Setting lock in advance rant

[FadeToScarlet]

Yes but they had 1 or 2 horsepower to stop.

No, the horses wouldn't pull backwards- because the momentum of a loaded boat would pull them over or into the cut! So much so that the looby or luby that the tow rope was often attached to was spring loaded, so it would only hold the rope when pulled forwards. Any backwards pull would pull it off the pin.

 

You would instead have straps or runners of different lengths- uphill runners, long enough to take a turn around a wooden bollard and Strap the boat to a halt, and downhill runners. I think these were often left to trail in the water- no prop to worry about, remember- so the water lubricated them.

 

You could also do things like strapping in to a lock, using a line to shut the gate and stop the boat in one movement.

 

Edit to add-

 

https://youtu.be/DafY8s_2ApQ

 

https://youtu.be/grLYAGlu-PA

Edited October 30, 2016 by FadeToScarlet

[biggles47]

No, the horses wouldn't pull backwards- because the momentum of a loaded boat would pull them over or into the cut! So much so that the looby or luby that the tow rope attached to was spring loaded, so it would only hold the rope when pulled forwards. Any backwards pull would pull it off the pin.

 

You would instead have straps or runners of different lengths- uphill runners, long enough to take a turn around a wooden bollard and Strap the boat to a halt, and downhill runners. I think these were often left to trail in the water- no prop to worry about, remember- so the water lubricated them.

 

You could also do things like strapping in to a lock, using a line to shut the gate and stop the boat in one movement.

A rope around a bollard seems the only way to me. Unless you are going dead slow I'd imagine it could get messy inside the boat.

[bizzard]

A rope around a bollard seems the only way to me. Unless you are going dead slow I'd imagine it could get messy inside the boat.

You take a complete turn around a bollard and ease the load to a standstill by playing tension on the free end of the rope hand over hand. A wet rope would turn on the bollard more easily.

Edited October 30, 2016 by bizzard

[Tam & Di]

A rope around a bollard seems the only way to me. Unless you are going dead slow I'd imagine it could get messy inside the boat.

 

????? Did you understand Fades post?

[biggles47]

 

????? Did you understand Fades post?

Yes, it was an interesting post thanks.

 

As I said, just wondered how Arthur did it.

[Dave_P]

Would have been helpful having someone going ahead to set the locks coming down Bosley couple of days ago as my gearbox is buggered again and I've got no reverse. The always-helpful vol lockies on the flight met us (one on the boat, one doing the locks) at about the third lock, set the next one for us (which was nice) and then disappeared. All three of them. Never saw them again, not even to tell them one of the paddles (lock 5) was broken. . . they did say they'd reported the broken paddle on lock 6, but they hadn't put a notice or anything useful like that on it.

How do you travel safely with no reverse? What if you meet another boat coming the other way at a bridge hole? Do you just crash into them?

Edited October 31, 2016 by Dave_P

[alan_fincher]

 

I understood it perfectly well the first time!

 

What has also not been mentioned is the benefit of setting in terms of water conservation, to minimise the amount of water that is sent down bywashes when the flight is not running weir.

Well (maybe slightly tongue in cheek) the example I actually gave was the Braunston Flight, which we pass through regularly, and on every occasion I have been through in recent times the levels have been well down, with very little chance of the fact that a lock is being run off actually causing the pound below to fill where the point anything is going over the next set of gates further down.

 

If you actually think about the situation in a flight where some pounds are full, but many are not, then any water that causes a full pound to flow over, is highly likely to end up in one of the low ones further down, so not really wasted for the overall management of that flight. Really the water is only truly lost, if it flows over the bottommost set of gates.

 

Incidentally at flights like Buckby and Stoke Bruerne, where water regularly flows over gates, (including the bottom ones), this is generally not because of poor water management by boaters and their lock-wheelers, but because the back-pumps are left running when not required, so CRT are pumping water up the locks, only to have it cascade down again, often to the point where it makes lock operation difficult, (if water is running hard through the overflows in the top ground paddles it can make getting bottom gates open very hard).

 

I have no idea why CRT seem so poor at controlling the back pumps at Stoke, Buckby and Braunston. At te first two of these flights they are often running hard when not required, and not at all when pounds are well down. At Braunston, although I thought there had been a big project to reinstate, there is seldom any evidence of them, and levels now seem to be permanently low. Whatever most volunteer lock keepers are doing in these flights, managing water levels seldom seems to come into the equation.

[PaulG]

Nothing wrong with setting locks in advance BUT...please look ahead.

 

Some 'skippers' seem to send a team ahead with instructions without telling them the whole story.

 

Anyway, rant over. You know who you are.

This tactic doesn't always work in their favour.

 

A couple of years ago, we were going up the Tibberton flight on the W&B and just exiting the top lock , when a load of lads (armed wtih tins of beer and windlasses) came jogging down the towpath followed at some distance by a hireboat.

"How far is it to Worcester? We're trying to get there before closing time" they panted as they hurriedly closed the top gate and proceeded to pull the paddles .

I tried to point out that draining a lock that was already set for them was hardly going to speed their progress, but this fell on deaf ears.

[mykaskin]

Lock wheeling is a real bugbear for me. Few people seem to do it when they should, and when they do, they tend not to do it incorrectly.

 

Some rules in no particular order:

 

- Working down hill

 

1. ideally the next lock should be filling before bottom paddles are drawn. Especially important on short pounds as the excess water can cause other issues, see next rule.

 

2. When following a boat down hill on canals where excess water goes through the lock - the Grand Junction for example - do not start emptying your lock until at least the bottom gates are open on the next as the excess water runs into the lock making it hard or impossible to open them. You have nowhere to go once you're through as you will have to wait for the lock to refill.

 

3. Don't set too far ahead, remember that if you are setting even only two locks ahead that you need to know if there is a boat two locks below coming up that could have used that empty lock. If locks are full from an up hill boat, you don't need to go any further than one lock ahead.

 

- working up hill

 

1. Never work more than 1 lock ahead, see rule 1 above for reasons.

2. Not normally a problem with engined boats on a shallow draft, but when following another boat up hill, it's best not to start filling your lock until the boat ahead is in theirs. Very important for loaded boats who need every inch of water.

 

- any lock wheeling

 

1. Where possible have good comes with the boat so you can let them know a boat is coming down so they can leave the gate open.

 

- any lock working

 

1. Check other boats can't use the turning lock first, and if turning a lock on someone make sure you can get your boat in and at least emptying before they need to use the lock if water isn't an issue. I've had locks turned and then ended up waiting for them to get their boat to the lock!

2. If gates are open check someone else hasn't set ahead and gone back to the previous lock or to get their boat.

3. When leaving a mooring near a lock flight, send someone ahead to get the lock ready rather than motoring up to the bottom of the lock with all crew aboard. That's just good sense.

 

- duel locks (Cheshire Locks, Hilmorton, Brentford)

 

1. It's nice to help others by doing the lock wheeling for them, or by helping boats in front by closing gates. Normally however don't help to the point that you are hindering your own boats progress as in some cases when you get a single lock they are then waiting for you to get through it.

 

- any lock

1. If you are the lock wheeler or just a boat that's caught someone else up. Offer to do the current lock so the crew can already be aboard when the boat leaves or frees them up to send someone ahead - this normally needs to be suggested as most never think to go ahead themselves. Closing gates is particularly helpful for a single hander, so if you see someone ahead let them know to leave the gates open and then you can shut up after them when you're lock wheeling ahead.

 

probably missed a few things there. But I think I've got the basics.

Edited October 31, 2016 by mykaskin

[Mike Todd]

 

Well (maybe slightly tongue in cheek) the example I actually gave was the Braunston Flight, which we pass through regularly, and on every occasion I have been through in recent times the levels have been well down, with very little chance of the fact that a lock is being run off actually causing the pound below to fill where the point anything is going over the next set of gates further down.

 

If you actually think about the situation in a flight where some pounds are full, but many are not, then any water that causes a full pound to flow over, is highly likely to end up in one of the low ones further down, so not really wasted for the overall management of that flight. Really the water is only truly lost, if it flows over the bottommost set of gates.

 

Incidentally at flights like Buckby and Stoke Bruerne, where water regularly flows over gates, (including the bottom ones), this is generally not because of poor water management by boaters and their lock-wheelers, but because the back-pumps are left running when not required, so CRT are pumping water up the locks, only to have it cascade down again, often to the point where it makes lock operation difficult, (if water is running hard through the overflows in the top ground paddles it can make getting bottom gates open very hard).

 

I have no idea why CRT seem so poor at controlling the back pumps at Stoke, Buckby and Braunston. At te first two of these flights they are often running hard when not required, and not at all when pounds are well down. At Braunston, although I thought there had been a big project to reinstate, there is seldom any evidence of them, and levels now seem to be permanently low. Whatever most volunteer lock keepers are doing in these flights, managing water levels seldom seems to come into the equation.

 

and some flights are designed without bywashes so excess water always goes over the gates, or ground paddle ducts, All of which indicates that, as always, you have to treat each lock and each flight as an individual and only use general prescriptions as guidance. The problems are when people turn general guidance into rules without any understanding of what the guidance is really trying to say.

[Athy]

 

You could also do things like strapping in to a lock, using a line to shut the gate and stop the boat in one movement.

 

Edit to add-

 

 

Your first clip, brief but spectacular, shows a technique which I have always fancied trying but have never dared to in case it goes wrong. I noticed that the boatman started the gate swinging by giving it a push - is this necessary? Would the geometric angle otherwise be wrong and leave the boatman with a broken rope and a rueful expression?

Edited October 31, 2016 by Athy

[FadeToScarlet]

Your first clip, brief but spectacular, shows a technique which I have always fancied trying but have never dared to in case it goes wrong. I noticed that the boatman started the gate swinging by giving it a push - is this necessary? Would the geometric angle otherwise be wrong and leave the boatman with a broken rope and a rueful expression?

It puts less strain on the gate, I think, by not pulling the gate against the heel post so much.

 

I usually use the other technique, strapping in from the stern of the boat, as I find it easier to control- and can reach the engine controls if all else fails! Even so, I'll drop a loop of rope over the strapping post on the gate and use the stern dolly furthest away from the gate to control the speed, taking a turn on the dolly and strapping the boat to a stop. That only works on a motorboat though, on a horseboat or butty you generally have to be on the gate footboards and ride it closed.

 

The important thing is to let the rope slip a little to start with, so there's no shock loads on it, or it may well snap. It's not good for the gates either.

[Paul C]

Most gates these days have a handrail which makes it more awkward to get the rope around, or to jam in. I know the one in the video has a handrail, some are closer to/block the use of the bollard bit at the top of the gate.

[Arthur Marshall]

No reverse? How did you stop the boat?

If you'll pardon the phrase, bollards... into the side, into neutral, off the boat with the centre rope and whack it round a bollard. Let it play out a bit while the boat slows down and then repeat on the next bollard to stop it. Much the same going into the lock (lucky we were going down rather than up). My wife had done all the locks going up Bosley and it was supposed to be my turn to do them all on the return, but she bottled out, not surprisingly. The lockies could have been more helpful, but I've never actually known them do anything at all on that flight, so I wasn't surprised.

Worst bit was coming into my landing stage at the final mooring as it's so shallow I usually go in in reverse. Managed to wrap the rope round one of the gas pipe mooring pins before it dragged me off the end of it though.

The annoyance is that I had the gearbox rebuilt only a couple of years ago when the forwards died and I thought he'd done the backwards too (it's an old Lister). Ah well, out it comes again. It's only money.

[Jim Riley]

Interesting, but what about strapping going uphill or on wide locks, not possible?

[FadeToScarlet]

Interesting, but what about strapping going uphill or on wide locks, not possible?

You can't strap the gates closed going up, no, as the gates open the other way.

 

You can strap in a wide lock. Normal practice on the GU when going uphill when the locks were spread out and the boats loaded (and I'm sure Tam or someone knowledgeable will correct me if wrong) was that the pair of boats had a 20' line, a snatcher, between them, or the motor steerer would shorten the 70' snubber to 20' or so, so that the motor would go into the lock and putting it into astern (holding back) would use the prop walk to put the stern against the wall. The butty would then come in 20' behind, and get alongside the motor before the prop wash pushed the motor away from the lockside. The motor steerer drops the snatcher onto the butty foreend.

 

The butty steerer would take the end of the uphill strap, and dash up the steps, before using a wooden strapping post just inside the lock to strap the boat to a halt.

 

A modern variation is that the butty steerer puts a line onto the stern dollies of the motor and straps from that, as many of the wooden strapping posts have been removed and never replaced.

 

Downhill it's similar. You could use a downhill runner from the butty stern, or a line back from the foreend or the mast. You'd also want to put a light line around the holding back pin by the top gates, if it's present, or around the paddle post if not, so that when the lock is empty, the butty is held back and not drawn out by the motor when that leaves.

 

Going downhill, you could gateline or thumb line the gates open, which is another fun technique.

Edited October 31, 2016 by FadeToScarlet

[FadeToScarlet]

Most gates these days have a handrail which makes it more awkward to get the rope around, or to jam in. I know the one in the video has a handrail, some are closer to/block the use of the bollard bit at the top of the gate.

Yes, often BW/CRT have put them in the wrong place, or have made gates without strapping posts. It can be quite a surprise to be going into the lock, only to spot that you can't use the post, and have to quickly change plan!

 

I have to say that the top gates of Tardebigge are my favourite to strap closed, because of the lovely round strapping post.

[matty40s]

If I am strapping a boat in, I always push the gate to start it off and then walk onto the plank if there is one as the gate closes so it is easier to remove the rope/finish the close if the boat didn't have enough momentum to close it (especially if a shorter/lighter boat is being used.

[Paul C]

Yes, often BW/CRT have put them in the wrong place, or have made gates without strapping posts. It can be quite a surprise to be going into the lock, only to spot that you can't use the post, and have to quickly change plan!

 

I have to say that the top gates of Tardebigge are my favourite to strap closed, because of the lovely round strapping post.

 

Its probably quite a surprise to go into a lock and find that reverse gear doesn't work!

[Arthur Marshall]

 

Its probably quite a surprise to go into a lock and find that reverse gear doesn't work!

The surprise actually came at the swing bridge!

[alan_fincher]

 

Its probably quite a surprise to go into a lock and find that reverse gear doesn't work!

 

This on your prop creates a near Identical effect.......

 

[Ange]

This on your prop creates a near Identical effect.......

 

Ah yes - we both remember well a trip on Sudan when Smelly was introducing us to the BCN. We reached a T junction and he shouted "brace for impact!" He had no steering at all due to a prop foul and we rammed into the bank, followed by the obligatory potholing.