First pieces of track laid.

Spent an hour or so yesterday evening making a start on laying the track.  It's not fixed down permenently at this stage due to the fack I may wish to change things as I go along.

I started with the lifting section over the door which involved laying the track then using a dremel and cutting disk to slice through the rails at the board joints.  This went as well as I'd hoped so layed a few more flixible sections of track then called it a night.

Just need to get the electrics over the joints sorted now.

A Model Start

A while back my old model rail stuff from when I was younger was retrieved from my parents loft and brought home much to the disgust of my other half who declared that she didn't really fancy me building a layout on the dining room table and the spare room was apparently for guests so the box of bits were banished to the shed.

About that time I'd acquired an IKEA wardrobe from a friend which I was planning to use for storage in my shed however I didn't realise it was 8ft tall and definitely wouldn't fit.

It wasn't long before I figured out what to do with the wardrobe sections! :)

Originally I planned to make an 'L' shaped layout running along the back and left hand walls of the shed (12ft x 8ft ish) forming a fiddle yard and terminus station. After watching videos on YouTube with trains running at speed past each other I decided that a round and round layout was what I wanted even though that meant creating a section that could be removed / lifted to gain access.







As you can see, I couldn't resist laying a bit of track down and running something :)



The piece over the door was the last bit of baseboard to be completed.



After doing some test running it was obvious my existing 30 year plus old track was past its best so a trip last weekend to a local model railway specialist saw me returning with shiny things



A mixture of Peco flexible track for the straight(ish) bits and Hornby 3rd and 4th radius curves for the bends :)

Finally last night I was able to complete the fold-up section over the door so hopefully I can start getting track semi-fixed down this evening so I can at least run some trains around until I figure out the plan for the layout.

At last an update!

Lots added to my Historic Narrow Boat page.

100 - Zodiac

380 - Uranus

The stern of Uranus now forms the bow of Hineroa

Canal Holiday October 1991 Oxford and Grand Union Canals - Trip report added.

Holiday from Aynho Wharf on the Oxford Canal

My second ever canal holiday.  Again this log was put together from notes in a notebook found whilst rummaging through my old wardrobe at my parents' house.

This was a holiday with my parents, mum's parents and my brother.  We hired the narrow boat 'Heyford' from Anglo Welsh who at that time had a base at Aynho Wharf and travelled north to just beyond Braunston before heading back.

Hopefully I will be able to find pictures at some point.

Day 1: Aynho Wharf to King's Sutton

Day 2: King's Sutton to Fenny Compton

Day 3: Fenny Compton to Braunston

Day 4: Braunston to Napton via Norton Junction

Day 5: Napton to Cropredy

Day 6: Cropredy to Aynho

Day 7: Aynho to Heyford and back

Day 8: Aynho

First Canal Holiday 1987 Oxford Canal - Trip report added.

My first ever canal holiday from the 24th to the 31st October 1987.

My parents have been on at me to reduce the amount of my old boxes of stuff still at their house and whilst sorting out some old paperwork lurking in a wardrobe I found a notebook of mine in which I had recorded dates and places of the canal trips I'd been on.

My first ever canal holiday was in October 1987.  At the time my mum was a Girl Guide leader and this was a training trip in order for her to get some kind of certification to take Guides on the canals.  We hired a 70 foot narrow boat called Water Eagle from a company based at Fenny Compton Marina on the southern section of the Oxford Canal and took it to Oxford and back.  During the holiday I recall visiting the now closed bygones museum at Claydon and having a burger in the burger bar at RAF Upper Heyford.

Somewhere in another box is a scrapbook I made at the time with pictures and more details but at least for now I have the dates and places which I'd previously forgotten during the last 28 years.

Day 1: Fenny Compton to Claydon
Day 2: Claydon to King's Sutton
Day 3: King's Sutton to Kirtlington Quarry
Day 4: Kirtlington Quarry to Oxford
Day 5: Oxford to Kirtlington Quarry
Day 6: Kirtlington Quarry to Banbury
Day 7: Banbury to Claydon
Day 8: Claydon to Fenny Compton

Piglet: Hawkesbury Junction - 24th May 2013

On Friday the wind was blowing a gale and it kept raining so we spent most of the afternoon in the Greyhound talking to fellow boaters.

Piglet: Coventry and Back - 23rd May 2013

Joanna left us early in the morning and stuck for something to do for the rest of the day we decided to take Piglet into the centre of Coventry as that was the only part of the Coventry Canal we hadn't done before.

We set off at 10:20 and pretty much immediately picked up a load of rubbish on the prop whilst holding back for a boat emerging under Coney Lane Bridge so we stopped shortly after for a trip down the weed hatch.

When that was cleared we were on our way again.  The wind was pretty strong and cold but at least it wasn't raining.

We passed the rear of the Ricoh Arena where we'd been the night before and could see the cranes inside dismantling the stage.

The trip into Coventry wasn't too bad and it was quite nice to be on an urban canal for a change.

On entering basin via the low bridge our first impressions were quite good.  However with all the "No Splashing the Towpath" and "No Mooring" signs along with a pretty pointless looking swingbridge blocking access to any decent moorings we felt a little underwhelmed.

Turning round seemed to be easier said than done too.  Coventry Basin is a kind of Y shape with the canal entering up the stem and splitting into 2 arms.  No matter what we tried I kept getting blown side on into the bit between the 2 arms.  A helpful passing boat suggested we tie our front rope to a bollard and motor the back end around which worked a treat and we were soon heading back out of the basin as the wind decided to drop too.

An hour or so later we were back where we had moored the night before at Hawkesbury Junction.  Then the sun came out and the wind dropped!

10 Miles 6.25 Furlongs
0 Locks

Muse, Ricoh Arena Coventry

Piglet: Newbold to Hawkesbury Junction 22nd May 2013

Set off from Newbold early at 7:48 am in order to make certain we reached our destination of Hawkesbury Junction at a good time.

Nearing the junction all the visitor moorings seemed to be full but whilst passing through the stop lock, Becky got talking to a CRT employee who said there was plenty in the Coventry direction.  Turning left at the junction there didn't seem to be that many spaces. There were a couple of boats moored between the junction and the water point with at least one beyond it.  Past the last boat there was a grassed area to the left which looked ideal, so we moored up tight to the last boat which meant we were sticking 6ft into a no mooring area but I think we can live with that. I still can't work out why it was no mooring as the entrance to the basin opposite was a fair way away.

We'd booked a meal at the pub on the junction, the Greyhound, and arranged for Joanna to leave her car there overnight so we got on with a few jobs while we waited for her to arrive.

After she'd arrived we went to the Greyhound for lunch which was absolutely lovely with so much choice!

We finished our meal and went back to the boat for a bit before returning to the Greyhound and waiting for our taxi which arrived on time and not long after we were at the Ricoh Arena.

Concert

After the concert we arrived back, had a quick nightcap and were soon off to bed!

11 Miles 5.25 Furlongs
1 Lock

Piglet: Braunston to Newbold - 21st May 2013

Sometime in the past year our friend Joanna asked us if we'd like to go and see the band Muse who were playing at the Emirates Stadium in Coventry.  I'd previously seen Muse live in 2010 so was very happy to take up the offer.

Another bonus was that the Oxford Canal and the Coventry Canal run very close to the stadium so what better accommodation could we have than to take Piglet up to Coventry for a few days.

We set off from Braunston just before 9:30 am and reached our normal stopping off point at Newbold shortly before 2 pm.

We went to the excellent little Co-op to stock up with a few bits and pieces before having a spot of lunch and then a few pints in the Boat which seems to have a new landlord every time we visit!
12 Miles .75 Furlongs
3 Locks

Piglet: We broke the boat! - 29th April 2013

After breakfast and sorting a few things out we decided we’d better go and fill up with diesel whilst it was quiet.

We unplugged the shoreline, started up and untied the boat.  The wind was blowing hard again as I backed out of the mooring and I needed a few bursts of forward to keep  us from hitting the boat next door.  Our stern was heading for a pontoon behind us so another burst of forward sorted that out.  I needed a bit more room at the bow so put it into reverse again.  When I had enough room I put the boat into forward again, increased the revs and went in reverse quicker!  Something wasn't quite right here so I put it back into reverse and yes it went backwards still.  Pushing the lever forward still made it go backwards (as did the neutral position).  I shouted to Becky to fend off any boats at the front as I fended off the ones behind before stopping the engine and coasting to a halt in-between the boats on the pontoons behind ours.  A quick diagnosis from a marina worker told us it was indeed the gear cable that had snapped, locking us in reverse.  I did have a quick look at fixing it myself but we were running out of time at this stage to head home so polled the boat back across the marina (not easy in the wind) and back into our mooring.  Thankful that the cable had snapped where it did and not in a lock somewhere!

Overall, a very enjoyable few days and we’ll definitely head back in the Crick direction another day.

Piglet: Crick to Braunston - 28th April 2013

We made a fairly early start from Crick and spying a fox running around above the tunnel entrance we were followed through by another 2 boats.  Reaching Watford Locks we were the first in queue and were told to go down the first lock and wait in the pound for the ones coming up to pass which turned into a 30 minute wait.  The passage down the locks was uneventful and I even remembered that the lower gates of the top staircase lock leak badly and so I had the backdoors shut before I could get a soaking.

We turned right at Norton Junction and it was nice to be on the wide Grand Union again.  Entering the cutting leading up to Braunston Tunnel it was good to get out of the wind although we caught up a much slower boat just before the tunnel itself.  Slowing down I left a good gap between us but even in the tunnel I had to throttle right back at times to avoid catching up.  We met 3 or 4 boats coming though, normally in places where the wall bulged so bumped the sides a few times but nothing serious.

When we reached the top lock we could see the guy on the boat in front was on his own so unfortunately Becky would have to work 2 boats down the locks.  I was hoping for a hire boat with a large crew but you can’t have everything.

We soon got a system going and made progress down the locks without holding the 2 boats behind us up.  The wind, however, was causing issues and we were very glad to reach the bottom lock where we wished the other boat a pleasant journey (he was heading for Manchester).  We moored up on our mooring, turned the engine off and sat down to lunch feeling a little worn out and windswept!  We decided to wait until the following morning to fill up with diesel and went to the Nelson instead.

Piglet: Crick to errr... Crick! - 27th April 2013

When we woke up the wind had picked up and the skies overcast but we set off after breakfast as planned.  But not before opening my Birthday cards 

Around the bends though the wind was absolutely bitter and blowing strongly.  If it wasn’t for the canal passing through lovely countryside I think it could have been one of those days where boating would be a chore not a pleasure.  After some discussion we turned at Elkington Bridge.  The wind did not make this easy and we also picked something up on the prop which made the engine labour but a few forwards and backwards seemed to clear it (which was proven after checking the weed hatch later in the day).  Eventually turned, we headed back to Crick.  Had I realised that not far further on was the A14 bridge which I’d driven over many times thinking “I would like to go under on the canal someday” I think I may had persevered a little longer but that’s one for another day now.

We arrived back in Crick shortly after 1:30pm and just made last food orders at the Red Lion at 2pm.  A quick drink in the Wheatsheaf afterwards and the rest of the day was spent relaxing on the boat watching TV and reheating the Lasagne left over from a few days previous.

Piglet: Braunston to Crick - 26th April 2013

The morning started sunny but before too long was becoming overcast.

We headed out onto the Grand Union, this time turning right towards the locks.  Becky hadn't done any wide locks before but had done enough narrow locks to know what to do.  As we approached the bottom lock there was another boat entering so we were able to share with them.  In the time it took to do the flight the weather went from overcast with a little sun, to hail, to rain, and back to overcast again!

Once through the locks it was time for the tunnel.  I’d not passed through Braunston Tunnel for a good 5 years and not steered through it for 14 so I had pretty much forgotten how not straight it actually was!  I knew about the slight ‘S’ bend but would it be too much to make the walls straight?

We only met 2 boats in the tunnel but it was still nice to be out of the other side.

Reaching Norton Junction we decided to turn left onto the Leicester Line which would be a first for us (not that I’d been the other way before either).  We were really glad we did, it is a lovely stretch of canal and one we immediately said we would definitely do again.

We passed the rear of Watford Gap services and were soon on to Watford Locks.  I’d never done a staircase like this before so was looking forward to it.  We moored up behind another boat at the bottom of the locks and Becky went off in search of the lockkeeper.  She came back after booking our passage up and we waited for the last boat to come down.  About 35 minutes later we were on our way with Becky repeating the phrase “Red before white, you’ll be alright.  White before Red, get a clip ‘round the head” (something the lockkeeper had told her to remember in which order to work the paddles).

It didn't seem like long before we reached to top and soon we passed under the M1 and into the countryside again.  I’d heard that Crick tunnel was very wet so was prepared for a soaking but at least the sides were fairly straight!

We moored up by the marina at Crick where the wind was blowing us about but it wasn't too bad before taking a walk up into the village for a look around.

After returning to the boat to get changed we headed up to the Red Lion for a few drinks.  Walking into the bar it was like entering a contestant for the most stereotypical English Pub competition!  Old wooden tables and chairs, horse brasses and collectables everywhere, leather bound menus with typed inserts which were obviously changed regularly and the lovely smell of homemade food!  Oh, and someone that I used to know during my days regularly volunteering for the Cotswold Canals Trust who had just moved his boat to the marina!  We'd previously met by boat a few years before.  After a brief catch up, Becky and I sat down with our drinks and thought we would just take a look at the menu.  One rib-eye steak and a vegetable cheesy bake later we left and headed back to the boat for the night feeling very full and commenting on how good value it was.

The next day we planned to head for Welford.

Piglet: Napton to Braunston - 25th April 2013

We awoke to a lovely sunny morning and the sound of lambs in the field next to us.

After breakfast we headed back down the flight.  I could see that the ‘crew’ were stopped on the towpath by some CRT people and hoped that it was nothing serious.  They were told that some of the pounds were very low and they would be letting water down so if we got stuck it we would re-float before long.  The boat that was moored next to us cast off behind us so there would at least be another lock full of water coming down immediately behind us.

The lower pounds were extremely low with the one above the bottom lock a good two to three feet down with the mud barge that had been floating the night before now high and dry.

We managed to pass without incident but there can’t have been much water under us at times.

By now the sun had really come out and it was turning into a lovely day.

Napton Junction was reached and passed.

Once again at Bridge 101 the Greenfinch came back to hitch a lift with us for a bit having this time tried to fly in the front doors.

Before long we were heading back around Braunston Turn and towards the marina.  Safely on our mooring we quickly headed up to The Admiral Nelson for a spot of lunch.  At the bottom lock there were boats waiting to go up, including Mike Askin’s Victoria, when the stoppage cleared.

After a lovely lunch we headed back to the boat and said goodbye to our friends.  We were meant to be joined by another the next morning but they had car trouble so for the next few days it would be just Becky and I.

Piglet: Braunston to Napton - 24th April 2013

I woke up early and thought about where to head off to figuring that up Braunston locks and through the tunnel would be a good direction to head in.  I did think about heading down Stockton way but thought that might be a little hard going for friends who had not experienced canals before.

The previous evening had shown that the pump out toilet was a little more full than we’d originally thought so figured that it might be a good idea to pump it out (the cassette and spare were empty thankfully).

Shortly after 9am we set off out of the marina by the lower entrance, up the canal and in through the main marina entrance to the pump out point.

The girls decided it was then a good time to visit the village shop and butchers so off they went leaving us two men to do the dirty work.

After pumping out the girls weren't back so we decided to take a short trip to Braunston Turn and back to kill some time and then at least we were pointing the way.

Coming back towards the stop house we could see our shopping party had returned so we moored up next to the marina entrance to have breakfast.

I suddenly had a feeling that I’d seen an email stoppage alert which mentioned Braunston Locks.  Having had deleted it off my phone I could not see what day it was for.  Luckily someone in a CRT jumper walked past and we were able to glean off him that the stoppage was for the next day but would be over by 4:30pm but this was going to be too late for our friends who wanted to leave us earlier than that.  No problem then, we’d head off in the other direction.

I reversed the boat back to the marina entrance where I started to turn round.  Halfway through doing so a widebeam came into view around the bend by the Stop House.  I finished turning and was just about to say “Thank you” to the widebeam when he shouted to me that what I had done “wasn’t very smart” and how I “should have stopped my manoeuvre and let him past”.  Whoever he was made me have to explain to my friends that not all people on the canals were grumpy and most were very relaxed and friendly.  I won’t say the name of the widebeam but its name didn't mirror the personality of those on-board!

That incident aside we headed off in the direction of Braunston Turn and turned left towards Napton.

At Bridge 101 a Greenfinch came and sat on our rear fender for a few hundred yards eyeing up the cabin doors and at one time trying to get in.

When we were around the Shuckburgh area I had another thought and after a few conversations we went to plan C and instead of turning right at Napton Junction, we carried straight on onto the Oxford Canal.

When we reached to bottom lock there were 2 CRT volunteers to help us on our way up the locks who told us of a stoppage the following Monday at the top locks in case it interfered with our return journey.  It didn't as we were planning on coming back down the flight the next day.

We met a few boats coming down the flight which meant we had an easy run up, turning in the Old Engine Arm and coming back down one lock to our mooring for the night.  Shortly after another boat come down the lock and moored in front of us.

After a shower and beer or two we walked down the locks to the Folly Inn where we spent an hour or so with the main debate being should we stay and eat there or go back and have what we have on the boat?  It was decided that it might be best to go back and cook on-board.

We had lovely steaks purchased from the butchers in Braunston and with the empty wine bottles and beer cans stacking up we decided to call it a night.

Piglet: Tuesday 23rd April

Arrived at Braunston mid-afternoon and unlocked the boat, turned on the gas, etc. and slowly ferried our stuff from the car to the boat whilst waiting for our friends to arrive.  They arrived an hour or so later and we welcomed them on-board with a glass of wine and beer.

After showing them around the boat we went for a pleasant walk to the bottom lock and back pointing out different boats and canal features.

After eating dinner and consuming a few more bottles of wine it was time for bed.

Piglet: Liquid Water

Thankfully we woke up to a sunny morning, floating ducks and moving water for our return trip to Braunston.