Birmingham & Fazeley Canal

[Rob_rs2000]

And I have it from the horses mouth that it was only the gas main that prevented that very failure.

 

 

Drove past on the way home tonight, didn't stop so only got a quick look. I tried to take a photo on my phone which was slightly dangerous and unsuccessful.

The road dips down at the point where the problem is, all I could see was a large lump of bank missing and a large pipe in the hole.

 

I think it will be fixed soon due to close proximity to the road, and the massive tailbacks caused this morning.

[NB Alnwick]

Drove past on the way home tonight, didn't stop so only got a quick look. I tried to take a photo on my phone which was slightly dangerous and unsuccessful.

The road dips down at the point where the problem is, all I could see was a large lump of bank missing and a large pipe in the hole.

 

I think it will be fixed soon due to close proximity to the road, and the massive tailbacks caused this morning.

 

Any more news on this?

[Smelly]

The damage is, on the whole, cosmetic thanks to the gas main, however the concern is where the water will come from to refill the long pound.

 

That is a 64 thousand dollar question.

[Tiny]

Not them again . . .

 

Wot BW elf and safety men?

 

Incidentally who pays for the clean as it is BWs canal that was breached by them opening BWs paddles?

Edited July 5, 2010 by Tiny

[mayalld]

As I have asked elsewhere in one of the several parallel threads on this topic....

 

Why does letting water down from a long pound above at no greater rate than can be achievewd by opening all the paddles result in a breach of the bank ?

 

Surely the water would at worst just raise a few inches until it was cascading over the gates of the next lock down ?

 

This is not a normal scenario, surely, even in a case of deliberate vandalism.

 

If the bank has been breached by raising the level by only a bit, it must have been pretty bloody near to having been breached already, mustn't it ?

 

The volume of water that a lock will pass with all paddles open is considerably more than the maximum amount of water that a by-wash will pass, and further is considerably more than can be weired over gates (particularly where top gates have been fitted with riding boards up to the beam).

 

Opening all paddles from a long pound (which means that it will run for a long time) into a short pound (which means that the level will rise fast) can very easily overtop the bank, and as soon as water starts overtopping the bank, you get water scour cutting a channel.

[Tiny]

The volume of water that a lock will pass with all paddles open is considerably more than the maximum amount of water that a by-wash will pass, and further is considerably more than can be weired over gates (particularly where top gates have been fitted with riding boards up to the beam).

 

Opening all paddles from a long pound (which means that it will run for a long time) into a short pound (which means that the level will rise fast) can very easily overtop the bank, and as soon as water starts overtopping the bank, you get water scour cutting a channel.

 

 

And thus was the Black Sea and Ironbridge gorge formed.

[mayalld]

And thus was the Black Sea and Ironbridge gorge formed.

 

It is amazing what can happen when paddles are left open!

[alan_fincher]

The volume of water that a lock will pass with all paddles open is considerably more than the maximum amount of water that a by-wash will pass, and further is considerably more than can be weired over gates (particularly where top gates have been fitted with riding boards up to the beam).

 

Opening all paddles from a long pound (which means that it will run for a long time) into a short pound (which means that the level will rise fast) can very easily overtop the bank, and as soon as water starts overtopping the bank, you get water scour cutting a channel.

And yet the opening of all paddles at a lock and the draining of a pound are a fairly frequent act of canal vandalism, and I can't recall many recent cases where it has resulted in a bank washing out.

 

An awful lot of water can go very quickly over a set of gates, but I agree if it's a narrow lock, and there are wide rubbing boards going up above bank level, perhaps then enough water can overwhelm things due to the restricted parts where water can actually get through.

 

You are of course correct that a long pound discharged into a short one gives the greatest possibility of things becoming more serious.

 

Perhaps some of those remote devices that monitor water levels in many of BW's longer pounds could be modified to page an on-call emergency man once the level has dropped by more than a certain amount ? It's hardly rocket science!

[Josher]

The damage is, on the whole, cosmetic thanks to the gas main, however the concern is where the water will come from to refill the long pound.

 

[Smelly]

Perhaps some of those remote devices that monitor water levels in many of BW's longer pounds could be modified to page an on-call emergency man once the level has dropped by more than a certain amount ? It's hardly rocket science!

 

That's exactly what woke my mate in BW up at silly o'clock on Friday morning

[Laurence Hogg]

As from 4pm today MINWORTH LOCKS will be open!!

There was a sign saying so on Farmers Bridge Top Lock today.

British Waterways have really done well.

 

(Ex Brenda Ward BCNS)

[JohnO]

SNIP...

but never mind the paddles and the beams had been painted

Yes lets paint the beams, the week leading up to the Bank Holiday.

Thats two pairs of trouser's BW owe me now!

[Smelly]

As from 4pm today MINWORTH LOCKS will be open!!

There was a sign saying so on Farmers Bridge Top Lock today.

British Waterways have really done well.

 

(Ex Brenda Ward BCNS)

 

Deep draughted boats should give it a couple of days though.

 

Sorry, I had a busy day and indeed; well done BW!

 

The lads (and contractors) have worked bleeding hard and they've taken a couple of gambles to open up so quickly.

[Odana]

Impressively fast. Good work.

 

Now, if they could just magick up some water on the Rochdale too, life would be perfect

[DHutch]

But as far as I can remember those lock do

Easily opened with a warmed end of a biro if not done up very tightly, or a 37p quarter inch drive socket set, or for the athletic, a 12p junior hacksaw.

- Otherwise for £4 you can buy the actual proper key from basically any canalside shop with no questions asked at all. This method also works for antivandal locks that use the watermate yale key.

 

 

Daniel