West Mills Swing Bridge, Newbury

[Paul & Julia]

Hi Peoples

 

Seeking guidance on the operation of West Mills swing bridge on the K & A @ Newbury. Is the operation manual, hydraulic or electric or maybe a little of each. On walking past we could only locate a windlass winder but I 'm told a BW key is used - for what?

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[GSer]

Hi Peoples

 

Seeking guidance on the operation of West Mills swing bridge on the K & A @ Newbury. Is the operation manual, hydraulic or electric or maybe a little of each. On walking past we could only locate a windlass winder but I 'm told a BW key is used - for what?

 

Thanks

 

Paul

 

 

Use a windlass to wind down the barriers, then the box beside the bridge has (i think) a locked door which gives access to the electrickery, if you are travelling downstream towards Newbury take a stern rope off first and moor up, the river flows a bit there in the wetter months and its better to be safe than sorry!

 

Paul

[Scotty]

The BW key opens the little door in the green box, this houses the buttons for the bridge.

 

I have a photo which shows the bridge open

(you can also see the green box and one of the windlass operated barriers)

 

[Keeping Up]

Keep hold of your windlass. At one of the other bridges along there, someone off a cruiser that was going the other way pinched the windlass that Pingu had put down while she operated the bridge for me.

[Paul & Julia]

Use a windlass to wind down the barriers, then the box beside the bridge has (i think) a locked door which gives access to the electrickery, if you are travelling downstream towards Newbury take a stern rope off first and moor up, the river flows a bit there in the wetter months and its better to be safe than sorry!

 

Paul

 

 

Many thanks GSer

 

The BW key opens the little door in the green box, this houses the buttons for the bridge.

 

I have a photo which shows the bridge open

(you can also see the green box and one of the windlass operated barriers)

 

 

 

Many thanks Scotty - great pic

 

Keep hold of your windlass. At one of the other bridges along there, someone off a cruiser that was going the other way pinched the windlass that Pingu had put down while she operated the bridge for me.

 

Thanks Keeping up - sorry to hear of the windlass

[David Schweizer]

A bit but I would like to relate an interesting encounter I had on that bridge some years ago, when I was working through single handed. I had already wound down the offside barrier and was starting to wind down the second one when this "nice chap" in a BMW tore off the road and onto the bridge, wound down his window and demanded that I open the other barrier immediately.

 

Now if he had asked nicely, or given a reasoned explanation for his haste, I might have agreed, but he was so rude that I continued to wind the other barrier down, and then, much to his irritation, I went to the green box and opened the bridge. Being single handed, I then had to go back to the boat and untie it, move it through and tie it up again, I then walked back to the box and closed the bridge. Need less to say I opened the nearside barrier first before opening the offside one to let him escape.

 

By this time the "gentleman", who stayed in his car all this time, was in a rage, but with me carrying a 15" lump of iron in my hand he clearly thought better of having a go at me. I often wonder whether he adopted a more relaxed approach towards the next boater he met on the bridge.

Edited March 29, 2010 by David Schweizer

[Swallowman]

A bit but I would like to relate an interesting encounter I had on that bridge some years ago, when I was working through single handed. I had already wound down the offside barrier and was starting to wind down the second one when this "nice chap" in a BMW tore off the road and onto the bridge, wound down his window and demanded that I open the other barrier immediately.

 

Now if he had asked nicely, or given a reasoned explanation for his haste, I might have agreed, but he was so rude that I continued to wind the other barrier down, and then, much to his irritation, I went to the green box and opened the bridge. Being single handed, I then had to go back to the boat and untie it, move it through and tie it up again, I then walked back to the box and closed the bridge. Need less to say I opened the nearside barrier first before opening the offside one to let him escape.

 

By this time the "gentleman", who stayed in his car all this time, was in a rage, but with me carrying a 15" lump of iron in my hand he clearly thought better of having a go at me. I often wonder whether he adopted a more relaxed approach towards the next boater he met on the bridge.

 

Love it!

[Keeping Up]

A bit but I would like to relate an interesting encounter I had on that bridge some years ago, when I was working through single handed. I had already wound down the offside barrier and was starting to wind down the second one when this "nice chap" in a BMW tore off the road and onto the bridge, wound down his window and demanded that I open the other barrier immediately.

 

Now if he had asked nicely, or given a reasoned explanation for his haste, I might have agreed, but he was so rude that I continued to wind the other barrier down, and then, much to his irritation, I went to the green box and opened the bridge. Being single handed, I then had to go back to the boat and untie it, move it through and tie it up again, I then walked back to the box and closed the bridge. Need less to say I opened the nearside barrier first before opening the offside one to let him escape.

 

By this time the "gentleman", who stayed in his car all this time, was in a rage, but with me carrying a 15" lump of iron in my hand he clearly thought better of having a go at me. I often wonder whether he adopted a more relaxed approach towards the next boater he met on the bridge.

Slightly further because it wasn't only a different bridge on a different canal but was a lift bridge, although the principle is almost identical, I was once standing winding the lift bridge at Shirley on the Stratford (before it was electrified) and I was busy watching the boat to see if Pingu was going to steer through the bridge without hitting it, and also watching the dog because she loved being winched up into the air on the end of lift bridges, when I heard a car come up behind me and hoot. I ignored it and carried on winding; suddenly there was a loud clang and I turned round to see the bridge counterweight sitting in a new groove across the car's roof.

 

Pingu had just enough room to steer under the 80 percent open bridge; and the car owner got out of the car to speak to me but got back in again when he saw me swinging the windlass round and round. He didn't say a word as I wound the bridge back down and he drove across it in a cloud of tyre smoke.

[Hairy-Neil]

A bit but I would like to relate an interesting encounter I had on that bridge some years ago, when I was working through single handed. I had already wound down the offside barrier and was starting to wind down the second one when this "nice chap" in a BMW tore off the road and onto the bridge, wound down his window and demanded that I open the other barrier immediately.

 

Now if he had asked nicely, or given a reasoned explanation for his haste, I might have agreed, but he was so rude that I continued to wind the other barrier down, and then, much to his irritation, I went to the green box and opened the bridge. Being single handed, I then had to go back to the boat and untie it, move it through and tie it up again, I then walked back to the box and closed the bridge. Need less to say I opened the nearside barrier first before opening the offside one to let him escape.

 

By this time the "gentleman", who stayed in his car all this time, was in a rage, but with me carrying a 15" lump of iron in my hand he clearly thought better of having a go at me. I often wonder whether he adopted a more relaxed approach towards the next boater he met on the bridge.

 

I'm surprised the bridge operated correctly that far out of balance. I once 'caught' a car with the electric barriers on Winkwell swingbridge, but thought better of opening it for fear of it falling off the hinge pin.

[David Schweizer]

I'm surprised the bridge operated correctly that far out of balance. I once 'caught' a car with the electric barriers on Winkwell swingbridge, but thought better of opening it for fear of it falling off the hinge pin.

Well it did, although it grumbled a bit.