Sunday, 1 November 2015

Around the Montgomery & Bridge Numbers

We have decided to cruise the Montgomery Canal on our way back down the Llangollen Canal.  Winter officially starts (for CRT) on Monday so we will have to remember to give CRT 48 hours notice of our desire to go onto the Montgomery.  CRT lock the paddles on the top lock to control access.

There has been a slight shudder through the tiller for the past couple of days.  I thought it might be a leaf ball on the propeller and have been giving the boat regular bursts of reverse to flick them off.  My suspicion was there might be more to the matter and decided to check the shaft and propeller.  The water is starting to get colder hence my earlier reluctance.  Down the weed hatch I went and sure enough I could feel a small bundle around the shaft in front of the propeller.  I couldn’t rip it free and had to revert to using the breadknife.

IMG_8549 The first thing I noticed on leaving Frankton Junction was the change in the bridge numbers.  From Hurleston Junction to Frankton Junction the bridges are numbered 1 to 69.  After Frankton Junction the bridges commence 1W, 2W etc.


Then I realised the numbering from the start of the canal continues down the Montgomery Canal.  Bridge 70 is the first bridge on the Montgomery.  Apparently British Waterways added the ‘W’ to the bridge numbers after Frankton Junction to avoid confusion; particularly for emergency services. 

Sorry… short post as there is an important game to play!

And now we have run out of data allowance.  This will publish on 1 Nov!


Pip and Mick said...

Tom, I have a pair of pond gauntlets for those trips down a chilly weedhatch. I've also heard that pouring a kettle full of hot water down the hatch also helps.

Tom and Jan said...

Mick the kettle trick probably won't work on the Llangollen as it's a flowing canal! We have a pair of pond gauntlets for when it gets really cold.