Cas446 Posted September 23, 2018 Report Share Posted September 23, 2018 Hi, took this photo at the boat yard just south of Weston on the T&M mid August. Interested if anyone knows the history of this boat? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted September 23, 2018 Report Share Posted September 23, 2018 This is an old Birmingham Canal Navigations Company maintenance boat, and the earliest record I have for it is 21 August 1889 when it was gauged as BCN 12508. It was gauged again on 11 May 1904 as BCN 19240, owned by the Birmingham Canal Navigations Company as No. 12 and based at No. 4 District. An alteration to this gauge table dated 12 August 1936 shows a new fleet number as 123 and a location base of Walsall District, along with the fitting of a cabin (no cabin previously). This boat has recently been renovated, although to my mind the lettering on the cabinside should say 'Walsall District' rather than 'No. 4 District' as it had no cabin when under the control of the latter - but this is a minor detail. Back in the day there were literally thousands of boats like this but the majority were wooden hulled whereas this boat is iron 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 9 hours ago, pete harrison said: This is an old Birmingham Canal Navigations Company maintenance boat, and the earliest record I have for it is 21 August 1889 when it was gauged as BCN 12508. It was gauged again on 11 May 1904 as BCN 19240 OFF_TOPIC Why would you gauge a maintenance boat? Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB Esk Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 19 minutes ago, RLWP said: OFF_TOPIC Why would you gauge a maintenance boat? Richard That's a good question, I'd be really interested to know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 Perhaps it would sometimes be used for carrying commercial loads if there was a big order when the company was short of boats? A most perspicacious question, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furnessvale Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 1 hour ago, RLWP said: OFF_TOPIC Why would you gauge a maintenance boat? Richard Post 1948, the DWIE owned the boats, the canal and most of the general loading wharves. Why do I see film of Brentford from 1955ish showing the Berisford brothers loading a known weight of aluminium ingots into a DWIE boat to run on a DWIE canal to Birmingham but still being gauged by a DWIE man before departing? George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fittie Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 Wages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 3 hours ago, RLWP said: OFF_TOPIC Why would you gauge a maintenance boat? Richard The B.C.N. Co. gauged every one of theirs that was of this basic design, and the Grand Junction / Union Canal Company and Coventry Canal Company even gauged some of their tanked mud hoppers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 Did they hire them out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 30 minutes ago, RLWP said: Did they hire them out? No, quite the opposite as they hired in a few boats. There is no doubt that the B.C.N. Company were absolutely fanatical about gauging every single boat that carried anything across their waters, and their gauge registers and alterations ledgers hold a phenomenal amount of detail regarding these boats - and I have only 'scratched the surface' regarding B.C.N. Company records of boats and boat movements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furnessvale Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 22 minutes ago, pete harrison said: No, quite the opposite as they hired in a few boats. There is no doubt that the B.C.N. Company were absolutely fanatical about gauging every single boat that carried anything across their waters, and their gauge registers and alterations ledgers hold a phenomenal amount of detail regarding these boats - and I have only 'scratched the surface' regarding B.C.N. Company records of boats and boat movements The back of your sofa must be well stuffed with scraps of paper! ? George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, furnessvale said: The back of your sofa must be well stuffed with scraps of paper! ? George Aren't all sofas' from D.F.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 3 hours ago, furnessvale said: Post 1948, the DWIE owned the boats, the canal and most of the general loading wharves. Why do I see film of Brentford from 1955ish showing the Berisford brothers loading a known weight of aluminium ingots into a DWIE boat to run on a DWIE canal to Birmingham but still being gauged by a DWIE man before departing? George If it was the same reason we had with a few loads in the late 50's it would have been Union involvement we also had several cases of being in the midst of loading/unloading & the hooter went & every one trooped off when I asked if i could finish of the last couple of tons to get a way the answer was "you touch that & I'll call out everyone on strike" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete harrison Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, furnessvale said: Post 1948, the DWIE owned the boats, the canal and most of the general loading wharves. Why do I see film of Brentford from 1955ish showing the Berisford brothers loading a known weight of aluminium ingots into a DWIE boat to run on a DWIE canal to Birmingham but still being gauged by a DWIE man before departing? George The film you have in mind, There Go The Boats, was produced in 1951 although I think much of the filming was done in 1950. The last Grand Union Canal Company gauge table was issued on 14 September 1938, the Oxford Canal Company on 04 September 1946 and the B.C.N. Company on 05 April 1962 (excluding the nonsense gauging of BARNET on 09 September 2011). My understanding is that with the ending of boat gauging and toll offices in the last few years of commercial narrow boats the tonnage was charged / wages calculated by that recorded on the consignment paperwork as had been done in the north west for a number of years. Interestingly there were a few Grand Union and F.M.C. Ltd. narrow boats that were never gauged at all, yet they definitely worked so had tolls drawn against them and paid wages to the boatman Edited September 24, 2018 by pete harrison 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek R. Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 2 hours ago, pete harrison said: Aren't all sofas' from D.F.S. Sounds like yours may have come from B.C.N. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 6 hours ago, furnessvale said: Post 1948, the DWIE owned the boats, the canal and most of the general loading wharves. Why do I see film of Brentford from 1955ish showing the Berisford brothers loading a known weight of aluminium ingots into a DWIE boat to run on a DWIE canal to Birmingham but still being gauged by a DWIE man before departing? George DIWE/BTW aka British Waterways used to impose tolls for internal accounting purposes to appear to give a level playing field with other carriers. However it was, conveniently, the loss incurred “after tolls” which gave them the excuse to give up most of their narrow boat carrying in 1963. In truth it was desperately uneconomic anyway with the need to support admin offices and maintenance depots busy renovating worn-out old boats which would never be brought back into use - at least by BW. Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesWoolcock Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 9 hours ago, furnessvale said: The back of your sofa must be well stuffed with scraps of paper! ? George Now there's a thought for the future George. A foldaway sofa for the bank side! Heading for eBay to get one first. Hope you made it to Hawne without too many problems. See you soon. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartland Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 BCN No 4 district was the Walsall District, so I presume the name is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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