Sunbury Lock Warning !

[normskib]

Warning to anyone passing through Sunbury Lock the lock is on Hand operation only For the foreseeable future prepare for an hour and it’s an absolute nightmare unless you’re built with the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger prepare for a hernia?

 

[Outinthedinghy]

One day someone will try using a powerful cordless drill with a socket the right size for the nut in the middle of the wheel on the pedestal. It always turns clockwise.

I noticed occasionally they are recessed hex (Allen type) bolts so it's possible the bit would break but could be an interesting experiment.

Disclaimer : if you break your legs doing this don't come running to me to complain.

 

[Bran]

Thanks for the heads up, I will be going through on Monday, will stock up on Weetabix!

 

[boatone]

Sunbury should be single manned from Friday 25th to Monday 28th. The lock is on hand wind only if lock keeper not present.
Here's the full picture for single/double manning this weekend - the red highlighting of dual manning is mine.

 

[Bran]

Thanks Tony, trouble is when they are off adjusting the weir they are away for quite a while as some weirs are a fair way away from the lock.

 

[normskib]

All I can say is I went through the Lock twice this week once in the morning about 11am and today Thursday about 2pm and no Lock keeper in attendance and I have the blisters to prove it ? .

 

[Pump-Out]

Here's the full picture for single/double manning

EA propaganda.
They are not double manned; double manned means that any factory/facility/boat/lock has twice the number of standard people on duty.
When two locks share one keeper they are split manned, not double manned.

 

[Parabordi]

EA propaganda.
They are not double manned; double manned means that any factory/facility/boat/lock has twice the number of standard people on duty.
When two locks share one keeper they are split manned, not double manned.

Undermanned or half manned

 

[boatone]

They actually are now using the terms single or double sited but we all know what it means.
I have asked them when thry expect this to be fixed and to ensure Sunbury is single sited until it is.

 

[boatone]

Oh, and for the record, the EA have no statutory duty to provide any assistance to boaters using locks. Boaters groups continue to urge the EA to recognise the importance of lock service but its clear that 7days/week cover is not possible. More seasonal reliefs are currently being recruited for this season.

 

[normskib]

Lock keepers assistance is not strictly necessary if the electric system is working properly in the lock but the type of locks on the Upper Thames Thames are very difficult to operate manually by one person Unlike the locks in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire that are manually operated and are quite simple for one person to operate yeah it’s rubbish and absolute rubbish .

 

[ianc1200]

Lock keepers assistance is not strictly necessary if the electric system is working properly in the lock but the type of locks on the Upper Thames Thames are very difficult to operate manually by one person Unlike the locks in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire that are manually operated and are quite simple for one person to operate yeah it’s rubbish and absolute rubbish .

Said this for many years - bring back the non powered traditional locks as Kings and above, for the rest of the Thames. If the EA can't be bothered to maintain/resource, go back to simpler technology.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Good idea but those locks are vicious buggers going up if you get someone opening one of the sluices too fast.

I was in Shifford lock many years ago in a 30ft narrow boat going up. Both ends secured to bollards and a yellow jacket person at top gates who I assumed was the lock keeper. It wasn't, they wound the sluices straight up before I could get to them. Turned out to be a hire boater who presumably had not been in a lock going up without a keeper.
It was ok but the ropes were rather piano-wire-like for a while. They are large sluices and shift a heck of a lot of water.

Not ideal. I do prefer the timed public power on balance of there are no keepers. Less chance of accidents.

I've done most of the UK canals system as well so I know that publicly operated manual wind paddles are usually ok but generally, not always, there are just one or two boats in the lock and ground paddles admit water in a less severe way than gate paddles. All of the Thames locks above Oxford have gate paddles at both ends and they are large.

These gates and sluice hardware were previously on locks below Oxford before the hydraulics were installed However one must bear in mind that in those days people on boats were umm, oh how can I be diplomatic about it.

Boaters?

Does make a difference.

 

[oldgit]

Said this for many years - bring back the non powered traditional locks as Kings and above, for the rest of the Thames. If the EA can't be bothered to maintain/resource, go back to simpler technology.

Perhaps revert to total manual operation above a certain lock, cannot be too hard to find out how much traffic goes through each lock chamber and would logically assume that the further you go upstream ,the less traffic. Draught must limit numbers .
Cannot be beyond the wit of man to mechanically prevent sluices opening less than maximum to prevent severe turbulance in the chambers. Suspect folks soon learn the penalities of this, boaters on other navigations seem to manage. .
Redeploy staff and resources downstream to those locks that need the staff and the money.
There are 9 Armstrong powered locks on the Medway which seem to manage amazingly well
Just wish some of the "boaters" would shut the blimming sluices before leaving the lock.
Can take this boater at least 15 mins to work out why the lock is not filling very quickly.

 

[Bran]

Passed through Sunbury ok on Monday, it had a lockie on duty. Couldn’t ask him if was still misbehaving on self serve as he was on the phone all the time.

 

[normskib]

Lockie on the phone well there’s something you don’t see every day !!! Still the problem with Sunbury is only the Lockie can use the available power I’m afraid for the rest of the herd it’s still manually operating only ?