TNC On Tour 2010 Page 13

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2010

13 - Liez to Bellicourt, Canal du St Quentin.

Wednesday 9th June 2010

09:00 start from below Lock No29 Voyaux. Very little traffic on the St Quentin, we only caught up with one Peniche, as it pulled off from the barge moorings at St Quentin (14:20). We gave St Quentin a miss (there was free space at the "barge" moorings at the far end of the basin), as we were early and wanted to make the early morning passage through the Riqueval Tunnel. At Lock No18 Lesdins there was a VNF bod, who asked if we wanted to go through the self steer short Tronquoy Tunnel that night and be ready for the 07:10 tow through the Riqueval Tunnel the next morning. We said yes. We wondered why the Peniche in front had stopped and gathered the Captain had some problem with his load and would not be going through. He obviously knew the timings of the Tronquoy Tunnel lights and told us to be "Vite!". Originally the electric tug service pulled barges the whole distance across the summit, the two tunnels and the intervening section between them. The service was cut back in the 1980's to just the main 5670m Riqueval Tunnel. We made the 1098m Tronquoy Tunnel OK and had a late afternoon cruise across the summit. Many of the old concrete posts, which used to support the "trolley" wires were still in place. At 18:15 we pulled up, first in the "queue" at the red light, just before the entrance to the tunnel. We wandered around and took some pictures, we could hear the sound of the chain tug in the tunnel and at around 19:00 the tug came thorough towing a single Peniche. The 6 or so VNF lads soon dispatched the Peniche and said they would be back tomorrow, around 07:00. After a meal onboard we had a very peaceful evening/night in the misty wooded cutting. We walked up to the museum above the tunnel mouth, where one of the original 1906 tunnel tugs "Ampere 1" was displayed. The two remaining tugs were not much newer, dating from 1924.

Approaching Lock No27 Mennessis. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No27 Mennessis. Canal de St Quentin.

Leaving Lock No27 Mennessis. Canal de St Quentin.

Leaving Lock No26 Jussy. Canal de St Quentin.

Main Paris - Brussels railway line bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Canal de St Quentin.

Jussy Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Jussy Quay. Canal de St Quentin.

Canal de St Quentin.

Saint Simon Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Saint Simon. Canal de St Quentin.

Junction with the Canal de la Somme. This link across to the shared section of the Canal de la Somme and Canal du Nord is presently shut. Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at the Junction with the Canal de la Somme. The island has become visitor moorings. Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at the Canal de la Somme top Lock No1 Saint Simon. Canal de St Quentin.

Junction with the Canal de la Somme.

Lock No25 Pont-Tugny to the right and Pont-Tugny Arm to the left. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No25 Pont-Tugny. Canal de St Quentin.

Pont-Tugny Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Radar detector for Lock No24 Séracourt-le-Grand. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No24 Séracourt-le-Grand. Canal de St Quentin.

Séracourt. Canal de St Quentin.

Séracourt Basin, now visitor moorings. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No23 Fontains-les-Clercs. Canal de St Quentin.

Dallon Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Approach to St Quentin. Canal de St Quentin.

Approach to St Quentin. Old quays and railway bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin. Basin off to left, before new road bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin Port de Plaisance. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin. Land beside the barge moorings is being re-developed. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin. Land beside the barge moorings is being re-developed. Canal de St Quentin.

St Quentin Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No22 St Quentin. Canal de St Quentin.

Rare commercial traffic. St Quentin. Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at Lock No22 St Quentin. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No21 Moulin-Brûlé. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No20 Omissy. Canal de St Quentin.

Lesdins private basin. Canal de St Quentin.

Lock No19 Pascal. Canal de St Quentin.

Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at Lock No19 Pascal. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit Lock No18 Lesdins. Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at Lock No19 Pascal. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit Lock No18 Lesdins. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit Lock No18 Lesdins. "No stopping in the summit pound"! Canal de St Quentin.

Summit Lock No18 Lesdins. Canal de St Quentin.

The original waiting quay, for when the whole summit was covered by the electric chain tug. Canal de St Quentin.

Lesdins / Tronquoy Tunnel traffic lights, we have a green. Canal de St Quentin.

Lesdins / Tronquoy Tunnel. Canal de St Quentin.

Looking back at Lesdins / Tronquoy Tunnel. Canal de St Quentin.

Grain wharf on the summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. Note the old concrete trolley wires posts. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. The old dry dock for the Tunnel tugs. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. Bellenglise. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. Bellenglise cereal loading quay. Canal de St Quentin.

Summit pound. Riqueval Bridge. Canal de St Quentin.
The famous view of the British capturing the bridge in 1918
http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/berichten/riqueval/images/13-bridge-de-riqueval-general-campbell-1918.jpg

Summit pound. Old tug parking bay. Canal de St Quentin.

Riqueval Tunnel, Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Toueur 1. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

The evening tow comes through the other way. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Toueur 2. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Riqueval Tunnel, looking in from the Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Ampere 1. One of the original tunnel tugs, preserved by the museum. Riqueval Portal. Canal de St Quentin.

View down from Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Waiting for the tow. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Toueur 2 detail. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Trolley wires detail. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

Toueur 2 detail. Riqueval Portal. Summit pound. Canal de St Quentin.

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