Secondary hand rails

[Jrtm]

Ive been doing some looking and some boats have the standard cabin rails on the out side but then a few have a secondary set of metal rails that were slightly taller than the wooden ones either right next to them or on top. There are quite a few thomas clayton boats with this but some had them and some didnt. But some were brass some plain black there seams to be no set logic to it.

[magnetman]

Any pictures?

[archie57]

A requirement of the Ship canal when loading at Stanlow?

[Ray T]

A requirement of the Ship canal when loading at Stanlow?

 

Doesn't help much but a lovely atmospheric photo.

 

 

Black and white photograph, boats shown include the butty "Turtle", 'Hereford', 'Taurus', 'Kangaroo', and 'Adder'. There are boat people on the narrowboats. There are ships in the background and cranes around the docks.

 

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw192.3.2.1.15.7

Edited May 11, 2016 by Ray T

[Jrtm]

You can see them here some seamed to have them some not

Edited May 11, 2016 by billybobbooth

[bizzard]

Portage reasons perhaps, so that tall folk can carry it around busted locks.

[Jrtm]

Ive not seen any pic of butties with them only motors and most have been thomas clayton boats. Most are early pics but have seen the odd one or 2 from later but not all motors had them

Not the best pic but you can see it on the motor but not on the butty

[magnetman]

Health and safety? Maybe there had been wooden handrails coming off and people falling in the water so more secure metal rails were ordered. Possibly?

Or a rail where one could attach a rope with a fender of some sort? I wouldn't have thought they'd be that bothered about side fenders and banging about but its possible.

[Ray T]

Picture of Towy from "Claytons of Oldbury" Alan H Faulkner

 

 

 

Soar, ex FMC Lindola also has them plus a photo of an unidentified motor but, Umea, Severn, Dart, Tay and Spey don't.

There is also a picture of Fed King steering Towy in 1966 without the extra rails.

 

 

 

The book doesn't mention the extra rails.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Ray T

[archie57]

Claytons finished going to Ellesmere Port in 1955 so if it was anything to do with the ship canal the boats may have lost them after that

[Jrtm]

Dane never had them. The later pic of tay and stour dosnt show them.

The early pic of stour i put up is just after she was built

[FadeToScarlet]

They're certainly easier to hold, maybe it was an individual boatman's thing, like transferring the range, chimney and cabin furnishings to a new boat? "I like these rails, they're easier to hold, so I'll screw them on".

[Jrtm]

Just seams odd that no othere boats seam to have them.

[Laurence Hogg]

Rails of that type were first seen as a fitting on the "Royalty" motors of Associated Carriers Ltd. They were specced on the drawings. After that to my knowledge no new boats had them fitted, the exception could be deemed the Large / Small Northwich boats of the GUCCCo Ltd built by Yarwoods who fitted the dreadful flat handrail to the roofs.

We hold a large number of Thos Clayton pictures in the archive but the rails seem to be not a consistent feature, as said previously, just a fad some families had and of course more bling to shine up.

[David Mack]

Rails of that type were first seen as a fitting on the "Royalty" motors of Associated Carriers Ltd. They were specced on the drawings. After that to my knowledge no new boats had them fitted, the exception could be deemed the Large / Small Northwich boats of the GUCCCo Ltd built by Yarwoods who fitted the dreadful flat handrail to the roofs.

We hold a large number of Thos Clayton pictures in the archive but the rails seem to be not a consistent feature, as said previously, just a fad some families had and of course more bling to shine up.

 

Were they brass then? I had sort of assumed they would be painted steel.

[Jrtm]

The one on stour see pic above is brass the one on towy see above it steel or iron

[Jrtm]

Again not sure of date but can see them. Looked threw all the fmc boats and habent seen 1 with them yet

[Jrtm]

Taken at Banbury on the oxford wonder if it was a thames thing? As not all the motors that ran the port run had them.

This is 53

[Jrtm]

The last date i can find is 56 with them on

Picture of Towy from "Claytons of Oldbury" Alan H Faulkner

 

There is a pic of tay having them fitted

MB Towy.jpeg

 

Soar, ex FMC Lindola also has them plus a photo of an unidentified motor but, Umea, Severn, Dart, Tay and Spey don't.

There is also a picture of Fed King steering Towy in 1966 without the extra rails.

 

MB Towy 1966.jpeg

 

The book doesn't mention the extra rails.

[Laurence Hogg]

Trawling our file on TCO motors it seems not too many show these rails in the latter days. Far more common is the lack of the back end rail in favour of two angle iron loops on the ER B/head, also the provision of a "post box" on some motor E/R front B/head.

Not all tank top accessories are the same either whether you have a dog or not!

[Jrtm]

Yes most tco boats had 2 loops rather than the fmc type bar with one loop.

 

No the decks were kitted out to what suited the family. Some have barrels some have triangle boxes like gifford some had a dog hut instesd.

 

I know there were odd diffrences between each boat same with fmc even things like the exhaust stacks seam to be down to what the fam put on.

 

Its the handrails that was confusing me the most. I could understand if there was not cabin rail but ever one i have seen has both.

[archie57]

To go off the subject , are you going to replace the deck and return it to it's TCO condition?

[Jrtm]

Dont know i want to as i do have all the original metal work to do so but at the same time its got a camping under the clothes as the back cabin needs building.

But at some point it will be returned to decking

Would love to put a bolly back in but at the mo the national has been in longer than the bolly was + my wife can start the national where as shes scared of a bolly

[Jrtm]

Dad had no idea on the hand rails either he said he hadent really noticed it till i asked him.

[Athy]

Taken at Banbury on the oxford wonder if it was a thames thing? As not all the motors that ran the port run had them.

This is 53

Where in Banbury was that lift bridge? Is it below the town lock, where there's now a narrow bit beside a rather run-down industrial estate?