Photos Wanted

[Liam]

After recently acquiring an ex LMS boat, I'm trying to track down any pictures of the boat.

With huge thanks to Pete Harrison we've got some details of her history and so I'm now after any pictures.

She was Alan Picken's trip boat SABRINA and later the Huddersfield Canal Society's boat BENJAMIN OUTRAM.

Later on in life the boat was based in Worsley before moving to Runcorn.

Thanks

[David Mack]

Have you tried the Huddersfield Canal Society for pictures of the 'Benjie'? The boat used to feature quite regularly in the magazine when they ran it.

[max's son]

Is Alan's son Mark still around, I haven't seen him for years, he used to help his Dad with the boats when they owned The Fir Tree Inn at Dunhampstead near Droitwich.

[Liam]

A message has been sent to the Huddersfield Canal Society, hopefully they'll get back to us. The person who responded to our message hasn't been involved up until recently so they're passing our request on.

It would be interesting to find out if Mark does have any pictures. Although I have no idea how to make contact. I only heard the name Alan Picken after acquiring the boat and researching history.

[Pluto]

This is one from Roger Lorenz's collection, taken in 1989.

[Liam]

Out of the blue the Huddersfield Canal Society have just got back to us with various issue numbers and pages to check so we've been going through these. All very interesting stuff.

Thanks for the picture Pluto, a very nice suprise to find a colour photo

[max's son]

from my distant memory I thought Alan's boat when he ran it at Dunhampstead was Cedar is this one he ran at Brecon?

[Liam]

Not sure where Alan ran this boat, but I don't think it was too long before it was purchased for the Huddersfield Canal Society to run as a trip boat. Unfortunately it appears to be not that successful.

[David Mack]

30 minutes ago, max's son said:

from my distant memory I thought Alan's boat when he ran it at Dunhampstead was Cedar is this one he ran at Brecon?

Didn't he also have a trip boat on the Coombe End Canal at one time?

[max's son]

He went from Dunhampstead to Coombe End the to Brecon, I don't know what boat he had, Dad would have remembered 

[max's son]

http://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-10111967-birmingham-worcester-canal

 

This film shows Alan Picken

[pete harrison]

1 hour ago, max's son said:

from my distant memory I thought Alan's boat when he ran it at Dunhampstead was Cedar is this one he ran at Brecon?

You are correct in recalling CEDAR working as a trip boat primarily at Dunhampstead (in a pre-trip boat condition in the film above), and he certainly had SABRINA whilst on the Coombe Hill Canal along with F.M.C. Ltd. SUNNY VALLEY - with both of these boats appearing in an article about the Coombe Hill Canal in Waterways World April 1983 page 23.

I visited the late Alan Picken's establishment in south Wales on 26 August 1999 and at that time the only trip boat was a shortened B.C.N. day boat named DRAGONS TAIL, although he did also own the shortened G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. butty SERPENS which was in an abandoned and flooded state some way down the canal. SERPENS has since returned to the main canal system and has been lengthened using its original sides