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BCN registration plates


andywatson

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I have seen the distinctive cast BCN registration number plates on old boats and also BCN numbers just painted on.

 

Were there preferred or even specified places on a boat to display the plates/numbers?

How many plates either painted or cast should a boat have carried?

 

I look forward to comments from the experts.

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I have seen the distinctive cast BCN registration number plates on old boats and also BCN numbers just painted on.

 

Were there preferred or even specified places on a boat to display the plates/numbers?

How many plates either painted or cast should a boat have carried?

 

I look forward to comments from the experts.

Andy,

There were normally at least two plates issued for each boat. however some boats had three, I have never seen one with four. On a joey or day double ended open boat one was inside the steerers position just under the lining board on the wooden boats and on the port side looking forward, On the lining board dead centre was the place for the third. Iron boats followed the same tradition if double ended, however on a single ended boat the forward plate was placed on the deck bulkhead facing the hold.

 

On motor boats some had two plates either side of the engine room forward bulkhead, on some FMC motors the plate was on the cabin side lower left of the side on the raised surround. Some Thos Clayton motors also used the bow and had the plates on the headlamp coming.

 

As for painting, most plates were painted black with white raised numbers and circumfrence, however as time went on other colours were used and I do remember seeing blue and yellow ones.

 

BCN numbers were also painted onto cabin sides, this is commonly seen on early FMC horse boats, also they could be stamped into the gauging markers set into the gunwale.

 

There are three types of BCN plate btw. The very early ones had a round end, these are rare. The second following the late 1880's renumbering was an oblong with two semi circular protusions (ears). The third style after they went back to "1" again and final is the rectangle with scalloped out corners.

 

The last boat "gauged" in a gauging dock was "Dorset" BCN 2392, another plate was issued officially however in 2011 to our boat "Barnet" as a tribute to the boats continious 75 years of service, we are now BCN 2393 and very proud of the number.

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It should also be noted (and it is quite possible that Laurence might know) but the predecessor to the BCN Registration Plate was the Indexing system. That the BCN decided to move from wet to dry inch gauging is forever remembered by the conversion of the Smethwick Indexing Station and the construction of the surviving (now Grade II listed) Tipton Gauging Station. It has also been suggested that, in addition to the required number of metal indexes, index number plates were issued and this possibility may explain the large number sequence that was created for the initial "gaugings".

 

It is also feasible that examples of such number plates might exist.

 

Birmingham Corporation (sanitary department) also produced a plate that was affixed to the first group of boats that were registered by them. Sanitary registrations commonly had the number painted on the side of the cabin, but these early Birmingham boats had the plate. I recall seeing what I believe to be an example of this plate as part of a display in a glass cabinet at the Oxford Canal Company toll cottage, Braunston.

 

Ray Shill

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[birmingham Corporation (sanitary department) also produced a plate that was affixed to the first group of boats that were registered by them. Sanitary registrations commonly had the number painted on the side of the cabin, but these early Birmingham boats had the plate. I recall seeing what I believe to be an example of this plate as part of a display in a glass cabinet at the Oxford Canal Company toll cottage, Braunston.

 

Ray Shill

Were these the boats on the "night soil" run to the fields around Tardibigge and other locations? You can still find bits of clay and clay pipes in these fields.

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Were these the boats on the "night soil" run to the fields around Tardibigge and other locations? You can still find bits of clay and clay pipes in these fields.

 

Smoking in the privy - they were warned against it.

Edited by Derek R.
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The Act of Parliament that empowered certain authorities to inspect canal boats, granted Birmingham and Wolverhampton that right.Birmingham commenced inspections from 15th January 1879. the first boat, no 1 in the register was Rose (No 11), which belonged to William John Yeomans of Oldbury, who carried tar and ammonia water. I suppose Yeomans' boat was the first to receive the registration plate. Other earlier registrations included the iron carrier, Joseph Whitehouse, the salt carrier John Corbett, and the merchandise carriers, London and Staffordshire Carrying Company.

 

The sanitary boats which carried Night Soil from depots such as Banbury Street and Rotton Park Street, in Birmingham, are a different subject. They were also generally open or day boats, where boatmen did not sleep over night, and thus were not covered by the legislation inspired by George Smith (of Coalville).

 

Ray Shill

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  • 2 weeks later...

Does anyone know if there is someone who can cast replacement BCN plates?

 

Thanks

 

Mark

 

I have a pattern for the latter plates and the relevent numbers, will be getting some done for "Barnet" in the near future.

  • Greenie 1
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  • 5 weeks later...

When a BCN boat was re-guaged, would she have been given a new plate?

 

Boats were re-gauged on the B.C.N. for numerous reasons ranging from alterations to the hull (the most common reason) to the loss of B.C.N. gauge plates (fairly infrequent). If a boat was being re-gauged due to hull alterations it would usually keep its original gauge number so would not be issued with new gauge plates. The date of re-gauging is listed on the table as a minor alteration, often with other accompanying notes. If the re-gauge including the issue of a new gauge number then new gauge plates would also be issued, and the old B.C.N. gauge number is listed at the top of the new B.C.N. gauge table.

 

Most older boats trading across the B.C.N. were re-gauged between 1895 and 1906. These were allocated new gauge numbers in the 14001 onwards series of B.C.N. gauge numbers and were also issued with new gauge plates.

  • Greenie 1
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  • 4 years later...

 

I have a pattern for the latter plates and the relevent numbers, will be getting some done for "Barnet" in the near future.

Old thread but can you let me know if you can still have these made up please. Pm me with price and ill have 2 done for towy as the plates are no longer there and im wanting to put them back on

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Old thread but can you let me know if you can still have these made up please. Pm me with price and ill have 2 done for towy as the plates are no longer there and im wanting to put them back on

 

Sorry cannot help, we couldn't find the pattern when we came to do the set for Barnet, hence the vinyl ones it carries. Really p--sed me off as it was the last ever BCN number that will ever be issued!!

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As tugs were not gauged in the BCN system, as they were traction power not carrying vessels, has anybody come across a plate for this group.

 

Plenty!

Apart from the short purpose built short tugs never designed to load, many others were full length carrying tugs which carried BCN plates, examples of this are the ex GUCCCo motors used by T&S Element, "Mayflower", Mayqueen", "King George v", "Prince Charlkes" etc, Lenoard Leighs ex steamer "Empress", Brants Josher motor, Keays "Silver Jubilee (BCN 2385) and many others, indeed it is possible that the carrying tugs exceeded the numbers of purpose built ones.

Edited by Laurence Hogg
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33b5295a-b64c-4573-9d7c-08e7d04d7616.jpg

 

Our these the numbers we are talking about, these are on Vesta back in 1960

But the plates B.C.N. 2200 had nothing to do with VESTA, apart from being displayed when in use as a pleasure boat.

 

B.C.N. 2200 was issued on 21 June 1944 to the wooden day boat JOE 23 owned by Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company, Stourport - later passing to the British Electric Authority captain.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whos bee?

Its Me, Sorry about not being here for a while, just catching up on e mails, will reply properly tomorrow, been in France for a few weeks on the boat, weather really nice if a bit too hot sometimes, nice wine, stayed on the 'narrow' canals in Northern France, very few pleasure boats but I think maybe a few more commercials than usual but still very under used. Will be firing up the foundry for the winter campaign in a few days.

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