Llangollen Canal Aqueduct

[Graham376]

Interesting video -

 

[Mister E]

Neither of us is going to try and spell in proper name.

 

[Stemar]

Very interesting, but I won't be going there,

a) Jazzcat won't fit
b) Madame still hasn't forgiven me for taking over mountain(ish) passes in Wales with 20' drops on her side of the road I think she'd throw me off the edge if I took her there

 

[rotrax]

Made from cast iron sections joined together and the joints sealed with felt.

Common narrow canal practice. Far lighter than a large stone aqueduct.

First Mate and I did it about ten years ago on a boat out of Ellesmere.

It was a good trip.

 

[Bouba]

It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do

 

[Mister E]

I have walked across it was quite interesting.
In a program Julia Bardbury got on the outside of the boat over the drop. I thought the man driving it was going to wet himself.

 

[ProDave]

What that video does not show, is to dewater it, they put the stop boards in at both ends, then they literally go and fish out a big plug in the bottom that allows it to drain into the river Dee below.

 

[veshengro]

Very interesting and thought provoking too as far as dating goes. In the year the Aqueduct opened Admiral Lord Nelson was duffing up the opposition off Cape Trafalgar.

 

[rotrax]

Cast Iron troughs in fresh water are pretty long lasting!

 

[Neeves]

Cast Iron troughs in fresh water are pretty long lasting!

Not one of those useful bits of information that is any use today....cast iron troughs??

There is an idea they used to boil the pieces in whale oil, to prevent corrosion - but I think, sadly, the idea has been de-bunked (to protect whales?)

Jonathan

 

[rotrax]

For many years I lived almost next door to Walter Wilders 17th Century Iron Foundry in Crowmarsh Gifford. Walter Wilders foundry made the metal bits for Jethro Tull's horse drawn seed drill which started mechanised farming in the early 1700's.

If you go to the Tower of London, plenty of very old drain covers and grids made from cast iron can be easily found in the Tower grounds. Many have 'Walter Wilder, Crowmarsh Gifford' cast into them. Some could easily be 200 years old, are not rusty and are still serving as humble drain grids and inspection covers.

A stark contrast to the cheapo pressed steel inspection covers on my foul sewer at home. One has a corroded hole in the corner after just 40 years, and it is under a car port which keeps the rain off!

Cast iron is a remarkably durable material. Its heavy weight, brittleness and energy requirements for moulding make it unfashionable and expensive these days, plus small local foundries are less common.

The Bridge at Ironbridge is another example of its durability.

 

[Bouba]

For many years I lived almost next door to Walter Wilders 17th Century Iron Foundry in Crowmarsh Gifford. Walter Wilders foundry made the metal bits for Jethro Tull's horse drawn seed drill which started mechanised farming in the early 1700's.

If you go to the Tower of London, plenty of very old drain covers and grids made from cast iron can be easily found in the Tower grounds. Many have 'Walter Wilder, Crowmarsh Gifford' cast into them. Some could easily be 200 years old, are not rusty and are still serving as humble drain grids and inspection covers.

A stark contrast to the cheapo pressed steel inspection covers on my foul sewer at home. One has a corroded hole in the corner after just 40 years, and it is under a car port which keeps the rain off!

Cast iron is a remarkably durable material. Its heavy weight, brittleness and energy requirements for moulding make it unfashionable and expensive these days, plus small local foundries are less common.

The Bridge at Ironbridge is another example of its durability.

It just shows that it was a new day yesterday

 

[rotrax]

It just shows that it was a new day yesterday

How about a tenner of the fact that the ToL drain grids, already 200 years old, are still good when your Tesla Aluminium chassis is scrap...............

 

[rogerthebodger]

Cast Iron is very durable and to show we have a vasco de Gama clock manufactured by Macfarlane’s Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, Scotland, in cast iron to a design selected from their catalogue as do many towns in South Africa

http://vdg-clock.co.za/

Walter Macfarlane & Co (fl. 1850-1965), foundry, a biography

TheGlasgowStory

A guy I worked with in the UK had a catalogue of cast iron manufactured decorative fit work that could be order and assembled on site

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The Iron Pillar of Delhi may be 1500 years old! It's at least 1000 years old.

 

[rotrax]

This item, made from very fine decorative cast iron in the Coalbrookdale style is 125 years old. The Angels and Cherubs were still very well defined.

It is a very finely decorated indoor planter. I inherited it with a house we bought. It was red rusty and looked appalling. A quick wire brush left no loose material on the surface so I finished it with some satin black aeresol.

I sold it through an antique FB site for strong money very easily.

It looked pretty much like it must have done when new.