Canals

On the Dortmund-Ems Canal is the E.ON power plant with a capacity of 303 MW distributed among the three power generating units A to C, which were built starting in 1964. It is used to produce single-phase traction power and district heating . 20% of the German rail current can be generated from the power plant dates. 45% of all households in Datteln are supplied by the power plant with district heating. The two chimneys are 165m high.

1,100 Mw power station (unit 4) under construction for E.ON at Datteln on the banks of the Wesel-Datteln Canal. The existing power stations 1-3 at Datteln are considered to be reaching the end of their economic life and this station is intended to replace them. In addition to supplying 20% of the electricity used by the German Railways, the existing plant also provides heating for 50% of the housing in Datteln. The new unit is planned to burn 360 tonnes of hard coal per hour and to operate at 45% efficiency. This will make it one of the most efficient power plants in the world. After delays due to arguments over planning and environmental issues the plant is now advertised as being intended to open in 2012

At Buxton Road Wharf on the Macclesfield Canal are some interesting remains that indicate that at one time a lock gate was installed here. Unlike those at Bosley, this gate was a single item of a full seven feet plus in width as can be seen from the recess seen here. At the left of the recess is the quoin and the cut-off remains of the iron straps that held the gate collar. These straps are of an identical design to the few remaining old style straps still in use on the gates at Bosley. At the far left was reason for the gate as this is the entrance to the drydock that the Macclesfield Canal Company built here in the 1830s. The dock is not shown on any of the maps and plans that I have consulted and must have been taken out of use after only a short life. There is, however, a reference in the proceedings of the Macclesfield Canal Committee. Dry Dock at Buxton Road Wharf: Meeting on 10th July 1834 at the Canal Office, Macclesfield. Mr Hall having laid before the Committee a letter from J P Swanwick & Co. containing an offer to rent a part of the Company’s Wharf north of the Buxton Road, including the partly formed dock at £20 per annum provided the Company complete the said dock, each party to be at liberty on giving 6 months notice; the subject was considered, the rent offered was thought too low, and some difficulties appeared to present themselves with respect to the present lime shed, and the ingress and egress to and from the wharf and also as to the waste of water that might occur if the dock was used to repair unless under proper control; the mode of completing the dock was also discussed. It was thought unnecessary to go to the expense of ashlar coping or of puddling round the dock and that a rubble wall would be sufficient. It was therefore ordered that Mr Watts be requested to undertake the arrangement with Messrs J P Swanwick & Co. with the understanding as to 6 months notice and the letting of water to be under Mr Hall’s control and the rent must be more than £20 per annum, and that he be empowered to arrange with Mr Hall and Mr Nicholls as to the completion of the dock and the expenses attendant thereon. I wonder if the cheap construction and consequent water loss made it more trouble than it was worth? There is no further mention in subsequent Committee minutes.

The pub is known as the Double Locks, but for many years there has only been one lock here on the Exeter Ship Canal.

Tanker narrowboat leaving lock 2 on the Marple flight on its way to the Ashton Canal. Marple locks are very rural on the lower half of the flight and shortly after leaving the bottom you then find yourself sailing over the Goyt on Outram's fine stone aqueduct.

The Macclesfield Canal has a long history of boathouses for storing pleasure boats when not in use. Those on the main line have been removed over the years, but there are still plenty to be seen along the High Lane arm which is used by the North Cheshire Cruising Club as a base.

Founded by the company Siderurgie Maritime NV (Sidmar) which was formed in July 1962, the Ghent steelworks stands alongside the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal which is capable of handling Panamax size ships bringing iron ore and coal. The two blast furnaces were blown in during 1967 and 1968 and have a total capacity over 4million tonnes pa. It is now under the ownership of Arcelor Mittal.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the empty channel looking back towards the junction at Wednesfield. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.

I took the dogs out for a walk along the Bridgewater Canal at Astley on a cold and frosty day. The cut was frozen over as we headed towards the pithead at Astley Green. As the last surviving headgear in Lancashire surely it won't be allowed to decay away. Or will it?

Millbank Lock was the second of the original locks on the Mersey and Irwell Navigation. It had a rise of 6ft 6ins. The river course was dredged extensively to create the channel of the Manchester Ship Canal. When this photograph was taken the lock and weir had already been removed, but the paper mill in the background marks the site of the lock. Another photograph from Bosdin Leech's tome on the Ship Canal.

Spey and Chance 2 burst out of Harecastle Tunnel at Kidsgrove on their way north. Had a great trip through Stoke today although the butty got stuck in Cockshute Lock until we wound in the sides a bit! In the background is the disused original tunnel designed by James Brindley.

Birmingham Canal Navigations sign still in place sign on the west parapet of Well Lane bridge, Wednesfield. This section of the Bentley Canal was still officially open at this time, but was actually completely derelict and unusable. Now filled in and built over.

The Wyrley Branch canal was originally northern end of the main line of the Wyrley and Essington Canal when it opened in 1795 to a wharf close to Cannock Lodge Colliery. It became a branch shortly after when the extension from Sneyd to Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal was completed in 1797. Several further branches were constructed off this line, but all had fallen derelict by 1954 when this section was abandoned. This view was taken at a time when extensive opencast coal mining was affecting the old canal and several sections including this piece heading northwards towards the former Broadlane Bridge at Bloxwich. Today at this spot it is filled-in and converted to a footpath.

Spey and Chance 2 entering Harecastle Tunnel to chase through those who had entered a few minutes earlier. Nothing like the sound of an approaching Bolinder in an enclosed space to encourage a little haste. :-) The portal of the disused Brindley tunnel is behind the white railings on the left side.

The construction of the Manchester Ship Canal saw a number of accidents and mishaps and May 29th 1893 saw the very public failure of the approach to the new Barton swing aqueduct . Bosdin Leech described the incident in his history of the Ship Canal. At the end of the approaches were dams, separating the new work from the old course of the canal. Everything was complete, and it only remained to make an aperture in both dams, and fill the new length with water. Amidst the cheering of the people the apertures were made, but when the trough was half full, an alarming accident occurred. Through some fault of construction a considerable portion of the bed of the approach on the Barton side collapsed, and a large body of water rushing through the hole forced its way through three of the arches, which carried the wall and inundated, or washed away the structures below. Fortunately the water found its way into the Ship Canal, and thus limited the damage. The accident postponed the completion of the canal, inasmuch as the old waterway had to be used during repairs and thereby delayed the pulling down of Brindley's aqueduct, which had to be removed before the section could be opened. Repairs were quickly effected and the new aqueduct commenced to be filled on June 14th. The first barge to cross over was the Ann, of Lymm, which passed through on the 2ist August with a cargo of vitriol, for Hapton, near Accrington.

The crocodile stalks its prey at Beehive Cottage on the Macclesfield Canal in Bollington.

The Ronquières Inclined Plane on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal has a length of 1,432 m and lifts boats through 67.73 m vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures 91 m long by 12 m wide and has a water depth between 3 and 3.70 m. It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within the same limits. It opened in April 1968 and replaced 14 locks. The approach across country yielded this strange vista with the approach aqueduct to the left, the viewing tower centre, and the inclined plane dipping away to the right.

The Wyrley Branch canal was originally northern end of the main line of the Wyrley and Essington Canal when it opened in 1795 to a wharf close to Cannock Lodge Colliery. It became a branch shortly after when the extension from Sneyd to Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal was completed in 1797. Several further branches were constructed off this line, but all had fallen derelict by 1954 when this section was abandoned. This view is looking into the top lock of the Sneyd flight.