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Falkirk Wheel Closing to Boats?


Billw

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The Rotate Project has now been suspended and apparently is to be reviewed for SC's five to ten year plan. Meanwhile the newly formed Lowland Canals Association are continuing to work with SC to obtain the best terms and conditions for boaters and all others interested in the continued useage and improved success of the Lowland Canal Network. Despite SC's attitude that the LCA is not a watchdog it is fair to say that many politicians both local and National consider it to be so. There has been some misunderstanding, again promoted by SC that the LCA is for boaters only, this is NOT true. The LCA welcomes membership from anyone interested in the Lowland Canal Network and we are in discussions with many businesses and voluntary organisations along the cut. Info on the LCA can be found on the new and still developing web site at www.lowlandcanals association.org

  • Greenie 1
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Thank you for the clarity Graeme. It will answer some of the questions on this thread. I did wonder if it included all stakeholders including towpath users, cyclists, etc. Is this the case and where can I sign up.

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On 2017-6-5 at 21:43, WJD said:

Seasonal payments are not a secret. They are in the advert each year for the posts.

The payments to the volunteers supervisors are just lower than 4 seasonals added together.

I agreed at the outset that it was a bad decision on SC part. I feel for the volunteers as it is worse than a zero hrs contract. No pay at all.

As for BWS and user operation, over 40 boaters were trained on how to operate locks 17 to 20. The number of times they did it themselves is in single figures. In fact they requested assistance even though they were trained.

SC management has faults and in my opinion do not value the ground staff enough.

Soon it will be all chiefs and no Indians, but the canal has to stay open to maintain salaries. Some paid more than the PM and FM.

The canals have a limited amount of cash and boaters will never be able to keep it afloat, pardon the pun. All boaters would have to pay thousands of pounds each which would in turn mean no  boats on the canals

Bad decision to split BW

 

In England it appears to be getting better.

 

Perhaps we have more in common than you think.

 

 

Best wishes.

 

we were trained to do locks 17-40. We alone did it more that 10 times. Some times we would want to do it ourselves and SC would turn up and not let us do it ourselves. Much nicer doing it ourselves, take our time, stop between locks and not get rushed through with the white water rafting treatment sometimes. Otherwise i wouldn't have any complaints about any SC ground staff, super people.

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Hi Ian

 

l remember you well young man. In fact we had long conversations about the canals and owning a boat before you and your partner decided to take the leap. I have seen your boat at its mooring and it is still looking good. Unfortunately the decisions on user op do not lie with the actual guys on the ground although there will always be an element of self preservation which is extremely understandable. They only follow SC procedures. But in defence of assisted passage there are a lot of boaters who like it. There is also the water conservation issue which can only be managed by having a set structure and not a free for all. I personally have had to cut ropes in a hurry to prevent boats in locks from capsizing due to inexperience of the tourist boaters. Anyway I hope you both continue to enjoy the experience and I hope you get that cabin on your own private island to complete the dream sometime.

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59 minutes ago, IainW said:

we were trained to do locks 17-40. We alone did it more that 10 times. Some times we would want to do it ourselves and SC would turn up and not let us do it ourselves. Much nicer doing it ourselves, take our time, stop between locks and not get rushed through with the white water rafting treatment sometimes. Otherwise i wouldn't have any complaints about any SC ground staff, super people.

Which puts you fair and square in the the Firth of Clyde. Tricky!

Didn't know about that cabin and the private island though. Hope there's space for that tractor and digger!!

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13 hours ago, Up-Side-Down said:

Which puts you fair and square in the the Firth of Clyde. Tricky!

Didn't know about that cabin and the private island though. Hope there's space for that tractor and digger!!

ah oops haha, building more locks all by ourselves was a bitch! Erm 17-20!!!

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On 07/06/2017 at 19:10, Up-Side-Down said:

The key point in all this, that everyone seems to miss when bleating on about SC and train sets, is that the locks on the F&C Canal (apart from being rather large) lack both ground paddles and by-washes.

It is interesting that at least one of John Smeaton's original designs for locks on the F&CC included upper ground paddles, and another drawing had waste water weirs fitted into the gate recesses. I wonder why they were not used when built. The ground paddle does look as if it could be removed without leaving much trace, so that may have happened, although other Smeaton plans for the locks do not show ground paddles. It must be one of very few canals not to use them.

Smeaton F&CC lock.jpg

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Pluto and WJD I think you have come up with some really interesting stuff here. I'm fascinated to learn that ground paddles and some form of by-weir were considered at the early design stages and that evidence of ground paddles still exists. I must confess I'd totally missed that. Why and how they were taken away is clearly a mystery but I think a very interesting one. I wonder if someone like John Hume or Guthrie Hutton can throw any light on the matter?

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  • 3 months later...

For information having just retured from 2 weeks on the Union and Forth and Clyde Canals, each caisson on the wheel can take 3 narrow boats or 1 wide beam and 1 narrow beam, so there is an abundance of capacity. (pity the locks either side of it will only take 1 boat at a time)

Ok Capercaillie Cruisers are stopping at the end of the year but it is expected that Scottish Canals will take over the Falkirk Base, the other hire companies are taking bookings for 2018.

I think Government grants are reducing and Scottish Canals must be short of moeny as much work is needed on the Union canal cutting back trees, removing overhanging branches and dealing with reeds and dredging the edges so that you can actually get to the new bank moorings.

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