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Anderton Boat Lift - Update


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Our contractors will return to site on 3rd June to replace faulty components which were identified as being needed during our investigations.

It is anticipated the works will continue for the duration of 3rd June and a further update will be posted by 4.30pm on that day..

 

Hopefully will be back in action for when we arrive next week.

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Apparently this fault (in a 140-year old piece of machinery) is due to CRT's "minimum maintenance" - according to "other websites"....

 

funny .....I thought the control system was only built in 2002

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funny .....I thought the control system was only built in 2002

 

Certainly the wording of the CRT report implies that it is components in the new control system.

 

N

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Today's update....

 

Update on 03/06/2015:

Due to the manufacture of the components taking longer than anticipated, our contractors will now return to site on 4th June.

Works will continue for the duration of the 4th and 5th June.

Further updates will follow on the 5th June 2015

 

That's us stuck down here for another weekend, then...

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Huzzah!

 

Update on 05/06/2015:

Works to complete the repairs at Anderton Boat Lift have now been successfully completed and the lift will be fully operational for general passage and trip boat use from 09:00hrs on Saturday 6th June.

Please note there may be some small delays to required passage through the lift as we will be giving priority bookings to any craft that have been delayed by the breakdown.

Thank you all very much for your patience and understanding during this time.

 

We're out of here at 1130 tomorrow....

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Huzzah!

 

Update on 05/06/2015:

Works to complete the repairs at Anderton Boat Lift have now been successfully completed and the lift will be fully operational for general passage and trip boat use from 09:00hrs on Saturday 6th June.

Please note there may be some small delays to required passage through the lift as we will be giving priority bookings to any craft that have been delayed by the breakdown.

Thank you all very much for your patience and understanding during this time.

 

We're out of here at 1130 tomorrow....

 

I'm willing to bet that they never really disclose what the problem was.

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So - arrived and went down the lift - we are no longer "Lift Virgins".

 

According the lift 'operator' the problem was "damaged Shoot-Bolts"

 

The gates are operated on 'wires', when the gates are lifted the weight is taken on the wires, to add a safety factor there are two 'hooks' on the top of the gates, when the gates are 'up' a couple shoot-bolts 'shoot' forward into the 'hooks' and will take the weight if the wire snaps.

 

During one operation one of the bolts did not retract, the gate lowered and the bolt bent and the bearing mechanism collapsed. They were new bolts just replaced during the Winter maintenance programme.

 

To check if it was a 'one-off' they did a controlled lowering of the other gate onto the shoot-bolts - the other gate broke the bolts so the lift was closed.

 

It was subsequently determined that the bolts were too small (diameter) and that the alloy bearings were not man enough for the job. New Bolts and steel bearing were fabricated in Switzerland, job sorted and gates held on a trial 'drop'.

 

One can only wonder how the original bolts passed the original 'drop' test ?

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So - arrived and went down the lift - we are no longer "Lift Virgins".

 

According the lift 'operator' the problem was "damaged Shoot-Bolts"

 

The gates are operated on 'wires', when the gates are lifted the weight is taken on the wires, to add a safety factor there are two 'hooks' on the top of the gates, when the gates are 'up' a couple shoot-bolts 'shoot' forward into the 'hooks' and will take the weight if the wire snaps.

 

During one operation one of the bolts did not retract, the gate lowered and the bolt bent and the bearing mechanism collapsed. They were new bolts just replaced during the Winter maintenance programme.

 

To check if it was a 'one-off' they did a controlled lowering of the other gate onto the shoot-bolts - the other gate broke the bolts so the lift was closed.

 

It was subsequently determined that the bolts were too small (diameter) and that the alloy bearings were not man enough for the job. New Bolts and steel bearing were fabricated in Switzerland, job sorted and gates held on a trial 'drop'.

 

One can only wonder how the original bolts passed the original 'drop' test ?

As the lift was made in the UK its a pity they couldn't get new bolts made in the UK

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So - arrived and went down the lift - we are no longer "Lift Virgins".

 

According the lift 'operator' the problem was "damaged Shoot-Bolts"

 

The gates are operated on 'wires', when the gates are lifted the weight is taken on the wires, to add a safety factor there are two 'hooks' on the top of the gates, when the gates are 'up' a couple shoot-bolts 'shoot' forward into the 'hooks' and will take the weight if the wire snaps.

 

During one operation one of the bolts did not retract, the gate lowered and the bolt bent and the bearing mechanism collapsed. They were new bolts just replaced during the Winter maintenance programme.

 

To check if it was a 'one-off' they did a controlled lowering of the other gate onto the shoot-bolts - the other gate broke the bolts so the lift was closed.

 

It was subsequently determined that the bolts were too small (diameter) and that the alloy bearings were not man enough for the job. New Bolts and steel bearing were fabricated in Switzerland, job sorted and gates held on a trial 'drop'.

 

One can only wonder how the original bolts passed the original 'drop' test ?

 

Interesting, my information was that they never did a trial drop test. Of course, that could be wrong.

 

Tim

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One can only wonder how the original bolts passed the original 'drop' test ?

Very much so. And in fact, how the engineering of them could be so adrift.

 

Thank you very much for sharing the information with us however.

 

As the lift was made in the UK its a pity they couldn't get new bolts made in the UK

I expect this issue was not getting new bolts, but getting newly designed bolts, and bearings, fitting them, etc.

 

Were the bolts 150 years old and made in Switzerland ? Did originaly have bolts?

As far as I know the majority of the moving parts where replaced during the last major re-engineering in 2001-2002.

 

 

Daniel

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Very much so. And in fact, how the engineering of them could be so adrift.

 

Thank you very much for sharing the information with us however.

 

I expect this issue was not getting new bolts, but getting newly designed bolts, and bearings, fitting them, etc.

 

As far as I know the majority of the moving parts where replaced during the last major re-engineering in 2001-2002.

 

 

Daniel

My last point was did the lift have safety shoot bolts some 150 years ago or did they come about with the restoration. If the latter you can hardly claim its do to 150 year old engineering failing, same as if the computer control system packs up.

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My last point was did the lift have safety shoot bolts some 150 years ago or did they come about with the restoration. If the latter you can hardly claim its do to 150 year old engineering failing...

So far as I know they where newly added, however I could be wrong.

 

Daniel

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