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If you ever manage to get going again you will

find (although water can be an issue )once you get up

top you will be rewarded with splendid isolation

 very quiet no boats about no people about...look out

for deer on the offside...also Lock 46 (bent House Lock)

has a small wharf just below good for mooring.

good luck i hope you get sorted.
 

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3 hours ago, FirstRateFirstMate said:

We have a set of bolt cutters on board and have done the best we can but some are just too tight. We're hoping that the engineer from RCR will bring an angle grinder

Careful he doesn't chop through the propshaft.

:unsure:

ETA

Could it be the fabled 'Great Mattress of Tame' as per the BCN Challenge a few years ago on it's holidays or, perhaps, visiting relatives in Manchester?

Edited by Victor Vectis
Spellin' & fings.
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3 hours ago, Dave_P said:

Depends on how big your weedhatch is, surely?

 

Not really. 

My idea of "a set of big bolt-cutters" is perhaps different from yours. The problem with using all bolt cutters down a weed hatch is you need both hands to operate them, and a fair bit if force applied at least 18" away from whatever you are cutting. Very difficult to do, with both arms down a weed hatch...

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24 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Not really. 

My idea of "a set of big bolt-cutters" is perhaps different from yours. The problem with using all bolt cutters down a weed hatch is you need both hands to operate them, and a fair bit if force applied at least 18" away from whatever you are cutting. Very difficult to do, with both arms down a weed hatch...

Teamwork.  Although in this case, it's far easier since the boat is out of the water and you can see what you're doing.

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5 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Not really. 

My idea of "a set of big bolt-cutters" is perhaps different from yours. The problem with using all bolt cutters down a weed hatch is you need both hands to operate them, and a fair bit if force applied at least 18" away from whatever you are cutting. Very difficult to do, with both arms down a weed hatch...

The arms on my boltcutters are so long that I can't get them fully open and down the weedhatch at the same time. So I now have a smaller pair as well, and some snips for thinner wire.

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12 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

Whats that to the right of the pic ? A dredgings tip ?

 

This is the infamous shallowed section of the Rochdale. The canal had been infilled to within about a foot of water level and topped off with asphalt, leaving a shallow water feature (which just meant the junk thrown in was more visible).

When restoration of this section happened the money was running out and they could only afford to dredge a narrow channel down the middle. Hence the line of warning posts.

Edited by David Mack
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On 30/03/2017 at 22:20, David Mack said:

This is the infamous shallowed section of the Rochdale. The canal had been infilled to within about a foot of water level and topped off with asphalt, leaving a shallow water feature (which just meant the junk thrown in was more visible).

When restoration of this section happened the money was running out and they could only afford to dredge a narrow channel down the middle. Hence the line of warning posts.

The whole of the canal in Manchester was above lock 82  was "Water Channeled as Divid Mack says, and made into a linear water park. This did save the route but not much else. There was one exception which was the length between locks 77 and 78, which was retained as a reservoir for the Blue works there.

The length in Newton Heath was a double whamie they were running out of money when doing the restoration, also it had been in-filled with really horrid stuff, no flys in those contractors!. This means its really expensive to tip, so they did the minimum they had to.

I'm surprised that pound went down. That only ever happens when someone leavess the top gates / paddles open, as the bottom gates on lock 69 are one of the few on the Manchester 18 which will not hold water. This is due to the bridge widening wreaking the bottom gates, wooden cill floor.  Not a high priority to fix.

Another thing I've noticed over the years is that the locals are defiantly getting friendly. Its not like it was when it first opened, when you needed to be escorted through the place. The worst spot now by far is lock 84  the undercroft of R0dwell Tower or 111 Picidilly Which is horrid, despite the press release!

PS I hope The Mattress has gone, were coming up in a fortnight.

--
Cheers Ian Mac
PPS were you aware you can ask for assistance on the Manchester 18 - see C&RT web site.
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/1358/volunteer-lock-keepers-on-the-rochdale-17

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1 hour ago, Ian Mac said:

The whole of the canal in Manchester was above lock 82  was "Water Channeled as Divid Mack says, and made into a linear water park. This did save the route but not much else. There was one exception which was the length between locks 77 and 78, which was retained as a reservoir for the Blue works there.

The length in Newton Heath was a double whamie they were running out of money when doing the restoration, also it had been in-filled with really horrid stuff, no flys in those contractors!. This means its really expensive to tip, so they did the minimum they had to.

I'm surprised that pound went down. That only ever happens when someone leavess the top gates / paddles open, as the bottom gates on lock 69 are one of the few on the Manchester 18 which will not hold water. This is due to the bridge widening wreaking the bottom gates, wooden cill floor.  Not a high priority to fix.

Another thing I've noticed over the years is that the locals are defiantly getting friendly. Its not like it was when it first opened, when you needed to be escorted through the place. The worst spot now by far is lock 84  the undercroft of R0dwell Tower or 111 Picidilly Which is horrid, despite the press release!

PS I hope The Mattress has gone, were coming up in a fortnight.

--
Cheers Ian Mac
PPS were you aware you can ask for assistance on the Manchester 18 - see C&RT web site.
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/1358/volunteer-lock-keepers-on-the-rochdale-17

Has anybody had experience of requesting/getting this help?

I am going from Marple to Castelfield in May and have had two kind offers of help but from forum members, not CRT.

 

Frank.

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1 hour ago, frahkn said:

Has anybody had experience of requesting/getting this help?

I am going from Marple to Castelfield in May and have had two kind offers of help but from forum members, not CRT.

 

Frank.

I have, Ian Mac, of the last post but one, came to help, both down and up. A big help he was too. 

Apparently the red scooter at the bottom of a lock that I saw in the autumn, is still there. That stretch needs frequent clear outs. 

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2 hours ago, frahkn said:

Has anybody had experience of requesting/getting this help?

I am going from Marple to Castelfield in May and have had two kind offers of help but from forum members, not CRT.

 

Frank.

Yes, I as a singlehander was helped down 16 locks into Manchester a couple of years ago.  The helper (a volunteer) was great, going ahead to set the locks while I closed up behind, helping when I was grounded once, and generally making the whole thing (relatively) easy.  It was only when he was setting out to walk back up to the top that I discovered that he, at 73, was 3 years older than I was!   I don't think I would have fancied doing that section myself.

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3 hours ago, frahkn said:

Has anybody had experience of requesting/getting this help?

I am going from Marple to Castelfield in May and have had two kind offers of help but from forum members, not CRT.

 

Frank.

We had Ian Mac help us up the 18 a couple of years ago. We asked for assistance (very easy) because we draw close on 3 foot and were just a bit worried we might struggle in places, which we did. But with Ian's local knowledge and physical help we made it through and are so glad we did because the Rochdale is a fantastic canal, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again - as long as Ian was there, because he is a super chap to have along for the ride. And the natives were very friendly..

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