Quandary
Well-Known Member
For anyone planning to come this way, as of Sunday afternoon Scottish Canals have announced that the Canal is closed to through traffic. One of the many rotten lock beams, the one on the right upper gate of lock 6 at Cairnbaan has failed. It broke yesterday but today they were continuing to swing it after having put some webbing strapping on it, though it could only be moved by a keeper who was permanently placed there.
Anyone passing that way in the last couple of years will have noticed the timber replacement swing bars lying in the long grass nearby awaiting fitting for so long they are beginning to rot themselves but this failure is in the timber beam immediately below them. The failed timber is about 350mm. square so fairly substantial but this is a particularly badly hung and heavy gate to move and someone quite strong has probably been shaking it hard. Lots of other rotten timber throughout the system but since winter maintenance work stopped a few years back probably only the users are aware of it. Closure probably close to a week as they source a bit of wood unless they decide to modify one of the bars they have lying in the grass here and there.
Not the only thing failing as the Canal approaches terminal decline, the Ardrishaig sealock with its inward collapsing gates is really hazardous if coming in on a low spring tide.
Who would have thought that we would be thinking nostalgically of the days of British Waterways?
Anyone passing that way in the last couple of years will have noticed the timber replacement swing bars lying in the long grass nearby awaiting fitting for so long they are beginning to rot themselves but this failure is in the timber beam immediately below them. The failed timber is about 350mm. square so fairly substantial but this is a particularly badly hung and heavy gate to move and someone quite strong has probably been shaking it hard. Lots of other rotten timber throughout the system but since winter maintenance work stopped a few years back probably only the users are aware of it. Closure probably close to a week as they source a bit of wood unless they decide to modify one of the bars they have lying in the grass here and there.
Not the only thing failing as the Canal approaches terminal decline, the Ardrishaig sealock with its inward collapsing gates is really hazardous if coming in on a low spring tide.
Who would have thought that we would be thinking nostalgically of the days of British Waterways?
