Maiden Voyage

[The Major]

That's interesting. I can understand working boatmen in the past doing it to keep up to schedule but nowadays I thought it was mandatory not to travel after dusk? The local boatowners didn't seem to view it as a delightful romantic interlude!

[dor]

That's interesting. I can understand working boatmen in the past doing it to keep up to schedule but nowadays I thought it was mandatory not to travel after dusk? The local boatowners didn't seem to view it as a delightful romantic interlude!

 

There is no restriction on private boaters travelling after dark. Hire companies however do not allow it, and if anything happened it is quite likely their insurance would be invalid.

 

If you are travelling after dark, the important thing is to be very respectful of moored boats, i.e .creep past them very slowly.

[DHutch]

There is nothing wrong with travelling late at night, I used to do it quite often, it is  very pleasant on a warm summer night after you have left the pub to put another couple of hours in, as long as you have a good light and you creep past moored boats.

Yeah, its nice isnt it.

- Quite and peicefull!

 

We at the end of the day we just let th fire go down and just drif on a bit till we're down to about 50ish, at which point the engine loses power almost altogether.

 

 

Daniel

[tony collins]

when you've finally got your route sorted, you could do worse than consult www.canalsidepubguide.co.uk

 

Regards

Tony Collins

[estima]

Well, I'm back in one piece !!!

 

Thanks to all of you for your advice, much appreciated.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and we managed to complete the four counties in an anti-clockwise direction very easily. We reached Stoke on Tuesday night, leaving us with three full days to get back to Middlewich ! We considered having a look down the Caldon but decided to simply slow down a bit. Having reached Stone by Monday night we were obviously way ahead on time, so it was nice to ease off a little after that.

 

I'll certainly be back on board again soon for another go.

[Southdowner]

Yeah, its nice isnt it.

- Quite and peicefull!

 

We at the end of the day we just let th fire go down and just drif on a bit till we're down to about 50ish, at which point the engine loses power almost altogether.

Daniel

22463[/snapback]

Daniel,

Do you use steam operated feed pump(s) or injector(s), or one of each, to feed water to boiler? In 1980's/90's used to operate a rail-mounted heavy lift crane on preserved railway (Ransome&Rapier 45t lift) with vertical boiler fitted with "Trusty" rotary feed "banjo"pump that would, amazingly, keep filling the boiler right down to 10psi. The other pump, a reciprocating Worthington-Simpson, used to refill water tank from larger tank on another vehicle would quit long before 10 psi. Diameter of our boiler was 6ft'ish, big by canal boat standards,

but pleased to read that steam still in regular use on canals with "President" EA and others, do they get together during the year at rallies?

Southdowner

[DHutch]

Daniel,

Do you use steam operated feed pump(s) or injector(s), or one of each,  to feed water to boiler?  In 1980's/90's  used to operate a rail-mounted heavy lift crane on preserved railway (Ransome&Rapier 45t lift) with vertical boiler fitted with "Trusty" rotary feed "banjo"pump that would, amazingly,  keep filling the boiler right down to 10psi.  The other pump, a reciprocating Worthington-Simpson, used to refill water tank from larger tank on another vehicle would quit long before 10 psi.  Diameter of our boiler was 6ft'ish, big by canal boat standards,

but pleased to read that steam still in regular use on canals with "President" EA and others,  do they get together during the year at rallies?

Southdowner

Are main boiler feed pump is a three ram presurewasher pump, driven of the engine. (you can see it the photo, vids)

- Beeing condencing, the water just goes round and round, the 'air pump' pumps the condestate into the hotwell, and then the boilerfeed pump suckes it from there, and into the boiler. then theres a ball valve, so when the hot well gets lower, the pump just short circuits back into the hotwell. Which means to put water into the boiler, all we have to do it open the tap into the hotwell, and it will shortly end up in the boiler!

- We also have two injectors, a small ones that work spot on all the time, as long as the waters cool-ish, and a larger one that can be adjusted to work almost all the time, but normal just needs cleaning all the time.

- And we have a foot-pump, just incast it all goes pair shaped!

 

There are steam rallys and events, organised my the SBA (which where members of)

(http://www.steamboat.org.uk/events.htm)

- Alot of them are in locataions that assume your boat is trailable, as most of the boats are, but where going to the Trentlock rally, on the 9-10th july, assuming we get there as planned. President is also a member of the sba, but fro the website, there not going to trentlock. (http://www.nb-president.org.uk/trips/2005trips/2005trips.htm)

 

 

Daniel

[DHutch]

You can have a look on my website at the photos and videos in the gallerys

www.spurstow.com/emilyanne/gallerys

 

 

Daniel