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Awful awful locks on gu

Mary 1

By Mary 1
in Holidays Afloat

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Mary 1 Collaborator

Mary 1

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From Blissworth to Braunstone this weekend we encountered the worst locks ever, new we were told, we got blisters trying to shut them before filling to go up or down, it was truly awful. I was accused of ramming the gates to open them, what rot. I did nothing of the kind. So how do we get them shut and open with ease.

mary1

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bristol & argo Collaborator

bristol & argo

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From Blissworth to Braunstone this weekend we encountered the worst locks ever, new we were told, we got blisters trying to shut them before filling to go up or down, it was truly awful. I was accused of ramming the gates to open them, what rot. I did nothing of the kind. So how do we get them shut and open with ease.

mary1

 

Ahem, that'll be the Buckby Flight then.

 

BW seems to have lost the art of fitting new gates and balancing them correctly...

 

Get yourself over to Calcut and Stockton and you will be 95% happy, must be the change in areas, as everything new on the southern GU is either heavy or stiff.

 

 

Simon.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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Yes,

 

In my view, as far as the main GU flights go, Buckby are the worst.

 

It's not just poor maintenance, they measure at least an average of a foot or more deeper per lock than the other major flights, so bottom gates are heavier, and attempting to use lock ladders harder

 

I have been told several times that BW deliberately don't grease new paddle gear for some considerable time, to allow it to bed in before they get around to it.

 

It's never made a lot of sense to me. I have seen boaters with their own oil cans, in fact.

 

If you can do Buckby, most other GU flights are a relative doddle. Hanwell can be hard work too, depending on just how much debris you have to boat through.

 

Edited to add:

 

It doesn't matter but the place names you mention are regularly misspelt on the forum.

 

Should be Blisworth and Braunston.

Edited by alan_fincher
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Mary 1 Collaborator

Mary 1

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Yes,

 

In my view, as far as the main GU flights go, Buckby are the worst.

 

It's not just poor maintenance, they measure at least an average of a foot or more deeper per lock than the other major flights, so bottom gates are heavier, and attempting to use lock ladders harder

 

I have been told several times that BW deliberately don't grease new paddle gear for some considerable time, to allow it to bed in before they get around to it.

 

It's never made a lot of sense to me. I have seen boaters with their own oil cans, in fact.

 

If you can do Buckby, most other GU flights are a relative doddle. Hanwell can be hard work too, depending on just how much debris you have to boat through.

 

Edited to add:

 

It doesn't matter but the place names you mention are regularly misspelt on the forum.

 

Should be Blisworth and Braunston.

Oh UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

m

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Hairy-Neil Veteran

Hairy-Neil

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Perhaps we should campaign for hydraulic gate operation on the GU..... :lol:

 

If you think Buckby are hard work then avoid Yorkshire...... The L&L, Tinsley, Brighouse, Salterhebble etc. and particularly the Huddersfield broad are all mens work compared to anything the GU can give you.

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David Schweizer Veteran II

David Schweizer

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Sounds like a lethal combination to me... :lol:

Buckby locks have always been hard work, mainly because of the short balance beams on fairly deep gates, but they are not awful, and are in generally very good condition. Of course they would be easier if the beams were longer, but that would also entail widening the lock platforms which would be impossible on some locks because of obstructions.

 

We go uo and down the Buckby flight on a regular basis, and I frequently see people heaving and tugging trying to move the bottom gates, rather than useing their own weight to do the job properly. If you have ever seen a horse start to move a heavy cart,(or boat) it doesnt make a lot of fuss, it just leans forward into it's collar until it's own weight starts to move the cart, only then does it start to pull. it is the same with lock gates.

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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Perhaps we should campaign for hydraulic gate operation on the GU..... :lol:

 

If you think Buckby are hard work then avoid Yorkshire...... The L&L, Tinsley, Brighouse, Salterhebble etc. and particularly the Huddersfield broad are all mens work compared to anything the GU can give you.

First locks I ever worked were the Huddersfield Broad followed by Calder and Hebble. I could barely stand by the end of the day. However, I could open all the gates, on my own, which is more than I can say for Buckby, where I have had to admit defeat, on occasion.

 

edited to say this is not a moan, I know it is largely the combination of big gates and short beams, rather than lack of maintenance, whereas the Yorkshire ones (in 2006) were badly maintained (although that's not a moan either)

 

We're heading for the L&L this summer. Do I need to start extra Weetabix rations now?

Edited by WarriorWoman
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Ange Veteran

Ange

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First locks I ever worked were the Huddersfield Broad followed by Calder and Hebble. I could barely stand by the end of the day. However, I could open all the gates, on my own, which is more than I can say for Buckby, where I have had to admit defeat, on occasion.

 

edited to say this is not a moan, I know it is largely the combination of big gates and short beams, rather than lack of maintenance, whereas the Yorkshire ones (in 2006) were badly maintained (although that's not a moan either)

 

We're heading for the L&L this summer. Do I need to start extra Weetabix rations now?

 

I'd start on the Weetabix now if you're planning to go up the Wigan flight - nearly killed me!!!!

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Dominic M Influencer

Dominic M

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I'd start on the Weetabix now if you're planning to go up the Wigan flight - nearly killed me!!!!

That's why there's so many pie shops in Wigan. Never used to be before they built those locks. Some are made with genuine free range whippet too.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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Just to say I never intended to say that the Buckby locks are necessarily as bad as those on other canals.

 

However I have always found them to be harder work than those in other major GU flights, and I still stick by that.

 

David is right about techniques for getting gates moving - we worked down Buckby with an 80 year old, and he was probably better at it than me.

 

However some of those gates, if you do get them open a foot or two by pulling, and then try and transfer around the other side to push, will start going the other way again, and trying to sweep you over the edge. :lol:

 

I don't generally have too much trouble with GU paddle gear, except where nasty modern plastic paddles have been put in. Many of the narrow canals have paddles decidedly harder to wind, in my view.

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Tiny Rising Star

Tiny

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At the Leeds end one lock was rebuilt with new gates which were complete Bs. Cursing them one day the wife noted the approach of some BW senior who, it turned out, was selling the old gates, left by the lock, to some bod with him.

The wife, never one to step back informed BW that the new gates were unbalanced rubbish. When the BW suit said they were excellent and perfectly balanced she made him demonstrate by opening and closing them a few times - until he was on the point of collapse in fact. All through he kept the party line about them being perfectly balanced. The guy buying the gates was having hysterics.

 

The next time we passed along this bit of the system all the gates were balanced - maybe BW were afraid that the customer from hell might return to frighten them.

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churchward Veteran II

churchward

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Posted (edited)
Yes,

 

In my view, as far as the main GU flights go, Buckby are the worst.

 

It's not just poor maintenance, they measure at least an average of a foot or more deeper per lock than the other major flights, so bottom gates are heavier, and attempting to use lock ladders harder

 

I have been told several times that BW deliberately don't grease new paddle gear for some considerable time, to allow it to bed in before they get around to it.

 

It's never made a lot of sense to me. I have seen boaters with their own oil cans, in fact.

 

If you can do Buckby, most other GU flights are a relative doddle. Hanwell can be hard work too, depending on just how much debris you have to boat through.

 

Edited to add:

 

It doesn't matter but the place names you mention are regularly misspelt on the forum.

 

Should be Blisworth and Braunston.

Yes the Buckby locks were stiff before they replaced them and seem to be no better since they have.

Edited by churchward
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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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And for men having trouble with locks ???

Ah, well that's easy...

 

Wasn't sure how having a man (real or pretend) was going to make me any stronger and/or heavier. Perhaps Sue could explain?

Edited by WarriorWoman
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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

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For the women having trouble with lock gates - get yourselves a REAL man. Problem solved.

Sue

Tempted to say, one problem solved, many more created. But of course I don't approve of sexist comments, so I can't.

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sueb Veteran II

sueb

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Tempted to say, one problem solved, many more created. But of course I don't approve of sexist comments, so I can't.

I never was politically correct. There are some things a real man can do better than a woman and one of them is work locks especially Buckby.

Sue

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