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Post by Ditchcrawler on Feb 16, 2017 21:00:45 GMT
The thing is if you don't call in serious problems they don't get logged on the system. So then crt don't know about them, they won't go on the list to get fixed. So id recommend phoning them about more serious problems, a phone call from the public counts for a lot more than informing bank staff. If they get a few Phone calls about the same issue, then that issue rises up the to do list. So if you have problems that arent getting fixed in your area, it's worth getting a few like minded people to phone and bring the issue to their attention. Certainly the pounds between Factory Locks on the BCN always seemed empty when we came through them and we just refilled and got on our way. Then last year, on a facebook post, the BCNS said we should always report it otherwise it stays at the bottom of the list. On my winter cruises around the Northern BCN though, I've always reported problems as it is so underused it gives CRT a chance to do something before the next boat comes along. I was chatting to a CRT person telling him what a good job we had done clearing Somerton lock on the Oxford, getting all the crap out from behind the bottom gates only because the first boat to get stuck there had reported it, I think there were about 5 of us in total and he said "If people don't tell us the lock is a problem we think its OK, we know the gates silt up and if its reported we go and clean it" So yes you should tell them even if we fix it. |
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Post by Telemachus on Feb 16, 2017 23:19:40 GMT
Winter cruising eh!! Arrived at Bascote staircase to find the short pound between the staircase and the first single lock totally dry. Had to run 30 mins of water through from the long pound behind us, but reported what we were doing and why to C&RT. The water must have gone somewhere, but everything was normal but for that short pound. Another surprise to me, was that I could actually see the long pound level drop as we ran water through. Such a long pound back to Stockton locks (mile and a half ish) I wouldn't have thought it would make that obvious a difference. Rog I think you'd find the noticeable difference was only temporary. You take water from one end - it only gets replaced because the water wants to flow downhill, but over such a long length the slope is minimal and the viscosity and inertia of the water is significant. Therefore it is bound to take a while for the water at the far end to flow a bit so as to level the pound. I bet the level at Bascote would have risen again within an hour or so. And quite possibly gone back up to where it was before or temporarily even higher, due to the "sloshing" effect ie the momentum of the water flowing in from afar will tend to keep the flow on even after there is no longer a slope. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2017 8:48:33 GMT
Indeed I'm sure you're right. Plus that pound is fed constantly, from Stockton lock by-washes. Because of that, and the volume of water, I was surprised to notice any difference in level at all at my end. But I monitored it and saw it drop by 1 to 2". Having been held up 30 mins or so, I didn't hang about to see what happened next  Rog |
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Post by Jim on Feb 18, 2017 12:26:44 GMT
I've seen a pound drop like that too. Littleborough Summit Pound is maybe a mile long. When my pound is low and I'm sitting on the bottom I go and run water through and see I similar effect.
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Post by 46700 on Feb 26, 2017 10:27:49 GMT
Read in another thread that someone came across a dry pound, let water in from nearest full pound but rang CRT to tell them. What do you do if you come across a problem, ring CRT and wait, fix it yourself, presuming it's within your capacity, and would you ring CRT. I've let water down, fixed lock gear that was out of flunter, raked cills, cleared bywash overflows etc, but then just get on my way. i suppose it would depend on the severity of the problem, I think, clearing the by wash, kebbing behind gates and keeping an eye on levels on the pound your on are just the normal requirements of navigating. Well at least for me they are. Don't tend to have ago at any broken lock gear though. It"s probably different now from in the 60's/70's but back then if you didn't do a " Bodge" repair if possible to lock gear if that"s were the problem lay you'd loose a lot of time but in those days there were lock keepers & lengths men so you could more often than not pass on the info by word of mouth & not have to look for a phone box ( In days before the dreaded mobile phone ) the must have kit in those days 1/2 sheet of ply or piece of "wriggly tin"), Tirfor, Handsaw,Axe, we used to tip our ash pans in an out of the way place on lock sides of badly leaking gate/s locks for "racking" A problem from back then which I would think no longer a problem was the wooden blocks used to hold in position rail way lines, any place with lock/s near a railway line would at some time get 1 or more in a lock chamber if the lock was an uphill job, one of those in the chamber in a narrow lock would stop you dead; & could be an absolute "bug**r to free up your boat, more so if loaded. Break out the Tirfor, it was a sort of unwritten rule that unless it was a major problem you were expected to have at least a go to extract your boat or sort the problem Empty /low pounds were an every day occurrence so running water down was a standard fitting the Wolverhampton 21 flight the second bottom pound used to drain over night & if you were going uphill you often had to run water down as far up as three locks from the top " Arh Joy," |
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Post by kris on Feb 26, 2017 10:35:53 GMT
i suppose it would depend on the severity of the problem, I think, clearing the by wash, kebbing behind gates and keeping an eye on levels on the pound your on are just the normal requirements of navigating. Well at least for me they are. Don't tend to have ago at any broken lock gear though. It"s probably different now from in the 60's/70's but back then if you didn't do a " Bodge" repair if possible to lock gear if that"s were the problem lay you'd loose a lot of time but in those days there were lock keepers & lengths men so you could more often than not pass on the info by word of mouth & not have to look for a phone box ( In days before the dreaded mobile phone ) the must have kit in those days 1/2 sheet of ply or piece of "wriggly tin"), Tirfor, Handsaw,Axe, we used to tip our ash pans in an out of the way place on lock sides of badly leaking gate/s locks for "racking" A problem from back then which I would think no longer a problem was the wooden blocks used to hold in position rail way lines, any place with lock/s near a railway line would at some time get 1 or more in a lock chamber if the lock was an uphill job, one of those in the chamber in a narrow lock would stop you dead; & could be an absolute "bug**r to free up your boat, more so if loaded. Break out the Tirfor, it was a sort of unwritten rule that unless it was a major problem you were expected to have at least a go to extract your boat or sort the problem Empty /low pounds were an every day occurrence so running water down was a standard fitting the Wolverhampton 21 flight the second bottom pound used to drain over night & if you were going uphill you often had to run water down as far up as three locks from the top " Arh Joy," yes unfortunately, we are on a slippery slope back to those days. I suppose it will have benefits there won't be as many boats moving. But I think the increasing lack of maintenance is going to lead to busy better maintained stretches, less used stretches being allowed to fall into unnavigable states, so just used as cycle ways ,walking paths and "nature reserves" this will be done in the name of rationalisation and sustainability. |
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Post by notafloat on Mar 3, 2017 19:56:14 GMT
Read in another thread that someone came across a dry pound, let water in from nearest full pound but rang CRT to tell them. What do you do if you come across a problem, ring CRT and wait, fix it yourself, presuming it's within your capacity, and would you ring CRT. I've let water down, fixed lock gear that was out of flunter, raked cills, cleared bywash overflows etc, but then just get on my way. I think there is a growing trend to phone CRT for trivial problems. I am of the opinion that if there is a low pound etc you just get on with sorting it, whilst being careful not to open too many paddles too much to avoid washing silt into the gate area. I'd only phone CRT under those circumstances if the reason for the low pound was obvious and beyond my ability to fix, e.g. a bloody great leak - in the hope that they would come along later and fix it. My early boating career was spent extricating the boat from various difficulties on the BCN, most of which was barely navigable at the time (1970s) and it never occurred to us to phone BW - no mobile phones anyway. . Do you think this is people are fearful of been liable for attempting to fix something and someone else has a accident and trys to claim of them. |
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Post by naughtyfox on Mar 3, 2017 20:05:40 GMT
What a spineless nation of nose-ringed tattooed kiddy-fiddling zombies, if that is so.
Everyone in Britain is scared of their own shadow!
Don't forget to spill hot coffee on yourself in McDonalds and claim compensation - it'll pay your next Wetherspoon's meal.
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