Just a short trip today. Took water at Hungerford and then pottered down to Kintbury. Met 10 boats opposite direction for the three locks, so not a lot to do really. One boater told me that he had been trapped in a lock because BW are locking gates overnight below Kintbury because of shortage of water. After the rain last night things should be OK then! After mooring up, treated a few rust spots and slapped a bit of paint on. Waiting for Pat.
The last two days I have been getting to grips with the new gear boxes that BW have attached to most of the lock mechanisms along the canal. Pat says that it takes 54 winds to open bottom gate paddles, but the real problem is that the direction of rotation is reversed by the gear boxes which makes the process ergonomically much less efficient. The shoulder is not adapted to lifting with the arm at a stretch. This is particularly evident with some of the ground paddle gear which is positioned in such a way that the lifting action has to take place over water making it almost impossible for the less muscular boater to operate. Much more to the point though the new gearing has a bodged look to it. I have always been impressed by the simplicity, efficiency and even cunning in the design of lock furniture which has stood the test of time for 200 years. Yes, it has been showing its age in some cases, and the gears are worn. Surely though, that does not justify what I would call industrial vandalism on such a vast scale. A targeted rebuild of some of the worst cases would have been enough. What is so sad with the BW solution is that just as many paddles are difficult to operate and the gear boxes have solved nothing, in my opinion.
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