Cost saving...

[Guest]

We came up the Wigan flight yesterday with another boat and managed it all the way to the top with another boat, not another boat to be seen apart from the two doing the same going down.

 

The 'locky' put in a very late appearance just as we approached the top lock, chattering on his mobile and he opened one gate on the top lock.. a great help that.

 

Plank lane swing (lift) bridge is 'bridge keeper' operated currently but will be self operated next year according to the bridge keeper.

 

How many other staff do BW employ that are similarly superfluous......

[magpie patrick]

We came up the Wigan flight yesterday with another boat and managed it all the way to the top with another boat, not another boat to be seen apart from the two doing the same going down.

 

The 'locky' put in a very late appearance just as we approached the top lock, chattering on his mobile and he opened one gate on the top lock.. a great help that.

 

Plank lane swing (lift) bridge is 'bridge keeper' operated currently but will be self operated next year according to the bridge keeper.

 

How many other staff do BW employ that are similarly superfluous......

 

Very few, a "lock keeper" has not operated locks on BW for a long time. "Lengthsman" would be a better term. And there is a difference between "superfluous" and "can manage without if we have to". When we had a boat on the G and S, Patch Bridge at Slimbridge was manned, but had been fitted with a "user operation panel". We won't see it, but I await with interest the August Sunday when20 boats wish to go through the bridge, whilst a similar number of coaches wish to leave the Wetland and Wildfowl Trust.

 

What we will find is we get increasingly inconvenienced. in our five year long ownership of Ripple, for example, we were three times worked through locks by contractors because the lock was a work site and they did not want us off the boat. Lower the price of the contract, and that service won't be provided, the lock will close.

[sueb]

We came up the Wigan flight yesterday with another boat and managed it all the way to the top with another boat, not another boat to be seen apart from the two doing the same going down.

 

The 'locky' put in a very late appearance just as we approached the top lock, chattering on his mobile and he opened one gate on the top lock.. a great help that.

 

Plank lane swing (lift) bridge is 'bridge keeper' operated currently but will be self operated next year according to the bridge keeper.

 

How many other staff do BW employ that are similarly superfluous......

Why do you think he is superfluous? Is his only job to work locks?

Sue

[choogh]

We came up the Wigan flight yesterday with another boat and managed it all the way to the top with another boat, not another boat to be seen apart from the two doing the same going down.

 

The 'locky' put in a very late appearance just as we approached the top lock, chattering on his mobile and he opened one gate on the top lock.. a great help that.

 

Plank lane swing (lift) bridge is 'bridge keeper' operated currently but will be self operated next year according to the bridge keeper.

 

How many other staff do BW employ that are similarly superfluous......

 

I don't really know...but what I do know is, that just before I retuned to Italy, moored opposite me on the Lancaster was ( & possible still is !!) a BW workboat, it took three "Lengthsmen" 3 days to load the boat with wooden stakes and planks. They then set off to "repair" the bank side a little further down the canal. On passing, their work boat was adrift and partially blocking the canal, the "repairs were incomplete and they had managed to repair up to a clump of weeds bypasing them and continuing thereafter.. So I guess at least three that not only are superfluous, but also (apparently) useless..

Edited August 17, 2011 by choogh

[Guest]

Why do you think he is superfluous? Is his only job to work locks?

Sue

 

He didn't 'work' any locks...

 

and given the number of broken paddles on the flight his job wasn't fixing them, grass cutting has long since been contracted out to sub contractors,

 

leaving????

 

ETA - he didn't even know both offside paddles on the top lock were not working. Directing me to not use the 'gate' paddle 'mate' as it's not working.

 

er neither were 'who put the yellow tape on' clearly not you....

Edited August 17, 2011 by MJG

[Minos]

So the guy isn't working on a lock while you are using it - and from this you conclude that he is "superfluous."

 

That is like saying that a surgeon isn't working when he isn't slicing holes in patients, a lawyer isn't working when he isn't in court arguing with judges, a teacher isn't working when there are no children in the classroom, a shopkeeper isn't working while the shop is closed...

 

BW doesn't employ staff to wait for boaters to need them.

[johnmck]

Hi MJG.

 

Glad you are enjoying your travels. Look out for N.B. Chance. They are according to their blog on the same flight. If you see them, pass my regards and have a natter. Lovely couple. Talking about blogs, your link at the bottom of each entry on here takes one directly to "The Dog House". Am I reading it correctly, or was it last updated in March ? You are as bad as us for updating methinks...

 

John Mck.

 

 

Or as Ali has just informed me, the link directs one to March when it was created. All is beyond my I am afraid !

Edited August 17, 2011 by johnmck

[Ange]

When we went up the Wigan Flight the lockie came out, out of hours, to help us let water down when the pound in front of us was dry. He was very cheerful and helped us in a difficult situation - we'd never had this happen to us before.

 

When we went down two years later he advised us some gate trouble (can't remember the details now) on one of the locks to look out for. He also set some locks ahead of us. That was the same chap.

[Gibbo]

Or as Ali has just informed me, the link directs one to March when it was created. All is beyond my I am afraid !

 

But even so, the dog is kinda cute.

[PhilR]

When we went up the Wigan Flight the lockie came out, out of hours, to help us let water down when the pound in front of us was dry. He was very cheerful and helped us in a difficult situation - we'd never had this happen to us before.

 

When we went down two years later he advised us some gate trouble (can't remember the details now) on one of the locks to look out for. He also set some locks ahead of us. That was the same chap.

 

 

You must go up north more often?

[rgreg]

As far as I'm aware the Wigan flight is not designated as a BW-assisted passage.

[Dalesman]

As far as I'm aware the Wigan flight is not designated as a BW-assisted passage.

Well it was back in 2006 in fact they had 2 guys there on bikes working the flight, and you could phone BW at let them know when you would be going up or down the flight and they would assist you, though it only ever happened once with me, all the other times I used the flight we did it alone and only ever saw the lock guys sitting in their van at the bottom of the 21. Still did it in 3 hours though..

Edited August 18, 2011 by Dalesman