Anderton boat lift reopens

Subject: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: greg stephens
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 08:45 AM

Good news for those who operate at the boat/music interface. The Anderton Boat Lift(Cheshire, UK) reopens officially on Tuesday. Its been out of action for years,and the reopening is a dream come true. A masterpiece of Victorian engineering, it raisesand lowers boats between the River Weaverand the Trent and Mersey canal. Four founder members of the Boat band will be there,we are doing the fireworks and site decoration. Should be music in the Stanley Armsin the evening (the pub where the band got its name). If youve got a narrow boat: use the Lift!! Oh frabjous day caloo calay

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 09:26 AM

The date must be 26 March. Can you be more precise about the location, as I'm travelling around Ireland until Monday, separated from appropriate maps.

Great news indeed. I'm seriously tempted to sell up and buy a narrowboat, but I believe they are extremely expensive. There's certainly no more civilised way to do the yearly Fairport bash at Cropredy.

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 09:40 AM

http://www.andertonboatlift.co.uk/

Jon

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Mr Red
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 12:39 PM

& I thought the idea had been dropped.
**BG**
I went to have a look at it when it last opened and fortunately got it right - it was still working!! Normally I arrive the week after disaster like Pontcysyllte.
Let's hope the rope is stronger this time.

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: John Routledge
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 12:40 PM

Thanks Greg

Using the lift is a bizzare experience.!!

You sit/stand in your boat and move vertically upwards or indeed downwards finishing in the canal if you are going up or the river if you are going down.

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: janey
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 12:58 PM

I knew the Mudcat wouldn't let me down; someone had to post about the Anderton Boat Lift! Living in Mossley (near the new canal link in Stalybridge (stalyvegas)) It's easy to get excited about all this canal regeneration. I tried to find out when it was opening the other day. The (unhelful) woman on the end of the Anderton Boat lift phoneline told me Wednesday. When I asked her where it was she said "what do you mean?" i replied "where is it?" to which she retorted "where are you coming from?" Eventually she let the cat out of the bag...Northwich? I hope to get down; thanks for letting us know greg. but...the website says it opens 27th. Is it Tuesday or wednesday? any times?

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Jock Morris
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 03:47 PM

The Falkirk Wheel was in the news this week as having carried its first boat. The Falkirk wheel is a new mecahnical marvel that serves the same purpose as the Anderton boat lift, but joins the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde canal (least I think that's what it does).

Scott

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Jock Morris
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 03:51 PM

http://www.falkirk-wheel.com/

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Noreen
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 04:23 PM

The Falkirk Wheel

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 11:58 PM

Anyone know why it is called the Anderton boat lift? My youngest daughter's biological father is an Anderton, ancestors said to have come from Wales. Over here, we very rarely see the name. Caused a bit of a stir when we saw it here at the Mudcat! Thanks!

kat

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 03:39 AM

But beware if approaching by boat on T&M from the North. Stoppage recently announced:

Location: Anderton - North of Anderton Boat Lift to Soote Hill, Br 201 Start Date: 26/03/2002 End Date: 31/12/2002 Navigation restricted. Temporary patching of canal while permanent repair solution prepared. Navigation expected to be available from 26/03/02 - local navigation notices will apply. I think its falling into the Weaver.

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 03:49 AM

I went up about 18 months ago and shot off a roll of film--I'll have to go back and take some more pics now. If you get fed up of the boat lift (as if!) you can always poop up the road and see the salt museum, and find out why all the houses are built of wood.

Steve

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Guessed
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 06:48 AM

salt museum? salt of the earth?
do we take the "poop" with a "pinch of".

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 07:27 AM

Just after the Anderton Lift was taken out of service in 1983, I was at a function at the Stoke Bruerne waterways museum. The coin-operated model of the lift had a sign on it saying "Out of Order" and I heard somebody remark "Such attention to detail !". Perhaps the museum will now have to get up to date, but modifications will be needed. The comment about the rope (or cable) breaking is no longer relevant for the following reasons.

When the lift was originally built it was operated by hydraulic rams from below. The rams used water from the River Weaver which was very corrosive and consequently, from 1904-8, Anderton was modified with the addition of A-frames, pulleys, and counterbalance weights so that the tanks were hoisted from above. This also allowed the tanks to be operated individually.

The reason that the lift was was taken out of service in 1983 (not long after a major overhaul) was that that after nearly eighty years, the A-frames were found to be in a dangerous condition due to corrosion.

The latest rebuild has reverted to hydraulic operation - the new rams are basically to the same specification as the originals (and were made by the same manufacturers on the continent). The main difference now, is that hydraulic fluid is used instead of water and separate pumps are used for each tank to allow independent operation. The only restriction (which I gleaned from one of the engineers at the "topping out" ceremony last year) is that the shared hydraulic reservoir doesn't contain enough fluid to have both tanks at the top simultaneously.

The A-frames and some (mock) weights and cables are being retained (at the insistence of English Heritage) in a purely cosmetic role.

It's great to have the lift restored so that we can once again get our boats between the Trent & Mersey and the River Weaver.

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 08:09 AM

Following on from my previous posting, the proposed "Restoration" of the Foxton Inclined Plane is a different kettle of boats entirely. It was closed in 1911 and virtually completely dismantled in 1928 and sold for scrap. All that reamains of the original structure is the basin (currently residentual moorings) and the earthworks. The current "Engine House" museum is a new reconstruction.

Is there really a good reason for re-building (almost from scratch) an expensive construction that never worked well in it's heyday and was closed because there wasn't enough traffic for it ?

One of the pleasures of cruising the Leicest Arm is the trip down the 10 narrow locks at Foxton. With the side-pond operation, it's quite fast and easy - I once got "Panacea" all the way down in 28mins. Then at the bottom there's a chance of a good pint of ale at "Bridge 61". Except that Tony Matts' cosy bar (with it's many folk nights) is going to be replaced by a big new Havester/Beafeater type establishment.

I gather it's all part of a new scheme by BW to open up the Soar/Leicester Arm to wide-beam hotel boats (that'll make Husbands Bosworth and Crick tunnels fun). After all these years they're going to widen Watford Locks. If the original company had done that in the first place, perhaps the original Foxton Inclined Plane would not have been dismantled. I wonder where they hope to find enough extra water on the Welford summit to handle all the extra traffic.

Why not spend the money pushing through the proposed new link between the GU Main Line at Milton Keynes and the River Ouse at Bedford - that would be worthwhile !

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 08:35 AM

As I now live in MK I'm an interested party. (I previously lived just down the road from the Lichfield And Hatherton cut, which is being restored even as we write.) Quite a few residents think that the new canal will bring a lot of unwelcome commercial/industrial development along its length, although I don't know how likely his is (whoever heard of factories having access by water...?), and I don't know where I can find out. There are plans to open a new rail link to [somewhere out east] as well. All sounds a bit like Progress to me!

Steve

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 11:18 AM

What? A Yank can't ask a stoopid question and get an answer?**BG**

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 12:30 PM

Sorry Kat, it wasn't a stoopid question, the answer to your question about the naming of the Anderton lift is that it is actually situated at a place called Anderton, which is a suburb of Northwich, Cheshire - see map HERE. Perhaps the family of your youngest daughter's biological father, originally came from Cheshire, England.

Steve you can find the proposed details of the MK-Bedford cut HERE. Some people obviously have strange ideas about waterways. Many years ago there might have been good reasons for barring the doors/windows and locking up daughters when the navvies were building a new canal nearby, but I think things are different now. Even members of "The Waterways Recovery Group" (modern navvies) are reasonably civilized and they seem to have a high percentage of female members (pehaps it's lock up your sons !). With the main line of the GU going through MK, surely the residents should be aware that there is very little commercial carrying on most canals these days.

Finally "Guessed", Northwich, Cheshire was at the centre of the salt industry (try and find Pete Coe's super song "Farewell to the Brine") you're not being "Pooped".

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Mar 02 - 04:33 PM

Thanks, Dave. Sorry for whinging.:-)

This thread is really interesting. When we lived in Mystic, CT, we always had a lot of fun walking down to the Drawbridge and watching it go up for all of the sailing boats and ferries which went in and out. That link is to a live webcam, which you can control, courtesy of Mystic Seaport. Even good quality doesn't show the bridge up very well, though. There are also whaling ships one can view, etc.

Thanks, again,

kat

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 26 Mar 02 - 03:17 AM

Actually, when I said "poop" back there, I'd mistyped "pop": you can "pop up the road ..." (Note to Yanks: "pop" is a Brit colloquialism meaning "take a brief excursion". Nothing to do with cleaning up after your dog, or indeed getting a big wave over the back of the boat.)

Steve

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: Mr Red
Date: 26 Mar 02 - 09:55 AM

There are serious plans to open the Stroudwater within walking distance of me. Gloucester-Sharpness canal to Stroud is scheduled for a 5 year plan, and to Sapperton tunnel 10 years. Same on the Thames and Severn but the tunnel between is another story - there have been falls. But it is a start - the last work did a handful of locks 20 years ago (land-locks!).

Subject: RE: Anderton boat lift reopens
From: greg stephens
Date: 27 Mar 02 - 12:59 PM

Well, I'm back from the opening. It was splendid. Tuesday was for the suits and the usual speeches, and a miltary band playing "RuleBritannia". Us Boat Band types were workingon fireworks and bunting, but on Wednesday (this morning) we played. The first boat belonging to a member of the public went down, to the strains of "Sloop John B" and "Overthe waterfall"(we selected the latter in case there was a spectacular malfunction, but luckily there wasnt). A good time was had by all. Thanks for all your interesting contributions to the thread.