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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tour 2002
The Clarke Family / TNC Attempt up the Westbridge Arm / Upper Nêne - Northampton in TNCFA NB Frogmoore II - 03/06/2002
For pictures of our last attempt up the Westbridge Arm and Upper River Nene - August 2001 - click HERE.
For pictures of our 1998 attempt up the Westbridge Arm click HERE
Neil meets up with the Clarke Family at the overflowing Northampton Sanitary
Station. Ian borrowed John Chapman's NB Frogmoore II and brought it from Ramsey
- Middle Level to Sawley. River Nene.
Northampton Lock, River Nene.
The Westbridge Arm. Skirting the outside of the first bend.
Westbridge Arm - recently dredged above the first road bridge to the winding
point.
Looking back at the first road bridge (draught measured at 2ft 5ins under the
bridge) and the recent dredgings. Westbridge Arm
Westbridge Arm. Looking back from the winding point.
Still the odd trolley reef. Westbridge Arm.
The dug out winding point. Westbridge Arm.
Continuing up the Westbridge Arm, approaching the railway bridges.
Westbridge Arm. Railway bridges and recently finished revised flood defences
above.
The limit of the TNC cruise here last August. For pictures of our last attempt
click HERE.
To miss the debris under the railway bridges, you have to get near to these
sticky out bits of rail line. Westbridge Arm.
The widened and improved channel above the railway bridges. The coffer dam sheet
pile flood wall has been increased in height. There are a line of wooden piles
driven in to the bed about 3ft out from the right hand side to hold back the
landscaping. In the distance is the remains of the old council yard access
bridge - which was at some time in the past rail access to this site. About 3ft
deep at this point. Westbridge Arm.
Looking back at the railway bridges and the widened channel / landscaping.
Westbridge Arm.
Looking back from the end of the Westbridge Arm for us in 2002.
We made it to the old removed bridge. Here the depth was only around 1 ft.
Shirley some Roughty Toughty types could dig a *channel* through here with a
spade? The bed was quite firm and gravely. Westbridge Arm.
Ian can not resist reversing up the other side of the bifurcated Westbridge Arm.
By keeping tight to the outside of the bend and doing a bit of pruning, we get
up to the cofferdam that is related to the flood relief works. Westbridge Arm -
RH fork.
The Upper River Nene. Passed the B&Q floating pontoons.
Upper River Nene. Looking back at the A43 by-pass bridge and the first foot
bridge. There is a shoal centre channel just below this footbridge. Fortunately
the water was very clear and trolley spotting was no problem. Most were
correctly judged to be at a dept greater that 20 inches!
We make it passed the line of six, centre channel, one foot below the surface,
wooden piles above the first disused railway bridge (by the remains of an old
wharf - where Earnest came to rest last in 2001) and creep under the second
railway bridge. There are many old bricks below here about 2ft below - normal
summer level.
We make it up to just under the second foot bridge. It was a gravely bottom
about 1 foot deep, all the way across. Ian seems to want to carry on! Upper
River Nene
The improved and dredged entrance to the GU Northampton Arm. River Nene,
Northampton.
Looking up at lock No 17 of the Northampton Arm of the GU. Presumably more
Social Housing going up here.
NB Frogmoore II resplendent in her new livery. Above Lock 17 Northampton Arm.
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