Lock 1w, Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Hmmm...

[MartinClark]

Lock 1w, Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Gone are the nightmare hydraulic gates and paddles. Nice new easy-to-operate gates and paddles in place.

 

However, can you spot the little problem you may encounter if you attempt to wind down the paddle while the gate is open?

 

[luctor et emergo]

A real boater drops the paddle, slowing its decend by holding the spindle.

[Timleech]

A real boater drops the paddle, slowing its decend by holding the spindle.

With that new-style paddle gear, you need three hands. One for the windlass, to take the pressure off the ratchet. One to hold the pawl off the ratchet (you can't flip it over), and a third to grasp the paddle spindle. That's if you're lucky and have one which is free enough to fall under its own weight.

 

Tim

[billh]

A passing boat mounted angle grinder will sort that.

[b0atman]

twist shaft with one hand lift pawl with other slowly release grip so paddle descends.

[Timleech]

twist shaft with one hand lift pawl with other slowly release grip so paddle descends.

You need to be Superman to do that with some paddles.

 

Tim

[MartinClark]

A real boater drops the paddle, slowing its decend by holding the spindle.

 

This particular paddle is too stiff to get all the way down using your hands.

[Keeping Up]

Personally I never lower gate paddles until the gate is shut anyway, it makes the gate easier to close (and on Grand Union top gates, helps stop the other gate from swinging open) by allowing water to flow through the opening. Or would that be a problem on these gates?

[jonathanA]

Looks like s long throw windlass so maybe a short throw would be ok ?

[MartinClark]

Looks like s long throw windlass so maybe a short throw would be ok ?

 

Yes, it's a longish windlass, but no - a short throw windlass would also be obstructed.

[MHS]

This lock has been sponsored by Lockmaster Windlasses.

 

With their ratcheting product, you will have no problem.

 

If successful CRT plan to expand this railing design to the whole system.

[peterboat]

I like those Hydraulic paddles the ones on the Huddersfield were easy but the ratchet ones required Superman to operate them you cant beat technology I am afraid

 

Peter

[MartinClark]

I like those Hydraulic paddles the ones on the Huddersfield were easy

 

The hydraulic paddles at Lock 1w were not easy. They had to be wound remotely from spindles located away from the lock.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Well first of all I never regarded the old system as a 'nightmare' - hard work, yes, and lots of turns, but NOWHERE NEAR as hard as Slaithwaite guillotine!

 

And why not just close the gate first? No big deal, and certainly no call for angle-grinders!

[billh]

 

 

And why not just close the gate first? No big deal, and certainly no call for angle-grinders!

I appreciate that closing the gates first is necessary if , as I think you are, singlehanding. If you have a crew, then closing paddles while the boat is entering or exiting the lock saves time, only a few seconds but at every lock that can be a considerable saving. Putting a restriction on as here, shows that CRT are not completely up to speed with how a lock could be worked more efficiently. A similar problem exists on some Marple locks where top gate paddles cannot be lowered while the gate is open, because the rodding fouls the stonework with that particular new arrangement. (It didn't used to!) A consequence of this( at Marple) is that the paddle can be left part open , because it "feels" as though it's fully down when it isn't and water is wasted. In both locations the simple cure is an angle grinder, applied with official approval, of course!

[Paul C]

If 2 boats were passing so just as one is leaving, another enters (or is in the distance), then there's a valid argument for wanting to close the paddles but leave the gate open. Otherwise the crew next to use the lock would have to be aware of the need to close the paddles once they've put their boat into the lock.

 

Basically, its a muddle but caused by the close proximity of the bridge, and one which isn't too hard to work around.

[Mac of Cygnet]

If 2 boats were passing so just as one is leaving, another enters (or is in the distance),

 

Ha! In my 11 transits of the HNC in the past 9 years (ie 814 lockings) I only recall that happening twice!

[Paul C]

 

Ha! In my 11 transits of the HNC in the past 9 years (ie 814 lockings) I only recall that happening twice!

 

Ha! I did shudder to suggest it as I typed. However, thinking about it, even if there were only 2 boats on the move on the canal, in opposite directions, inevitibly they'd have to pass, and with the number of locks on the canal, there's a good chance it would occur at one. You never know.....

[MartinClark]

 

Ha! In my 11 transits of the HNC in the past 9 years (ie 814 lockings) I only recall that happening twice!

 

It all depends on how your journey coincides with boats heading to or from booked passages of Standedge Tunnel. On one of my transits of the canal, we passed 5 boats going the other way between Stalybridge and Mossley, several of them at locks.

[Philip]

I'm not normally a fan of the hydraulic gear, but on this lock it was a work out opening and closing the gates and almost felt like an achievement doing it single-handed, so in a sense it's a shame to see it disappear! Hopefully a few locks on the Ashton will get this treatment too.