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Filance Lock on Staffs and Worcester has Shrunk


cuthound

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Notice Alert

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
Starts At: Lock 37 Filance Lock
Ends At: Lock 37 Filance Lock

Tuesday 11 July 2017 12:00 until further notice

Type: Advice
Reason: Information


 

Original message:

 

Please be aware that due to a new bulge in the chamber wall the lock width has been reduced slightly and may pose a hazard to some wider boats. The new minimum dimension is approximately 2.15m which is only just over 7ft (2.134m) and has reduced the amount of flexibility that boats have to manoeuvre within the lock.

 

The works to address the issue are being planned for this winter but in the interim period please take care when using the lock.

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/11134/lock-37-filance-lock

You can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices

Edited by DHutch
Title corrected for autocorrect.
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We were one of the first to stick with Meteor back in April...ish. it was reported then, as were numerous other close encounters I believe. It took alot of effort to free her out. Most boats will be fine but for the odd few the bulge is just in the wrong place. 

Kind regards

Dan

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As a civil engineering project - how will they fix it.

Trim bits off that are sticking out ?

Take down the wall and rebuild ?

Dig out ground behind the wall and push it back with rams (hoping the wall will stay put when back-filled) ?

Ignore it.

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According to local information, offered when we were stuck in Filance,  the over enthusiastic use of pressure grouting has led to this problem. It would be interesting to know which other narrow locks have undergone this treatment and whether or not this is causing problems. HughC.

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Electra became well and truly stuck at the end of May and we had no choice but to reverse back. We have been through dozens of times the last of which was October and never had a problem. We are 7' wide

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10 minutes ago, FadeToScarlet said:

Can't remember where the nearest winding holes are, but is it worth going down backwards?

Nearest winding place to the west would be the entrance to Otherton marina. A distance of approximately 5-8 mins going forwards. It's quite twisty with a couple of bridges, not a reverse I'd want to do unless faced with no other option. 

Once through the lock it's about 200m to the winding hole by Penkridge services. Only one bridge and not much of a bend, so quite do-able in reverse. 

If you're travelling in the other direction then just reverse the process. I'm still not sure it's something I'd want to do unless i had no choice. Reversing a deep, wide and loaded boat on a shallow canal is a pig, as many on here will know.

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The reverse to Otherton was a pig. It was very windy which didn't help at all. We were advised not to go down in reverse and to be honest we didn't want to risk getting stuck again, not an experience we wanted to repeat!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

2 old boats down this lock today.

ours 57ft town class motor. No problems because we were able to hold forward and miss the worse bulge which is situated uphill of the lock ladder, and is now pronounced. Going uphill I would hold back on the gate.

the other boat is a full length Northwich motor ( 71.00 Erewash boat ) so again not quite full length managed no problem downhill.

uphill might be different looking at the lock from inside it won't be long before full length moderns will catch. The main bulge on the front right going uphill, is worsened by other bulges in the lock wall.

we came down like we do on the Stratford one paddle and rocking the boat.

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On 7/12/2017 at 01:17, JamesWoolcock said:

MARQUIS went up in March and came down without a problem towards the end of April.

Shall be going up again (?) in the next ten days.

James

Came up with MARQUIS with no problems on 20 July.

Albeit tightish.

It was good to have LADY HATHERTON's crew on hand, who were following, to be there to reassure and help if any problems had occurred.

There weren't any. But we were cautious.

Thank you LADY HATHERTON. I hope you got to Worcester in time.

And so terrific to see this beautiful S&WCC directors' inspection boat out and about after a huge refit and expenditure no doubt.

If you are into the Staffs & Worcs, she is much part of it. Many of you will know her from passing Teddesley. Her home mooring in 1898 I presume, and still now.

Do tell of other director's boat extant like this one on it's own cut.

James

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7 hours ago, JamesWoolcock said:

Came up with MARQUIS with no problems on 20 July.

Albeit tightish.

It was good to have LADY HATHERTON's crew on hand, who were following, to be there to reassure and help if any problems had occurred.

There weren't any. But we were cautious.

Thank you LADY HATHERTON. I hope you got to Worcester in time.

And so terrific to see this beautiful S&WCC directors' inspection boat out and about after a huge refit and expenditure no doubt.

If you are into the Staffs & Worcs, she is much part of it. Many of you will know her from passing Teddesley. Her home mooring in 1898 I presume, and still now.

Do tell of other director's boat extant like this one on it's own cut.

James

That is great news. I used to see her gradually deteriorating at her mooring at Teddesley in the 1990'same and early 2000's. However on the last few trips she had gone, and I wondered where.

She has such grateful lines. 

Hopefully I will see her on our next trip to the S&W.

Does she still moor at Teddesley?

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11 hours ago, JamesWoolcock said:

Came up with MARQUIS with no problems on 20 July.

Albeit tightish.

It was good to have LADY HATHERTON's crew on hand, who were following, to be there to reassure and help if any problems had occurred.

There weren't any. But we were cautious.

Thank you LADY HATHERTON. I hope you got to Worcester in time.

And so terrific to see this beautiful S&WCC directors' inspection boat out and about after a huge refit and expenditure no doubt.

If you are into the Staffs & Worcs, she is much part of it. Many of you will know her from passing Teddesley. Her home mooring in 1898 I presume, and still now.

Do tell of other director's boat extant like this one on it's own cut.

James

I think Lady H now has a steel replica hull.

I can just remember the original wooden hull being replaced with a new wooden hull at Lapworth in I think the late 1960s. The original hull was still around a few years later with a new conversion which seemed to have been built entirely from second hand timber.

 

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3 hours ago, cuthound said:

That is great news. I used to see her gradually deteriorating at her mooring at Teddesley in the 1990'same and early 2000's. However on the last few trips she had gone, and I wondered where.

She has such grateful lines. 

Hopefully I will see her on our next trip to the S&W.

Does she still moor at Teddesley?

She was moored in Teddesley a few weeks ago when we came through.

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3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

She was moored in Teddesley a few weeks ago when we came through.

Great, I'll keep an eye out for her.

7 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I think Lady H now has a steel replica hull.

I can just remember the original wooden hull being replaced with a new wooden hull at Lapworth in I think the late 1960s. The original hull was still around a few years later with a new conversion which seemed to have been built entirely from second hand timber.

 

I didn't realise she had been re-hulled. Whoever made it did a great job. She is very curvaceous.

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9 minutes ago, max's son said:

Lady H hull was restored by Les Allen at his Oldbury yard

See http://www.allensregister.com/allens4.php#Max Sinclair's Collection: Early years at the yard

for some pictures

Dad did have a picture when David Hutchins owned her with a donkey in the front well

Facinating link. It will keep me occupied for a few hours perusing it. Thanks Max's son, have a greenie :D

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5 hours ago, David Mack said:

I think Lady H now has a steel replica hull.

I can just remember the original wooden hull being replaced with a new wooden hull at Lapworth in I think the late 1960s. The original hull was still around a few years later with a new conversion which seemed to have been built entirely from second hand timber.

 

I went on the Lady H about 6 years ago in Stourport and it had a leaky wooden hull then, water was seeping through as I was being shown around.

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Filance has always been on the narrow side. I recall that Ed Mortimer around 20 years ago got Auriga stuck in it!! Later the same year we got her stuck leaving Camp Hill top lock. That was not easy to reslove as there is nothing to attach a winch to.

Edited by Richard T
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8 hours ago, max's son said:

Lady H hull was restored by Les Allen at his Oldbury yard

See http://www.allensregister.com/allens4.php#Max Sinclair's Collection: Early years at the yard

for some pictures

Dad did have a picture when David Hutchins owned her with a donkey in the front well

That accords with my memories. The cabin and old hull were separated at Lapworth. After all the bolts between the two had been cut through the boat was floated into the top lock of the South Stratford. The cabin was supported on some cross timbers, the lock drained and the old hull floated out, and then the new hull brought in and raised up to meet the cabin.

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