TNC On Tour 2004 Page 3

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2004

3 - Bodymoor Heath to Daw End, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, Tame Valley Canal, Rushall Canal and Daw End Branch.

Monday 22nd March 2004

We left Bodymoor Heath at 09:00, just as it was beginning to rain. 10.20, out of the new top lock (one reason for coming into BCN this way), necessitated by the BNRR building. we were surprised to find that the replacement lock cottage was some way from the lock!
BW much in evidence doing tree trimming and tidying, but they failed to spot the trolley reef in Broad Bulk Bridge. This was just set at skeg height, so although we were in BCN "slow through bridge holes" mode we still had a nice wallop on the skeg / bottom of rudder blade that shot up the rudder 1.5 inches on the top bearing, which fortunately we keep loose. A quick jump up and down on the rudder post nut sent rudder clanging down.
12:45 saw us at Salford Junction and the much dredged lower end of the Tame Valley / Perry Bar Flight. Here we settled the argument about the paddle culvert running the length of the chamber having an extra outlet behind the bottom gates to flush them shut...........yes the locks were built with this feature and on quite a few (notably Nos 8,7 and 4) both were not blocked by BW and half a top paddle would gently close the bottom gates. The two cuttings up to Rushall Junction were terribly full of crud (mainly under the high level bridges) in the cut and a few of several BCN weed hatch trips were made. BW of course had better things on their mind, like tending the daffs and tree pruning in the cuttings!
Rushall Junction at 15:40.Very silted below the bottom lock (16:05.) Top Rushall at 17:45. Made headway to Manor Arms at Daw End (18:10), but not doing food on Monday night. Ended up in the Wacky Warehouse "The Boathouse", by the bridge. No un-pressurised beer.................but reasonable quality food, at 2.5 quid a throw!

Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Curdworth Flight. The M42 rather intrudes at this point. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Looking back at Marston Lane Bridge. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Willday's Farm and Fox's Bridges. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Dunton Wharf Bridge. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

The new BNRR bridge. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Curdworth Flight. Dunton Wharf. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

New, re-positioned Top Lock. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

BNRR bridge that necessitated the moving of the Top Lock. Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Top Lock, Curdworth Flight. The new lock cottage is up near Baylis's Bridge. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Looking back at the Top Lock, Curdworth Flight. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

The new Curdworth Flight "lock cottage". Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.
Click here for a picture of the perfect BCN cottage that was demolished in 2001.

Curdworth Tunnel. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Looking back at Curdworth Bridge and Tunnel. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

This new winding point was the old sewage works arm. 1930's towpath bridge has been removed. Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.
Click here for view in 2000.