Barnton Tunnel

[Steve Manc]

23 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But apart from the OP who happened to meat a pair who else has had a problem. Why do we keep trying to fix things that arent brook

Hi All

 

Thanks for all your comments. 

 

're Ditchcrawler reply.

 

I wanted to know if my experience was unique or if the boat I met in the tunnel was a rogue who disregarded the rules that all boat users should follow.

 

At this present time it looks like no one who has read / contrbute to this thread  has met this traditional boat and butty in a tunnel.

 

Hope this continues.

 

Thanks

[RLWP]

9 hours ago, bizzard said:

Or a single track railway token system.

You'd need a divided staff, or a ticketing system

[dmr]

4 minutes ago, Steve Manc said:

Hi All

 

Thanks for all your comments. 

 

're Ditchcrawler reply.

 

I wanted to know if my experience was unique or if the boat I met in the tunnel was a rogue who disregarded the rules that all boat users should follow.

 

At this present time it looks like no one who has read / contrbute to this thread  has met this traditional boat and butty in a tunnel.

 

Hope this continues.

 

Thanks

As I said in an earlier posts, we have twice met boats entering one of these tunnels whilst we were maybe 3/4 way through. Thinking back, one of these looked to be some sort of trip/adventure boat. I think it had quite a long open front area but was not an old working boats. I think it was full of young teenagers who did a bit of screaming when they realised we were heading towards them.

 

and....we have entered one of these tunnels when a boat was inside and had to reverse back. I think an oncoming  boat can "get lost" in the kink, especially if it has its headlight right on one side of the roof as a few boats do.

 

...............Dave 

[JohnEW2912]

I'm more impressed with how Steve has managed to go north through Barnton Tunnel going towards Anderton. 

[Peter X]

A boat that's towing has priority for certain situations for the good reason that stopping suddenly and reversing is more difficult when towing. For example when approaching a bridge hole at a similar distance it's much easier for everyone if the other boat gives way; the alternative may well result in the butty ending up diagonally across the cut and a long delay before anyone can continue.

 

Having said that, entering a one way tunnel is a different matter. I've never been north of Great Heywood on the T&M, so don't know the tunnel in question, but (assuming the oncoming boat has a tunnel light) is it really not possible to see whether the tunnel is clear until the motor is inside, on a tunnel of only 572 yards?

If so, the pair should enter slowly, then if the tunnel turns out to be occupied, yes it'll be a bit awkward reversing out, but it can be done if the crew know what they're doing. The motor steerer stops then reverses slowly. The butty steerer uses the ellum to get the stern in to the towpath and puts someone ashore with a line to haul it along, then goes on steering as the boat goes slowly backwards, until the motor is clear of the tunnel entrance. All part of life's rich pattern when operating a pair.

[ditchcrawler]

33 minutes ago, Peter X said:

 

 

Having said that, entering a one way tunnel is a different matter. I've never been north of Great Heywood on the T&M, so don't know the tunnel in question, but (assuming the oncoming boat has a tunnel light) is it really not possible to see whether the tunnel is clear until the motor is inside, on a tunnel of only 572 yards? 

There is quite a bend in the canal right at the tunnel mouth so unless someone is on the bows as lookout by the time the steerer is inline with the tunnel the bows have entered.

35 minutes ago, Peter X said:

  The butty steerer uses the ellum to get the stern in to the towpath and puts someone ashore with a line to haul it along, then goes on steering as the boat goes slowly backwards, until the motor is clear of the tunnel entrance. All part of life's rich pattern when operating a pair.

I don't think there crews are that experienced. If its the pair I met they were not even on cross straps,straps yes but not crossed

[pete harrison]

40 minutes ago, Peter X said:

A boat that's towing has priority for certain situations for the good reason that stopping suddenly and reversing is more difficult when towing. For example when approaching a bridge hole at a similar distance it's much easier for everyone if the other boat gives way; the alternative may well result in the butty ending up diagonally across the cut and a long delay before anyone can continue.

A boat that is towing has no priority for certain situations at all. In my experience this is an excuse used by incompetent steerers 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

14 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

A boat that is towing has no priority for certain situations at all. In my experience this is an excuse used by incompetent steerers 

Given that no boat on the canals has any priority (fly boats now being a thing of the past) I think I'd bow down to basic physics in that it is going to take longer to stop a tug and butty than it is to stop a single narrow boat, I would usually give way.

[pete harrison]

27 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Given that no boat on the canals has any priority (fly boats now being a thing of the past) I think I'd bow down to basic physics in that it is going to take longer to stop a tug and butty than it is to stop a single narrow boat, I would usually give way.

And what you suggest is often case, but I have quite a problem with somebody who goes out fairly regularly on traditional motor / butty pairs stating that they have priority in certain circumstances when they do not - this being the state of mind that brings a dark cloud over boats like these 

[BruceinSanity]

I've done Barnton many times over the last twenty years and have only once met another boat in there. You can just about see from one end to the other and if you have crew in the bow, they can hear a boat in the tunnel, especially a trad motor. As several of us have said before, the answer is use of the horn. Line up in tunnel mouth, sound horn, listen. If no response, continue. If you are in the tunnel and hear a horn, give long blast on your own.

 

The boat I met were novice hirers who replied, in response to my rather testy query about their hearing, "we wondered what that horn was about"   Hence my suggestion of extra wording on the sign at the entrance.

 

Oh, and yes, the Saltersford sign is in the wrong place.