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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tours 2000, BCN, Severn Estuary, K&A and River Wey
11 - Monday 10th July - Black Country Museum Moorings to Factory Junction . New Main Line to Symphony Court moorings. Including Walk Spon lane Locks (closed), Soho loop and Hockley Port, Icknield Port Loop.
Weather - yet more rainstorms all day, much more
wind, colder, but rain of a finer variety!
The crew members think this is becoming the weather challenge, not the IWA challenge!
Anyways today was to be an easy day. We eventually emerged and had our first bit of boating, moving boat back and to the other side BCM visitor moorings.
We arrived at "Bottle and Glass" just as it was opening. We paid for our entrance to the museum and then thought it would be a good idea to re-sample
the Holden's ale to check it was as good as last week. It was indeed and we set off around the museum. Peter Brown went off to seek out the director of
the site, as Peter new him from when he helped set up the site, when working for
Dudley Council. The rest of the crew (Neil, Ian Ballard, Peter Wright and Colin did a tram ride to the depot, then managed to get a tour round the depot, which
was full of visiting trolley buses as well as their own vehicles. The other's went back to the pub for a lunchtime pint and cob, while Neil and
Colin moved the boat up to the water point and refilled. Neil also flushed out the last remaining mud and North Oxford
Canal duck weed from the gas locker.
At 14.00 we eventually shoved of in the direction of Brum on the New Main Line. The object was to do the loops.
Timings were as follows :- Factory Junction, 14.20, Dudley Port Junction 15.00 (pass), Albion Junction 15.15 (pass), Pudding Green Junction 15.15 (pass) and Spon Lane Junction.
Here we stopped for 25 mins to walk the arm up to the Old Main Line to examine the "burnt" gate and take some photos / video. Glennys Riggs
the IWA BCN Silver Challenge Award scroot had said that this would be acceptable as
the Spon Lane Locks would be closed for the duration of our visit. (new gate should be fitted by the 21st
July 2000. Of course the "burnt" gate was
perfectly useable, for operational purposes, just lacking a balance beam. The top and
bottom locks of the flight had chains and padlocks round the bottom gates. We were surprised at how bad a condition the gates were on this flight,
probably the worse on the BCN.
At 16.05 we shoved off again and passed Smethwick Junction at 16.50. We
turned left into The Soho Loop at 17.10 and between 17.25 and 17.40 upset the residents in Hockley
Port by "doing" the basin and is arms. Actually no one came out to
observe us as it was, predictably, pissing with rain. At
17.50 we crossed over the Main Line and entered the Icknield Port Loop.
We were soon
back on the Main Line at 18.10. At Deep Cuttings Junction (roundabout) we went
down through Gas St basin and through Worcester Bar and off the BCN! We still have not worked what way we will come off the BCN system, so this
was essential. Neil wanted to see the new development at the turn, so we winded here and went back passed all the hire boats out side Bobby Browns
and the bars to our quiet Visitor Moorings at the top of Oozells St Loop. We pulled in and
thought we had gone mad!!!! in the few days since our last overnight stop, some
bu**er had removed the three rings that were down here! Neil said that we WERE mooring here so eventually banged some bits of scrap hardwood down
some expansion gaps in the pavoirs (being very careful not to damage the pavoirs (this was because BW obviously think that they are more important
than dredging canals!) On the way out to the excellent Persian Restaurant recommended by Peter Brown we spotted the replaced pavoirs, showing where
the rings had been. At least we were not going mad!
 Taking half a day off at the Black Country Museum. Tram ride in the rain. Ian B, Peter W and Colin. |
 At the end of the tram ride, the driver is about to reverse the pick up pole. Black Country Museum. |
 The most important preserved building moved to the museum! (Bottle and Glass Inn.) Black Country Museum. |
 Bromford Junction. We are about to investigate the closed Spon Lane Locks. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Bromford Junction from Spon Lane Bottom Lock. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Looking up from Spon Lane Bottom Lock. Note the perfectly usable burnt top gate. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 The Bottom Lock burnt top gate. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Looking down from Spon Lane Top Lock. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 The padlocked Spon Lane Top Lock gates. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Spon Lane Top Lock. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Looking down from Spon Lane Middle Lock. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Looking up at Spon Lane Middle Lock. Spon Lane Locks Branch. |
 Looking down at Spon Lane Bottom Lock. Spon Lane Lock Branch. |
 Bromford Junction BCN Signpost. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 The M5 with it's legs in the canal! New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 The Old Main Line crosses over here on the Stewart Aqueduct. Note boat passing boat on aqueduct. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Looking back at Spon Lane Bridge. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Galton Cutting. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Galton Railway Bridge. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Galton Bridge. Upper Galton Valley Tunnel in distance. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Galton Bridge. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Upper Galton Valley Tunnel. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Looking back at Upper Galton Valley Tunnel. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Smethwick Pumping Station. Brasshouse Bridge beyond. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Smethwick Pumping Station. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Smethwick Pumping Station. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Looking back at Brasshouse Bridge. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 The Engine Arm Aqueduct. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Looking back from Engine Arm Aqueduct. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Smethwick Junction, here the Smethwick Locks are the first to take you up to the Wolverhampton Level. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Smethwick Junction BCN Signpost. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Scrap metal recovery unit that covered us in dust and stinky smoke! New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Railway bridge just before Soho Loop. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 Soho Loop to left. New Main Line (Birmingham Level.) |
 We have just started the Soho Loop. |
 Winson Green Bridge, Asylum Bridge beyond. Soho Loop. |
 Sculpture opposite Winson Green Prison. Soho Loop. |
 Entrance to Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 We have just entered Hockley Port. The visitor moorings are to the left. Soho Loop. |
 Half way to the end of the lower arm. New sanitary station to right at end. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 New sanitary station. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 Looking back from the end of the lower arm. First arm, second arm (wet / dry dock) and third arm are off to the left. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 Looking up the first arm. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 The second arm (wet / dry dock). Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 The third arm. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 The third arm. Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 BCNS Sign post to Hockley Port. Soho Loop. |
 Soho Loop. |
 Soho Loop. |
 A navigable looking basin! Soho Loop. |
 X-over junction with the New Main Line, Icknield Port Loop opposite. Soho Loop. |
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