roland elsdon Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 Stranger 'that's a nice heritage boat' owner pardon? stranger it's a heritage replica isn't it owner no it's a narrowboat stranger oh a barge I give up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Narrowboats Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 Clearly you don't know what you are talking about, and should sell the boat (at an inflated price, obviously) to someone who does before you smash some lock doors up with your large barge.......or maybe not...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koukouvagia Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 Lady on towpath: Is that on old barge? Me: Yes, It's an historic butty. Lady, looking at the Watermen's Livery Company registration number (1396): Is that its date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 2 hours ago, koukouvagia said: . Lady, looking at the Watermen's Livery Company registration number (1396): Is that its date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 People ask how old mine is, 15 years. people not involved in canals have no idea about them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 I had one a couple of days ago. Bod on towpath: How long does it take you to raise steam in the morning? Moi: Eh? Bod on towpath: Your boat. It's powered by steam. Moi: Nah, its a twin cylinder diesel. Old I grant you but not steam. Bod on towpath, looking perplexed: But it looks and sounds like a steam engine Moi: Well I'm afraid it's a diesel Bod on towpath: So what does it run on then? Moi: Diesel! Bod on towpath: Not coal then? Moi: Speechless..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mack Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 Early diesel engines ran on powdered coal dust.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 On 06/10/2017 at 00:13, David Mack said: Early diesel engines ran on powdered coal dust.... I rather doubt the bod on the towpath knew that! But is there any sort of coal dust other than powdered? And more seriously, are there any coal-dust powered diesels still in use out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrtm Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 (edited) We had a guy at a lock telling his son how they made the fire up for raising steam and pointing at the back chimney as explained how steam engines worked. Then looked at the fuel tanks and said thats the boiler and showed the son the exhaust and said where the steam comes out All to then say thats a nice old diesel engine and walked away. Ive also on many occasions. Conversation with in a group is it all wood? Yes oak sides and elm bottoms It must leak alot as its pumping alot of water out the side. Oh no thats the engine cooling it dosnt leak at all. Thats good then. As they walk off someone normaly says was it leaking, yes but its made of wood. Edited October 6, 2017 by billybobbooth Added extra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughty Cal Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 9 hours ago, ditchcrawler said: People ask how old mine is, 15 years. people not involved in canals have no idea about them Not just canals, boats in general. People often assume ours is new, then get perplexed when we tell them it is 14 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland elsdon Posted October 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Once told someone who asked why we were towing the butty if it was broken down I replied we were bump starting it. He responded by asking if we wanted borrow his jump leads... He was on a boat..like yesterday's who had a shiny boat . where did the heritage crap start, it's an old narrowboat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartland Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 I often wonder if heritage is a word invented by those who have difficulty in describing the age. It seems to cover the time span from the bronze age to five minutes ago. For motor bikes the terms veteran and vintage have some rough time period, but for the dug out log boat, clinker and carvel built boats there appears to fit the description "heritage will do". If Heritage has some meaning that is something that has a "heritage value". In this aspect it came to mean that it had a certain importance and may be deserved either preservation or recording. It is often a mystery how Historic England decides on listing structures and their criteria may well be some sacred hidden text for what actually receives listing status. Classifying boats is equally of concern. For those who can tell a Bantock from a Cuckoo or a Star Class from a Town Class are genuine enthusiasts, but not every body has those perceptions. Still telling the difference between a bolinder powered semi diesel engine, a modern diesel and a steam boat with boiler and engine (or even a boat driven by producer gas) should be reasonable to expect. Yet things move on. It is like me, the other week, talking to a young man in the Telford at Trevor, and trying to explain Town Gas and Coking plants after his father mentioned the town, which he had grown up near Doncaster was where Coal from Askern Main was sent to be converted to Coke. This young man had reached his 18th Birthday and had no knowledge pf these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam & Di Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Coal was already history as far back as the 70s when we ran trips on the GU for school kids in Uxbridge. We mentioned narrowboats carrying coal on canals in our commentary but often then had to explain what coal was and what it was used for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenataomm Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 God we're all old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tree monkey Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 1 minute ago, zenataomm said: God we're all old! Pah speak for yourself, I could still party all night, well maybe most of the night, well for an hour or two and anyway I like early nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 3 minutes ago, tree monkey said: Pah speak for yourself, I could still party all night, well maybe most of the night, well for an hour or two and anyway I like early nights When the ten oclock news comes on we are off to bed!! God only knows how we ran pubs eighteen million hours a week only a few short years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenataomm Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 I was just thinking of the number of people on this forum whom I first met about 40 years ago when we were all young and good looking ..... and now we're just good looking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuthound Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 25 minutes ago, tree monkey said: Pah speak for yourself, I could still party all night, well maybe most of the night, well for an hour or two and anyway I like early nights Yes, like you I was born to be wild (at least until 9:00 pm these days) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 When I told a couple that my engine was built in 1943, they looked at me and said "was it your Dads?" I said, no, it was from a Liverpool docks crane. They said"Did he nick it then?" 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland elsdon Posted October 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 3 hours ago, Tam & Di said: Coal was already history as far back as the 70s when we ran trips on the GU for school kids in Uxbridge. We mentioned narrowboats carrying coal on canals in our commentary but often then had to explain what coal was and what it was used for. I remember telling their brothers and sisters that the next one who put his hand out of the cabin going through the locks would get his knuckles tapped with a windlass, I also remember drunken political party boat trips hurling bottles at each other... Can you imagine the fallout if you even spoke to a school kid as a boat steerer nowadays, never mind threatened to modify his fingers with a windlass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark99 Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 Had a concerned gin palace boater grab my attention in Thames Lock to warn me my boat was punctured at bow near the waterline. Was the deckdrain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubby Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 Ive often wondered about this turn of phrase " Gin Palace " Does anyone know how it came about ? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Booth Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 8 minutes ago, chubby said: Ive often wondered about this turn of phrase " Gin Palace " Does anyone know how it came about ? cheers Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 Yes. Gin palaces were big, ostentatious, fancily-decorated pubs built in Victorian times, when gin was a popular drink. One pub which I used to use (and where indeed I first met the future Mrs. Athy), an extravaganza of a place called The Princess Louise in High Holborn, is a fine surviving example. Transfer such epithets as "ostentatious" and "gin, popular drink" to boats and I think you have your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubby Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 27 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said: Yes enlightening stuff - im glad i asked Thankyou 24 minutes ago, Athy said: Yes. Gin palaces were big, ostentatious, fancily-decorated pubs built in Victorian times, when gin was a popular drink. One pub which I used to use (and where indeed I first met the future Mrs. Athy), an extravaganza of a place called The Princess Louise in High Holborn, is a fine surviving example. Transfer such epithets as "ostentatious" and "gin, popular drink" to boats and I think you have your answer. enlightening stuff - im glad i asked . Thankyou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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