Lock Keys

[byron]

I have always advocated the issueing of keys to 'qualified' boat owners. The 'qualification' being gained by one of two options.
1. Working a day on a Lock
2. Signatures of two Lock Keepers to say you know what you are doing.

A proviso added that if any other boats are waiting to be put through, they see them through too.

With the reductions in Lock Staff which is bound to happen I am even more convinced this is the way forward.

 

[Brayman]

Once all the locks are electrified by the end of next winter, the keys will be redundant.
What they do need to do is to make sure the electrics are foolproof. On the last two occassions at Caversham and Sonning the systems seemed to lock themselves out and I needed to go through all sorts of button pressing (at both ends) to get them back on song.

 

[byron]

ah! but! well! yes!
you see Ian they are working at ½ power. A key will be need to operate them at lock keeper speed.

 

[TrueBlue]

Have I missed something?

[ QUOTE ]
Once all the locks are electrified by the end of next winter, the keys will be redundant.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought EA could only manage 4 per year - well that's what has been done in past years. I assumed it may be due to lack funds or the fact that they were limited by the number of curved head boxes they had in stock ( I won't expand further here).

There are nine more locks left to modify:-

<ul type="square">[*]Cookham
[*]Marlow ( a remote control for the upstream gates would be nice)
[*]Temple
[*]Hurley
[*]Pangbourne (that's what I call Whitchurch)
[*]Benson
[*]Days
[*]Culham
[*]Iffley (in your dreams)
[/list]

So that's two and a bit years at current progress PLUS Benson's gates are falling about, everyone seems **** scared about the fall at Culham - dunno why as the system works at Sandford and presumably will at Mapledurham. Just that they take forever to fill and empty.

So am I being too logical, but is your grapevine more prolific than mine?

Do tell!

[ QUOTE ]
What they do need to do is to make sure the electrics are foolproof. On the last two occasions at Caversham and Sonning the systems seemed to lock themselves out and I needed to go through all sorts of button pressing (at both ends) to get them back on song.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, they're "broken as designed". Something to do with making them occasional-boater proof. Methinks that perhaps the software designer (for the logic system) came from Microsoft at Reading. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Why on earth the systems were not designed either with a decent emergency stop or a reverse action as are the ones below Windsor. On all of these you can drop the sluices at either end as appropriate in an emergency (or to avoid a challenge becoming an emergency) or continue to your own pace. On the new gun turret cabinets, once you've started a cycle you can't stop without getting in a mess.

I've not yet found anyone at EA who could explain either why the locks operate differently above Windsor, or why a pause operation is not possible. I guess it's a matter of keeping folks ignorant?

Perhaps I should be eternally grateful that so many have modernised. Give me balance beams everytime.

 

[ianc1200]

Re: Have I missed something?

I prefer putting them back to the design of the locks above Godstow (& Blakes). Foolproof & much quicker to operate by the public.

IanC

 

[Brayman]

Re: Have I missed something?

[ QUOTE ]


So am I being too logical, but is your grapevine more prolific than mine?

Do tell!



[/ QUOTE ]

I was reporting what was announced at the October ATYC members meeting. However it appears not to have been minuted as such! (see www.atyc.co.uk)

 

[TrueBlue]

Aha!

[ QUOTE ]

I was reporting what was announced at the October ATYC members meeting. However it appears not to have been minuted as such! (see www.atyc.co.uk)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the link; that rather confirms my guesstimate, but more importantly, I find it quite depressing that this year's four locks worth of "electrocution" had to be financed by selling off an old hulk ( I jest; although Windrush was a bit out of proportion to its basic shape she seemed to carry some authority but I shall miss her as an official staff outing boat).

Some cynics might say that "public access" has quite a low priority for funds, or more likely, that they are incredibly strapped for funds.

 

[the_wanderer]

Well I do not have much time for British Waterways but their locks on the lower River Lea are automatic and controlled by a.......... wait for it........ bog house key! But it works. I would challenge anybody to mess it up. And in the unfortunate scenario that things go wrong there is a panic button you can hit and all sluices are closed.

Regards.

Alan.