Stainforth and Keadby Canal:Thorne

A late start.   We have no rush and the skipper of nb Emma suggested that we travel together to Thorne as it makes handling the many swing bridges easier by leapfrogging.  We both needed water as well, so it  was 10:00am before we left.   The sliding railway bridge, first after Keadby, is permanently open at the moment as the railway line is closed for a long period following a landslip elsewhere.   Apart from the Vazon swing bridge which is fairly simple to work, all the remainder gave problems except for the first which is part operated by the railway signalman because of the associated level crossing.   The difficulty arises because of the complexity of the interlocking.  The BW key must be inserted, and the road gates closed before the bridge lock, a large handle, can be lifted.   If the gates are not in exactly the right position the bridge lock won't open and it is not immediately apparent what is wrong.   At Maud's Bridge it was Emma's turn and one road gate was half an inch out of its lock.  It took ages to discover the problem by which time we had had to moor up.  Then when all was resolved, as the bridge was pushed, the pushing handle struck a car which had been parked by some anglers where it shouldn't have been inside the barriers.   So the bridge wouldn't open enough to pass.   This caused further delay. Thorne pedestrian bridge was a similar nightmare getting the gates in the right position and then it failed when Pat tried to close it after the boat had gone through and we had to call out the council man responsible for it.   Locals say that this bridge is a constant problem.   Finally we moved up to Thorne Lock with its associated swing bridge.  A boat was in the process of coming down and in order to retrieve their key the gates have to be closed first, then Pat puts her key in and the gates open again. It is not obvious how to unlock the swing bridge.  The key has to be in the lock console for it to work, that's all.   Our mooring at Stanilands Marina was waiting for us.  By now it was sunny and almost hot weather, but the forecast is for rain later.