Making The Turn At Hawkesbury - Got to love this picture!

[alan_fincher]

Another from the new CRT digital archive.

 

If you think you are clever getting a full length boat, (or better still a pair), around the 180 degrees at Hawkesbury, here is your next challenge.....

 

They really seem to be bringing a pair round in both directions at the same time, and with a fair number of other boats cluttering up the available space in the basin as well.

 

[Captain Fizz]

Must be half term week!

[archie57]

Must bear in mind that BW in their wisdom reduced the width quite a bit outside the "Greyhound" . As I have said elsewhere, we must be the only country in Europe that keeps reducing the width of our canals!

[Cloudinspector]

Fantastic photo. Thanks for sharing.

I'll hold my hand up and admit I made an arse of this turn a few months ago with a large audience to boot

[ChimneyChain]

I wonder if that was a publicity photo.

 

Darren

[Mike J.E.W]

any idea what year this is

[magnetman]

The water cans are very plain, is that any indication of age?

 

Its a great photo !

[Athy]

Navigationally challenging, but a gongoozler's delight.

[mark99]

Fantastic photo. Thanks for sharing.

I'll hold my hand up and admit I made an arse of this turn a few months ago with a large audience to boot

 

 

Did your heart skip a beat when you saw the thread title?

[alan_fincher]

any idea what year this is

 

Well although it is captioned as "1950s", I wouldn't place too much credence in that, as so much captioning of the photos so far is obviously wrong.

 

At first glance all boats are carrying GUCCCo livery in good order, so if it were post 1948, I would perhaps expect some in early BTC liveries, or ones still as GUCCCo to start looking a bit jaded.

 

My feeling is 40s rather than 50s, but I'm absolutely no expert at looking for things that date photos like this one.

 

It is from the Bert Dunkley collection.

[luctor et emergo]

There is something about this photo not stacking up. Is the motor in the foreground solo, or towing the boat on the right in the picture? (i know we can't see.) if he's towing, I doubt there will be enough room, physicaly, to get both pairs around, because of the swing needed to get a boot around, and there not being any room left for the butties to cut in.

There's obviously a boat exiting the lock, and one waiting to get in, but will the motor that has just come around from the left, be able to move forward toward the lock, with his butty under the bridge, and the motor in the foreground also under the bridge.?

[alan_fincher]

I don't think this is a posed picture, and I'm sure "Ladybank" has that butty in tow.

 

I can't see an issue with "Ladybank" or its butty getting around and on it's way to the North, it has already made more than half the turn, by the look of it.

 

The biggest difficulty to me seems to be for Southbound pair that really has nowhere to go, until something else moves, or they nudge something out the way.

 

Thee is an excellent Robert Longden picture in "A Canal People" of David Hambridge bringing Barlow's "Gort" round the turn with a butty, and I would judge the angle of motor to butty to be very similar to the pairs here. I think they are both doing what they did all the time - I just didn't realise it was sometimes done at the same time.

[luctor et emergo]

There would certainly a lot of manhandling be involved, with shafts etc.

[alan_fincher]

There would certainly a lot of manhandling be involved, with shafts etc.

 

I don't reckon so, personally.

 

The northbound pair ("Ladybank") is going straight around and on its way, IMO.

[furnessvale]

There would certainly a lot of manhandling be involved, with shafts etc.

I doubt that. Engines move boats not people and a bit of bumping and banging would be neither here nor there, which was my first thought when I saw this great picture.

 

Modern "shiny paint below gunwale level, don't you dare touch me" brigade please take note.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Edited November 12, 2014 by furnessvale

[furnessvale]

I don't think this is a posed picture, and I'm sure "Ladybank" has that butty in tow.

 

 

Lovely photo but I have my doubts.

 

In each direction there are two pairs of boats. That is four lockings plus the day boat in the middle. How come no-one has managed to get through and be on his way "getting 'em ahead"?

 

Goerge ex nb Alton retired

[alan_fincher]

Lovely photo but I have my doubts.

 

In each direction there are two pairs of boats. That is four lockings plus the day boat in the middle. How come no-one has managed to get through and be on his way "getting 'em ahead"?

 

Isn't at least the pair on the far towpath where the "oiling up" point used to be? (Maybe not?). Either way, I think it was fairly normal boats to be lying at that point not immediately ready to move off - the Longden pictures often seem to show this. Visiting the shop at the Greyhound might be another reason?

[RLWP]

Visiting the shop at the Greyhound might be another reason?

 

 

Richard

[Proper Charlie]

Ha, I reckon they're jammed solid and have clearly all made a right pig's ear of it. Must have spent lunchtime in the Greyhound and will probably still be there when it opens for the evening.

[bottle]

Another observation... all 'steerers' are inside the cabin and all tillers are at an angle of about 30°

 

How often has it been discussed on here about standing position and tiller angles. (rhetorical)

[RLWP]

Presumably Ladybank is using the inertia of her butty to make the turn

 

Richard

[Derek R.]

A busy scene, though we can't see what the movements are I'd reckon they were just making their way steady. The boats on the right bank would be oiling up, maybe on both types of pump (steerer is watching the performance), and the chap kneeling on the day boat fore end looks like they are going to do same (he could be using a shaft). LADYBANK is almost certainly towing her butty, and as the other motor eases forward towing her butty to take the place of the third motor going into the lock, they'll jiggle around and all sorted.

 

Lovely image.

[luctor et emergo]

 

I don't reckon so, personally.

 

The northbound pair ("Ladybank") is going straight around and on its way, IMO.

Yes, but how would the south bound motor get the bow where it is, without being able to swing out the stern?

 

No bow thruster in those days.

[X Alan W]

There would certainly a lot of manhandling be involved, with shafts etc.

At that time it would have have considered a failure if you had to use a shaft, there would have been some good natured banter/leg pulling at the next meeting, the first time I took a pair around north bound under the scrutiny of several tied up pairs I had to use a bit of reverse, & was ribbed about it for a period of time ( Are 'youm' playing at it then) was the general comment. The south bound boats appear to have loaded with coal probably in the Griff Arm

Edited November 12, 2014 by X Alan W

[RLWP]

Yes, but how would the south bound motor get the bow where it is, without being able to swing out the stern?

 

No bow thruster in those days.

 

An efficient stern thruster from the butty though, and there are some convenient strapping posts besides the corner of the bridge - I used on once

 

Richard