Mill lift bridge no 205 Oxford Canal

[Chop!]

I've been working at the Cornbury Festival and wanted to cycle to the Oxford for some refreshments, Richard Fairhurst told me that the towpath was quite rough and sent me to The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, a wonderful old trad pub which sells things like meerschaum pipes, tobaccos and snuffs.

Yesterday I braved the hills on my old heavy Long-John dray bike and cycled to Lower Heyford to visit The Bell, while cycling along the towpath I rode ahead of this narrowboat to open the Mill Lift bridge which was quite heavy. The chap thanked me and said he'd wondered how they would manage as it was too heavy for his young son to lift

My old Long-John can be seen in the background

 

 

I then enjoyed a few sherbets and a chinwag with Neil off NB Moonlight

[bigste]

So some boaters do appreciate help. Nice one.

[Athy]

Yes indeed.

What would have been the original purpose of a dray bike? You surely could not carry a barrel on it?

[rubblequeen]

Long John Dray Bike, don't know why I couldn't write in the same post as above. Is this like yours? Love it, post some pics please.

Edited July 7, 2013 by rubblequeen

[Tesla]

I've been working at the Cornbury Festival and wanted to cycle to the Oxford for some refreshments, Richard Fairhurst told me that the towpath was quite rough and sent me to The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, a wonderful old trad pub which sells things like meerschaum pipes, tobaccos and snuffs.

Yesterday I braved the hills on my old heavy Long-John dray bike and cycled to Lower Heyford to visit The Bell, while cycling along the towpath I rode ahead of this narrowboat to open the Mill Lift bridge which was quite heavy. The chap thanked me and said he'd wondered how they would manage as it was too heavy for his young son to lift

My old Long-John can be seen in the background

 

 

I then enjoyed a few sherbets and a chinwag with Neil off NB Moonlight

My wife had trouble with mill lift bridge a few weeks go, and wondered how older frailer boaters manage it? Is there a technique to lifting heavy bridges like this? And yes I know the obvious technique would be to make me do it, but at this stage my wife is still not comfortable at the helm!

[JohnGH]

Nice Brooks saddle!

[Chop!]

 

Long John Dray Bike, don't know why I couldn't write in the same post as above. Is this like yours? Love it, post some pics please.

 

NO! It's NOT like mine!!!!!! It is mine! LOL! Welsh flags are a clue http://www.long-john.com is my website, there are a lot more pics there and of my other bikes

Nice Brooks saddle!

Brooks B33, with treble wound springs, almost too good to put your arse on!

Yes indeed.

What would have been the original purpose of a dray bike? You surely could not carry a barrel on it?

I will post some pics of it laden when I'm home

[MtB]

Koool bike! What IS it for???

 

 

MtB

[Chop!]

My wife had trouble with mill lift bridge a few weeks go, and wondered how older frailer boaters manage it? Is there a technique to lifting heavy bridges like this? And yes I know the obvious technique would be to make me do it, but at this stage my wife is still not comfortable at the helm!

The locals say that lots of people have problems with this bridge, there is a piece of rope and chain to tie it to the ring in the floor, I sat on it after some effort to pull it down

Koool bike! What IS it for???

 

 

MtB

Originally for beer vegetables etc Now used for coal, gas, wood and bog cassettes

[MtB]

Originally for beer vegetables etc

WTF is a beer vegetable?

 

 

MtB

[Bones]

I had trouble with the bridge in the snow. Three of us couldn't get it down so we borrowed someone from a house. I don't know why it has suddenly got so hard as it used to be easy.

 

It was good to meet you briefly yesterday!

 

edit to say it would have been good to meet you less briefly in case you thought it was because it was brief....!

Edited July 8, 2013 by Bones

[John WH]

I sent an e-mail to CART in April complaining about this aluminium lift bridge and pointed out that the reason it was twisting was that most of the rivets in the beams had sheared. Aweek later they replied that it had been fixed. Obviously not!!

[GUMPY]

Came through yesterday, wasn't that bad, even Caro managed it on her own and she is tiny.

Further down there were a few stuck gates and stiff paddles, that required my brute force and ignorance.

[dmr]

Does anyone know the history of this bridge? Its construction is totally alien to the canal system.

I have a theory that it was built by some local volunteer group whose members were retired aircraft engineers!

 

..........Dave

[by'eck]

If its the bridge I'm thinking of, its heavy because there isn't enough counterbalance for it to stay open. The chain shackle to hold it open is seized and is on the non-towpath side. Quite an exercise therefore in logistics when single handing, not helped by a local complaining it was open for too long without offering any help.

 

Hindsight as usual gave a better solution - I should have propped it open with a pole from towpath side

[Roadsteam]

When ever i have opened that bridge(last time 2 days ago) the method is pull hard on the chain and keep it moving, if it stops it will take over in the closing direction and you will have to start again. Calls for more counterweight are wrong as adding much will result in the deck not landing fully.

[by'eck]

When ever i have opened that bridge(last time 2 days ago) the method is pull hard on the chain and keep it moving, if it stops it will take over in the closing direction and you will have to start again. Calls for more counterweight are wrong as adding much will result in the deck not landing fully.

 

That's why the correctly counterbalanced ones (IMHO) operated with BW key actually lock down, otherwise as you say the deck will never stay down.

[Beaker]

When ever i have opened that bridge(last time 2 days ago) the method is pull hard on the chain and keep it moving, if it stops it will take over in the closing direction and you will have to start again. Calls for more counterweight are wrong as adding much will result in the deck not landing fully.

I don't agree, as long as the centre of gravity is just to the closed side, the weight should hold the deck down, not too much though, as more effort would be required to start it opening.