Foxton Boatlift Project Shelved

[PeteS]

From the local paper

 

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Foxton-Inclined-Plane-Trust-drops-boat-lift/story-20483448-detail/story.html

 

 

 

[b0atman]

That's good news for passage through tunnels

[Machpoint005]

Hmm -- restoration project dropped because it couldn't possibly be operated safely.

 

Before anyone has a go at me, just think of the possible consequences of a cable breaking. Hard to think of a more effective means of decapitation for an innocent bystander.

[Athy]

Thank the Lord. It was always going to be a waste of money.

Now, let me read that HS2 has been scrapped also, and this boy's day will be complete.

[Machpoint005]

It will be, Athy, it will be -- just a matter of time.

[b0atman]

HS2 scrapped that'll be the day it is now employing manpower at more than a million pounds a year or should I say we are employing thanks to Mr Camoron

[RLWP]

Hmm -- restoration project dropped because it couldn't possibly be operated safely.

 

Before anyone has a go at me, just think of the possible consequences of a cable breaking. Hard to think of a more effective means of decapitation for an innocent bystander.

What, like the funicular that runs up the Cairngorms?

 

Richard

[the grinch]

ridiculous that the cables would need replacing every 3 years bet the French don't even replace Arzviller's every 10 years!! bureaucratic bollox in my opinion! and also the risk of a cable failure is greatly reduced when it is part of a multi cable set up, only when it is single or double would there be that much tension to cause a high tension whip

[system 4-50]

Wimps. The cable ruling is just an obstacle to be overcome. Find a way to do it without cables. What would Brunel have done?

Sits back in his comfy chair...

[GoodGurl]

This was never going to get off the ground.

[Nightwatch]

Water power?

[GoodGurl]

why put anything there when its much better to go thru the flight and turn right.

[the grinch]

just a question but how often do funicular railways change their cables?? how often do C&RT change the cables on the Anderton?

[GoodGurl]

Anderton is hydrolic not cabled, that was the old lift

[the grinch]

Ok, but how about Strépy-Thieu which has 144 cables how often do you think they are replaced?

[john6767]

just a question but how often do funicular railways change their cables?? how often do C&RT change the cables on the Anderton?

Being picky Anderton does not have cables any more, it is back to more like the original operation since restoration using hydraulic rams, with oil this time and not river water though.

[Derek R.]

Does anyone worry about cable failure when in a lift? The required safety factor is at least 10:1 as with any lifting device, and there are fails safes in operation in the event. But it does seem commonsense has won through at Foxton on maintenance costs alone.

[David Schweizer]

I never thought that trying to re install the Foxton lift was going to happen. By all means build a non operational replica to show people what it looked like, but it was a financial failure when built, and it would have been a finacial failure second time round.

[Ray T]

Shame but inevitable.

[Tonka]

Are they going to return the money that people have donated to restoration as they have now shelved

[Richard Fairhurst]

Shame but inevitable.

 

I'm sure similar sentiments were aired about the Huddersfield, the Rochdale, and the Forth & Clyde in their time...

 

It's all a bit academic though: this is just FIPT saying "we're not able to restore the plane", which is hardly news given that they've been trying to restore it for 30+ years and haven't managed. I think most people had already come to the same conclusion. (Full disclosure: I was on the board of FIPT for a year and evidently I didn't restore the plane either.)

 

Plenty of restoration projects have overcome the failure of one group of people; sometimes the old guard moving out the way is what's needed for newer, livelier people to come along and sort it out. I wouldn't bet that Foxton will be restored, but I wouldn't bet against it either.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Are they going to return the money that people have donated to restoration as they have now shelved

 

Interestingly, this does not seem to be very recent news.

 

It is referred to in the most recent report and accounts (for the year to 31 December 2012) available here and I think discussed at the AGM in May 2013 (see here) and at a subsequent EGM. The AGM minutes include more detail of the business case for a reopened plane.

 

If I have read the accounts correctly, £8000 of their reserves are in a restricted fund (called "engineering study") and the rest (£44k) are not, and so can normally be deployed as the trustees decide (subject to remaining within their charitable objectives of course).

 

I should stress that I am not a member of the trust, or connected to it in any way, and there will be others who know far more of the detail than I do.

[Heartland]

In this time of austerity the scheme seems to have had another chapter closed on its troubled existence. Will there be another. as to HS2 it appears there is a determination there.

 

Ray Shill

[furnessvale]

Thank the Lord. It was always going to be a waste of money.

Now, let me read that HS2 has been scrapped also, and this boy's day will be complete.

That would be a pity. The new motorway they have planned in its place would be far more intrusive.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[bargemast]

ridiculous that the cables would need replacing every 3 years bet the French don't even replace Arzviller's every 10 years!! bureaucratic bollox in my opinion! and also the risk of a cable failure is greatly reduced when it is part of a multi cable set up, only when it is single or double would there be that much tension to cause a high tension whip

 

They haven't given the information yet what caused this accident, if it was due to the cables or anything else, but they're still working to get it back into operation.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25azCRY3-X0

 

Peter.