both ways in tunnels ?

[paneuro]

just been watching narrowboat repeat on telly,the chap goes through a few long tunnels,on a couple it's obvious 2 boats can pass but on a couple it seems impossible,are all tunnels you encounter 2way?i know to an experienced boater this must seem a stupid question but i wondered if on some tunnels they had built in a sort of parallel waterway to accomodate both directions?

[steven wilkinson]

never fear. At the entrance to each tunnel there will be a sign that tells you how it operates! Some will also be manned by CRT people to ensure smooth operation! I do like a good tunnel!

[Ray T]

Not all tunnels are two way. Many oop north are only wide enough for a single passage.

 

Many singe tunnels have alternate one way working by times. i.e one direction between 11.00 'till 13. 00. then 14.00 to 16.00 for the opposite direction. The time interval 13.00 - 14.00 to allow any boats in the tunnel to clear it before the opposite passage take effect.

[b0atman]

tunnels are great fun but can be very wet especially when passing under air vent shafts

[Keeping Up]

Some are wide enough for 2 way traffic, some aren't. The ones that aren't, some have tunnel keepers who direct the traffic, some have timeslots allocated to each direction, some you can see the other end so you just go when it's clear. Some have traffic lights. Some are almost wide enough, and some are just wide enough for two way traffic but elf'n'safety won't allow it. In fact there's almost every possibility you can think of.

[paneuro]

Some are wide enough for 2 way traffic, some aren't. The ones that aren't, some have tunnel keepers who direct the traffic, some have timeslots allocated to each direction, some you can see the other end so you just go when it's clear. Some have traffic lights. Some are almost wide enough, and some are just wide enough for two way traffic but elf'n'safety won't allow it. In fact there's almost every possibility you can think of.

BLIMEY ! you wouldn't want to make a mistake on the one that's "almost" wide enough!

[MtB]

BLIMEY ! you wouldn't want to make a mistake on the one that's "almost" wide enough!

 

No, one of you would have to 'almost' reverse out!

 

MtB

[Bettie Boo]

hmmm ours doesn't steer all that well in reverse

[Keeping Up]

It can't go far off course in a narrow tunnel.

[paneuro]

if i tried to reverse out there'd be nothing left of the boat or tunnel i don't think!

[alan_fincher]

never fear. At the entrance to each tunnel there will be a sign that tells you how it operates! Some will also be manned by CRT people to ensure smooth operation! I do like a good tunnel!

Except that some of those signs are wrong!

 

The Peak Forest (I think!) has signs on tunnels indicating "Two way working", but where it is clearly not possible to pass two narrow boats in the tunnel.

 

Or at least it was like that in 2012 - I guess they may have changed the signs since then - it would seem sensible!

[Joelsanders]

Last year, I was about to enter a tunnel on the Leicester arm - I forgot which but it was a longish one. It was a designed for 2 way traffic anyway and signposted accordingly,

 

Another boat was coming the other way and - as I entered the tunnel - the boater started to sound his horn. I wasn't sure what to meme of it . It couldn't have been a widebeam as the locks are too narrow. I thought perhaps he was in some kind of trouble.

 

Anyway, I waited for the boat to get through, which 20 minutes later , it finally did. As he passed me the boater said, "NOW it's your turn!"

 

it wasn't even a hire boat .

 

I explained about the 2 way traffic and he didn't seem to care at all. I think he had simply wanted the convenience of not having to pass another boat whilst going through the tunnel.

 

I was fairly annoyed tbh. I told him that - when he'd sounded his horn - I'd thought he was in trouble so I had called the emergency services who were on the way over.

 

At that point, he seemed to start caring.

[matty40s]

Except that some of those signs are wrong!

 

The Peak Forest (I think!) has signs on tunnels indicating "Two way working", but where it is clearly not possible to pass two narrow boats in the tunnel.

 

Or at least it was like that in 2012 - I guess they may have changed the signs since then - it would seem sensible!

aye, but it probably was 2 way working in 1868, they wasn't expecting young upstarts like you to be still trying to do it after all that subsidence.

[Philip]

Netherton tunnel is a bit of a monster and is easily wide enough for boats to pass, however I was still a bit nervous when passing in the dark - partly because it was eerie and more so because I was worried I'd go too far over and ground (my wheel is on the left side, so I could only really see the space between my boat and the passing boat, the right towpath side was kind of the blind spot).

[Clifford]

The tunnel at the top end of the T&M gives you a ten minute slot per hour to enter. It's not staffed, so of course lots of people coming the other way seem to have slow watches.

[adam1uk]

Except that some of those signs are wrong!

 

The Peak Forest (I think!) has signs on tunnels indicating "Two way working", but where it is clearly not possible to pass two narrow boats in the tunnel.

 

Or at least it was like that in 2012 - I guess they may have changed the signs since then - it would seem sensible!

 

My notes from our trip in September last year say that the Woodley Tunnel still has a sign at the end saying two way working. In fact, the angle of the roof is such that you wonder whether one boat will fit through!

[Tony Brooks]

It seems a of of the tunnels "up north" have those two way working notices when they clearly mean one way, take it in turns. One in London also has a notice saying "No passing" which I took to mean no overtaking, not alternate one way working.

[john6767]

Except that some of those signs are wrong!

 

The Peak Forest (I think!) has signs on tunnels indicating "Two way working", but where it is clearly not possible to pass two narrow boats in the tunnel.

 

Or at least it was like that in 2012 - I guess they may have changed the signs since then - it would seem sensible!

At least one on the Llangollen is wrong or at least it was couple or years ago. Possibly is is just my poor eyesight, but the writing on the signs is really too small to read as you poas on a boat. I certainly could all be made clearer but in practice I guess there are few problems.

[little duck!]

we are used to the tunnels on the T&M and Llangollen so it came as a surprise last summer when we entered tunnels near Birmingham. WE knew they were two way working but I hoped we wouldn't meet anyone! At 1st I though I could se light at the end of the tunnel then I realised it was a boat light coming towards us! In the end I think we passed three boats in one tunnel but one of the boats light was blinding so made things a little awkward!

[Bettie Boo]

Are there any tunnels on the Southern Canal system that are wide enough for two wide beams to pass going in opposite directions?

[Tuscan]

No

[magpie patrick]

Are there any tunnels on the Southern Canal system that are wide enough for two wide beams to pass going in opposite directions?

 

No, not anywhere, never mind the southern system!

 

Tunnels were generally built for one way working, those wide enough for wide beam boats are generally wide enough for two narrow boats but that wasn't a design feature. Even the ones on the Worcs and Brum, and on the Leicester Summit, were built wide with a view to the canals being able to take wide beam boats at some point, I think only Netherton, Coseley and Newbold, all on narrow canals, were built with two way traffic in mind

[Bettie Boo]

Thanks guys, that's actually brilliant news IMHO, I'm slightly claustrophobic and don't enjoy tunnels on trains at all, am dreading them on the boat and the thought of meeting oncoming traffic was on the verge of terrifying me. The knowledge of knowing we'll virtually be in there by ourselves somehow comforts me with the idea somewhat.

 

I know we have to book ahead for the big ones, and then be there at our designated time. Again, no problem there.

 

Ta

 

B~

[Keeping Up]

It seems a of of the tunnels "up north" have those two way working notices when they clearly mean one way, take it in turns. One in London also has a notice saying "No passing" which I took to mean no overtaking, not alternate one way working.

I believe the London ones actually do mean alternate one way working because although two normal narrowboats can pass there a couple of pinch points where an extremely tall square-topped narrowboat might touch the arch of the roof with the corner of the cabin top. I'd be interested to hear if anyone can confirm this.

Netherton tunnel is a bit of a monster and is easily wide enough for boats to pass, however I was still a bit nervous when passing in the dark - partly because it was eerie and more so because I was worried I'd go too far over and ground (my wheel is on the left side, so I could only really see the space between my boat and the passing boat, the right towpath side was kind of the blind spot).

I doubt that you could ground in Netherton Tunnel, whatever you did.

[john6767]

Netherton tunnel is a bit of a monster and is easily wide enough for boats to pass, however I was still a bit nervous when passing in the dark - partly because it was eerie and more so because I was worried I'd go too far over and ground (my wheel is on the left side, so I could only really see the space between my boat and the passing boat, the right towpath side was kind of the blind spot).

I find Netherton a bit of a drag, it is slow going and the prop usually picks up rubbish, so you either stop in the dark to clear it, or carry on despite the fouled prop, not nice. But given there is a towpath on each side, it for me is an easy tunnel to steer through.