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Post by bargemast on Mar 16, 2017 19:28:17 GMT
Farnworth is a nice boat. When I first came on the cut in mid nineties it was used as a trip boat around Denham on the Grand Union. Then it was bought by the current owner who had a very nice steel cabin fitted to the shape of the original sheeted up hold and a domestic internal fitout. I think the engine has been changed twice. Boat is moored and lived on offside half way between Batchworth lock and Lot Mead lock on GU at Hall Farm. Last time I saw "Farnworth" was in 2011 not far from Rickmansworth, where I took this photo of her :
Peter.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2017 19:34:32 GMT
Hall Farm residential moorings. A good photo ! I moored on the towpath side where you were standing about 200 metres to the right of you from 2005 to 2007
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Post by bargemast on Mar 16, 2017 19:45:09 GMT
Hall Farm residential moorings. A good photo ! I moored on the towpath side where you were standing about 200 metres to the right of you from 2005 to 2007 It looked like a nice place for a residential mooring, all the boats there seemed to have a bit of land there too, and less polluted than London.
Peter
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2017 20:35:51 GMT
Its quite a nice mooring yes. Can be a problem if it rains a lot as the field beside the moorings is flood plain but overall not too bad - the access path is raised. A lot of static houseboat boxes there. I was on the other side on a BW long term non residential muddy towpath mooring when I lived there.
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Post by TonyDunkley on Mar 17, 2017 2:18:10 GMT
Tony Re M/b Farnworth did you do any trips on the coal traffic to Liverpool or were you involved with Docks traffic. I remember the Blakes Father and Son working on Farnworth. Rooy It was Docks traffic, Roy. The Ship Canal Company's Bridgewater Department had 'Everton' and 'Farnworth', on hire from British Waterways, working on the Dukers jobs. The biggest part of the work was imported maize to Kelloggs at Stretford, brought over from America on wartime ex-Liberty ships. They came in at Eastham drawing 29' - 30', which was a couple of feet too much to get any further up the Ship Canal than Ellesmere Port, where they kept a pontoon mounted exhauster. We ran between Ellesmere Port and Stretford until we had lightened them enough to get all the way up to Salford. Loading at either Ellesmere Port or in the Docks was always daywork, but Kelloggs had men working shifts and would be emptying boats all through the day and night. If memory serves right, we used to get 4 shillings and 9 pence - 'Kelloggs call-out money'- for emptying during the night. You had to get out of the hole [basin] at Kelloggs to let the next boat in as soon as you were empty, so we used to run straight back to Salford to keep our turn the next morning. If there wasn't a Kelloggs ship in, they would generally load us with either Bentonite, again from America, for ICI at Anderton, or 1 x ton rolls of newsprint for Howley Quay, Warrington. The really plum job, which came along every now and then, and was given to each of the motors in strict rotation and turn, was ship's stores, including booze and fags from the bonded warehouse at Water Street, to the tankers that didn't come any further up the Ship Canal than Ince Oil Berth. All the stuff was loaded under Customs supervision, and if you had finished loading too late to get to Ince before nightfall, you had to spend the night tied up on the wall down at the end of 8 Dock with the Customs blokes keeping an eye on you and making sure you weren't helping yourself to any of the goodies.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2017 6:46:04 GMT
Short boat Everton is near Rickmansworth as well, open hold work boat owned by canal contractors Wood Hall Heward based at the stinkhole sewage works below Springwell Lock.
They have one or two more short boats in their fleet, and some Bantam push tugs.
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Post by JohnV on Mar 17, 2017 8:19:39 GMT
Tony Re M/b Farnworth did you do any trips on the coal traffic to Liverpool or were you involved with Docks traffic. I remember the Blakes Father and Son working on Farnworth. Rooy It was Docks traffic, Roy. The Ship Canal Company's Bridgewater Department had 'Everton' and 'Farnworth', on hire from British Waterways, working on the Dukers jobs. The biggest part of the work was imported maize to Kelloggs at Stretford, brought over from America on wartime ex-Liberty ships. They came in at Eastham drawing 29' - 30', which was a couple of feet too much to get any further up the Ship Canal than Ellesmere Port, where they kept a pontoon mounted exhauster. We ran between Ellesmere Port and Stretford until we had lightened them enough to get all the way up to Salford. Loading at either Ellesmere Port or in the Docks was always daywork, but Kelloggs had men working shifts and would be emptying boats all through the day and night. If memory serves right, we used to get 4 shillings and 9 pence - 'Kelloggs call-out money'- for emptying during the night. You had to get out of the hole [basin] at Kelloggs to let the next boat in as soon as you were empty, so we used to run straight back to Salford to keep our turn the next morning. If there wasn't a Kelloggs ship in, they would generally load us with either Bentonite, again from America, for ICI at Anderton, or 1 x ton rolls of newsprint for Howley Quay, Warrington. The really plum job, which came along every now and then, and was given to each of the motors in strict rotation and turn, was ship's stores, including booze and fags from the bonded warehouse at Water Street, to the tankers that didn't come any further up the Ship Canal than Ince Oil Berth. All the stuff was loaded under Customs supervision, and if you had finished loading too late to get to Ince before nightfall, you had to spend the night tied up on the wall down at the end of 8 Dock with the Customs blokes keeping an eye on you and making sure you weren't helping yourself to any of the goodies. Interesting reading Tony. I was with Manchester Liners in the mid 60's on the Manchester Regiment running from there to Canada. A bit later I was sparks on a small coastal tanker and we often used to run up to Modewheel sometimes lightering between Dingle dock and there. I hung onto that position on the coaster as long as I could (they used to keep the coasters for the old gadgers and send us youngsters off on the long deep sea trips. I was as happy as Larry on the coast and would have cheerfully stayed there)
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Post by angelo1728 on Mar 17, 2017 11:56:09 GMT
Tony
Wonderful memories of your time with M/b Farnworth, which prompts me to ask was Tom Abram and Bill Melling the crew of M/b Everton. Tom eventually received the BEM for his service on tne canals. Also I bet you could load in excess of 50 tons on those runs to Kelloggs. I am not sure if part Parkes Fleet would still be running to Stretford Gas Works at that time. Tug 'Sulzer' was on this run upto about 1960. They had six dumb boats there 'Juno', 'Scorpio', 'Carlo', 'Clio', 'Bruno' and 'Ferro'. When my Dad 'Peter' was on this run in the middle fifties they recorded a tonnage of 144 tons 19cwts with M/b 'Angelo' 70 tons 10cwt and dumb boat 'Bruno' 74 tons 9 cwt. Best regards Roy
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Post by naughtyfox on Mar 24, 2017 16:32:29 GMT
I've been saving this thread to read 'for later' and have just whizzed through. This has to be one of the best threads on Thunderboat. My interest is awakening as we're off to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal this Summer. Is this of any interest?: www.canaljunction.com/craft/leeds_liverpool.htm
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Post by angelo1728 on Mar 29, 2017 11:19:26 GMT
Kris to keep this item going , I have enclosed my two favourite photo's of the B. I's. These were taken Summer 1933 around the time A 40 completed three round trips between Birkenhead and Blackburn, a feat the owners said could not be done. At that time they were working three handed night and day and were expected to complete five trips per fortnight. By the beginning of 1934 they owners realised the crews would have been worn out and reverted to two crew doing 3 trips per fortnight and this was the reason they ordered two more boats from Yarwood's to attain the necessary tonnage. Even then they had Canal Transport's Weaver and Derwent on permanent contract. Note to naughtyfox hope you will enjoy your visit to Leed's and Liverpool in the summer. Lovely scenery and plenty of pubs canal side.
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Post by kris on Mar 29, 2017 11:28:51 GMT
Thanks very much for posting such wonderful photos Roy. These show the wide decks of the "A" class boats well, and the hatch boards. It might be an illusion of the photo but the side decks don't look to be at such a steep angle as the river class boats.
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Post by angelo1728 on Mar 29, 2017 11:41:54 GMT
No it's not an illusion Kris, if my memory served me right they only had ssmaii rise on them.
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Post by kris on Mar 29, 2017 11:43:09 GMT
No it's not an illusion Kris, if my memory served me right they only had ssmaii rise on them. thanks Roy this is all very interesting to me.
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Post by Andyberg on May 13, 2017 7:55:30 GMT
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Post by angelo1728 on May 13, 2017 10:51:24 GMT
Hi Andy
I think the other short boat is 'Lune'. The location is between Glovers Bridge and Ring 0' Bells Bridge, less than a quarter of a mile from where I was born and brought up. Mersey being the first steel short boat out of Yarwood's Yard her prop had difficulty getting hold of the water when light, so they had to flood the bilges. Subsequent boats of both B. I. Transport and Canal Transport then all had tanks fitted in the engine house above the stern gear. I can also remember what we called the Packet Shed which housed the 'Waterwitch' the inspection boat of the Canal Company. This was a few yards to the stern of the 'Lune'.
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