 

On the Walsall we did the locks, both ways, but picked up large amounts of plastic, and had to clear a shopping trolley from behind the top gate of one lock, so for us the most time consuming bit.  We also did Tame Valley junction to Pudding Green without any really problem other than the rain!

At 0400 on Sunday there was absolutely no water in the second bottom pound of Ryder’s Green.

 

There’s a section of the Daw End branch that is very shallow just south of Aldridge Wharf.

Of course a lot depends of the style of boat you have as to how much you get affected by weeds and shallow water.

 

Also plenty of boats without a weed hatch have competed successfully in the BCN Challenge successfully and a couple have won it in recent years.

[Francis Herne]

18 hours ago, IanD said:

I believe you can't get a mattress out through a weedhatch though... 😞

On the other hand you might havethe good fortune to find some luxury seating as we did on Sunday! The BCN is a fun lucky dip.

Edited June 18, 2024 by Francis Herne

[IanD]

57 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

On the other hand you might get lucky and find some luxury seating as we did on Sunday! The BCN is a fun lucky dip.

 

I remember going through Royal (is it really?) Leamington Spa many years ago and encountering an armchair like that. We found the matching one round the next bend, and then the sofa shortly afterwards. Cheaper and easier to throw a 3-piece suite in the cut than take it to the tip, especially nowadays... 😞 

Edited June 18, 2024 by IanD

[Tonka]

4 hours ago, IanD said:

 

I remember going through Royal (is it really?) Leamington Spa many years ago and encountering an armchair like that. We found the matching one round the next bend, and then the sofa shortly afterwards. Cheaper and easier to throw a 3-piece suite in the cut than take it to the tip, especially nowadays... 😞 

if they havent got the fire labels on them the charity shops wont take them. The council charge to take them

[agg221]

3 hours ago, Tonka said:

if they havent got the fire labels on them the charity shops wont take them. The council charge to take them

You would think the absence of a fire label would create a train of thought leading to an alternative route to disposal...

 

Alec