TNC On Tour 2002 Page 43

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2002

43 - NIA Moorings in Birmingham to Windmill End. BCN Main Lines, Icknield Port and Soho Loops, Titford Canal and pools. Netherton Tunnel and Dudley Canal.

Monday 12th August 2002.

We did a bit of exploring and shopping in the morning as well as a rare sit down breaky! Off at 11:10, we did the Icknield Port and Soho Loops on the way down the Mail Line. At Smethwick Junction (12:15) we went up the three Smethwick Locks to the Wolverhampton Level / Old Main Line. 12:50 saw us of the Smethwick Locks, past the new replica toll office. The ground had been cleared beside the top lock revealing the chamber capping stones and the breast plate of an old top gate of the old parallel set of locks.
At Oldbury Junction (13:35) we went up the Oldbury Locks (Titford Canal) to Titford Pools. Successful passage up the Causeway Green Arm and into the lower pool. We managed to exit through the narrow gap, which really needed some attention with the saw on some willow bushes and onto the Portway Branch. The normal assortment of trolleys in the narrows under the M5 had to be shifted about to get through, it was then a very stodgy wind in the upper pool and retreat back down the Portway Branch.
We left the pools at 15:35 and continued back down the canal. arriving at the top of the Oldbury Locks at 16:00. Here we detoured up the Tat Bank Branch, which was surprisingly free of tat. We managed as usual to wedge the boat into Tat Bank Bridge against the rubbish infested stop planks, put in to stop access into the factory site beyond. Back to Oldbury Top at 16:20, passed the restored pump house, now containing an apartment and the BCN Society meeting rooms. Passage back down "The Crow" was rather quick....seeing as we had left the top gates open!
Back out onto the Old Main Line at 17:00. At Spon Lane Top (17:15) we went down the Spon Lane Locks to the New Main Line (17:35. it was then down to the Netherton Tunnel branch and through Netherton Tunnel to moor up outside the new visitor centre at windmill End (19:25). That evening we had the local idiots pretending to be "Mooring Wardens" and attempting to get overnight payment from us and the adjacent hire boat...they were not successful! Fish and chips from the nearby chippy.

Leaving St Vincent Street Moorings on the Main Line. Oozell's Street Loop to the right. BCN.

BW Yard by Rotton Park Reservoir. Icknield Port Loop. BCN.

Crossing the Mail Line, going from Icknield Port Loop to Soho Loop. BCN.

Hockley Port. Soho Loop. BCN.

Looking back at the entrance to Hockley Port. Soho Loop. BCN.

Winson Green Prison from Winson Green Bridge. Asylum Bridge in the distance. BCN.

Main Line. BCN.

Winson Green Junction. We have just come out of the Soho Loop onto the Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Junction. New Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Bottom Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Middle Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Bottom Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Top Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Top Lock. The new replacement Toll House and old parallel locks, top chamber. Old Main Line. BCN.

Smethwick Top Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Engine Arm Aqueduct over the New Main Line (Birmingham Level)

Smethwick Top Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Brasshouse Lane Pumping Station. Old Main Line. BCN.

Galton Valley Tunnel. Old Main Line. BCN.

Looking back at Galton Valley Tunnel. Old Main Line. BCN.

M5. Old Main Line. BCN.

M5. Spon Lane Junction. Old Main Line. BCN.

Spon Lane Top Lock. Old Main Line. BCN.

Stewart Aqueduct over the New Main Line. Old Main Line. BCN.

Looking down at the New Main Line. Old Main Line. BCN.

M5. Blakeley Hall Bridge. Old Main Line. BCN.

M5.Old Main Line. BCN.

Oldbury Bottom Lock. Titford Canal.

Oldbury Locks. Titford Canal.

The short stub of the Jim Crow Arm, off Oldbury Locks. Titford Canal.

Oldbury Top Lock. Restored pump house and Tat Bank Branch to the right. Titford Canal.

Langley Maltings. Titford Canal.

Looking back at the New Navigation pub at the entrance to Titford Pools. Titford Canal.

Portway Branch. About to go through the narrows under the M5.

The silted up end of the Portway Branch and Upper Pool. Titford Canal.

Looking back from the upper Pool.

End of the Causeway Green Arm. Titford Canal.

Looking back from the end of the Causeway Green Arm. Entrance to lower Titford Pool to the left.

Lower Titford Pool.

Exiting the pools via Jarvis Bridge. Titford Canal. BCN.

Looking back from Jarvis Bridge. Titford Canal. BCN.

The narrows just below Jarvis bridge. Titford Canal. BCN.

Langley Forge. Titford Canal. BCN.

Looking back at Uncle Bens Bridge. Titford Canal. BCN.

End of the Tat Bank Branch - Tat Bank Bridge. BCN.

Oldbury Locks pump house. BCNS Club house. Phoenix the BCNS work boat moored outside. Tat Bank Branch. Titford Canal. BCN.

Oldbury Locks. Titford Canal. BCN.

Spon Lane Locks. BCN.

Bromford Junction. Spon Lane Locks to the left, New Main Line to the right. BCN.

New Main Line. BCN.

Netherton Tunnel Branch. Looking back at the New Main Line at Dudley Port Junction. BCN.

Netherton Tunnel Branch. BCN.

Netherton Tunnel Branch. Old Main Line passes across the aqueduct. BCN.

Netherton Tunnel. BCN.

The Tour Continues...

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