Batavia

Certainly when you get to interesting stuff - 3 core 240 mm2 motors cables, 630 mm2 transformer tails, etc. are more like pipe fitting than electrical work! Chris G

Julian, I vehemently disagree - SY is infinitely worse than SWA cable! Chris G

That's one way of doing it, but a better approach is to install an MCB that can handle the transformer's inrush current - typically a Type C or Type D. Chris G

As you have pointed out, it should be simple to walk between the lock and the station, as you can see one from the other - but I don't think that there is any route you can take that avoids having to walk along some part of the B488 (which I assume is the busy road you mentioned). Even if you go off footpaths, you come across drainage ditches and fences that are difficult to cross, with added livestock problems. I haven't had problems with cows in this area, but it is a few years since I have been on the paths to the south of Horton village. The route which includes the least hazardous/shortest section of road involves going along the bridleway that runs to the west of the railway line. You get to it by walking straight on at the southerly right angle road bend in Horton village, where the bridleway goes off under the railway. However, at the Cheddington end you have to walk back to the station from the nearest point of escape, which is between the houses on Cheddington Road. This is certainly not the shortest route. Chris G

That's 'cos it is comutative! Chris G

Another strong recommendation for Roger - he has been doing ours since the BSS came into being. Chris G

And you can inhale the particulate material from the exhaust all day long without having to bend over the stern! Chris G (about to modify Batavia's exhaust system so that it can either come out of the cabin roof or the stern of the boat, due to fed-up-ness with the clods of soot - although the impending engine swap might ease things somewhat)

We had this problem on Batavia (which sits very low in the water), and solved it using a Whale Gulper pump. This works fine, with a few provisos: It is probably best to have the pump below the level of the bottom of the sink - ours is about 300 mm below the sink. Have a length of hose (about 1.2 metres in our case) before the pump, so that if some idiot pours a small amount of boiling water down the sink, it doesn't immediately reach the pump. Having said that, we haven't had any problems with draining pans of vegetables, etc. Ensure that the waste from the sink to the pump has a high level vented connection - e.g. the sink's overflow. A friend had a sink (with no overflow) which used a Gulper pump and all was well until someone ran the pump with the plug in the sink. The pump pulled the plug well and truly home and much dismantling had to be done to remove the plug. In any case, you don't really need a plug, as once the hose to the pump is full of water, the sink won't drain until you run the pump. Chris G

Not to mention the trail of chaos and ill-feeling that these people used to leave behind them! Chris G

I believe that there is now only 1 bus per day (no. 13) in each direction, following the re-routing of the No. 12 service which runs between Daventry and Rubgy. Chris G

A paddle-operated flow switch would probably be the simplest solution, but you would robably want to have a timer in the alarm circuit to prevent false alarms from the "lumpy" nature of the flow. Chris G

You have two options: (a) Carry out a Design Review, which will entail sitting in front of the fire all day, drinking coffee, thinking hard about everything which could go wrong - which will probably make you wish to defer starting work. ( Get on with it, on the basis that the more you put it off, the harder it will get to ever start! Today might be an Option (a) day. Chris G

If you fancy something a bit less common... https://www.leboncoin.fr/materiel_agricole/1018319799.htm and apparently it is in perfect condition! Chris G

Cellulose thinners - the universal solvent! Chris G

If you haven't been there, the Pavilions at Stoke Park in Stoke Bruerne are well worth a visit - just a short walk from the canal. We were lucky to be able to see them when a book sale was being held there (Alexander Chancellor was selling part of his brother's collection), but they seem to be open on a more regular basis these days: http://www.stokeparkpavilions.co.uk/public-viewings/ Chris G