![\"lock-cutout\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/lock-cutout.png?resize=800%2C223\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
T<\/span>urning a lock is a daunting task for beginning narrowboaters for several reasons: it is the one canal task that can cause serious damage or injury; despite being a fundamentally simple technology, it can be difficult to understand how it works; and most significantly, it exposes a beginner to ridicule. Unless you have enormous self-confidence, you will approach your first lock fearing the laughter of children and the scorn of your fellow boaters.<\/p>\n One way to avoid looking stupid is to watch other boaters turn a lock and see how it\u2019s done beforehand. Perhaps you can schedule your vacation so that you can spend a day on the canal before you book the boat. Most people on the canals are happy to talk and offer advice to beginners, as long as you don\u2019t get in the way.<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s a pretty simple technology, canal locks haven\u2019t changed much in hundreds of years. A lock on the Panama Canal works on much the same principles as a lock on the Leceister Canal. Both canals employ pound locks, meaning that a short body of water (the pound) is contained between two locks (the gates). Technically the gates are the locks, but most people collectively refer to the two gates and the pound as the lock.<\/p>\n For such a simple technology, however, there is quite a variety of locks on the canals. There are single-boat locks, double-width locks and the massive locks on the Thames. Boaters turn most locks themselves, manually turning a windlass to raise paddles, but some are overseen by lock keepers, some are operated by lock keepers and some are operated by electrical motors controlled by boaters or lockkeepers. There are flights of locks, staircase locks, guillotine locks and even diamond locks (but precious few of those).<\/p>\n Water is generally allowed into the lock (on the uphill or higher side) via sluices<\/span> that are built into the banks of the lock. Water is generally let out of the lock (on the downhill side) via openings in the gates or by sluices built into the bank, just as on the uphill side. In either case, the openings in the gates or the sluices are controlled by paddles<\/span>. (In actual practice, you\u2019ll see many combinations of gate and ground paddles.)<\/p>\n The paddle is connected to a metal rod which in turn is connected to a metal-toothed bar or rack<\/span>. The rack (and the paddle) is pulled up or down by the pinion<\/span>, which is a round, toothed gear that meshes with the teeth on the rack. The pinion is turned by a windlass<\/span> crank (also called a lock key), which is inserted over a spindle or shaft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To prevent the rack and the paddle from dropping back down once the windlass key is removed, there is a pawl<\/span> or metal hook that works against the teeth of a gear (the ratchet<\/span>) that\u2019s on the spindle. To crank the paddles back down, the pawl must be disengaged by pulling it away from the gear. In order to raise the pawl, you\u2019ll have to slightly turn the windlass key in the opposite direction that the teeth on the ratchet are pointing.<\/p>\n The gates of the lock are opened by pushing the attached balance beams<\/span>. To help a boater push against the beam, there are usually raised bricks set in the ground to provide footing while pushing or pulling the beams.<\/p>\n The uphill gates open outward, into the canal. The downhill gates open inward, into the pound.<\/p>\n There is a cill<\/span>\u2014a masonry or concrete shelf\u2014just inside the uphill lock or gate. The gate (or gates) shuts against the cill. When the lock chamber is filled, a boat entering the lock rides over the cill when going downhill. There is a warning on the walls of the lock chamber to indicate the edge of the cill.<\/p>\n There are usually ladders built into the side of the lock chamber. They\u2019re narrow and slippery and primarily there for the convenience of a boat crewed by one person, to let that person go up to open or close paddles and gates or go down to drive the boat out of the lock. A person who falls into a lock can also climb the ladder to safety.<\/p>\n There are either bollards or mooring rings on either side of the lock chamber, again chiefly for the convenience of one-person boats, to keep the boat from drifting too close to the cill by wrapping the center line around one of the bollards.<\/p>\n At the downhill end, water is let out of the lock either through sluices in the banks or paddles in the gates. If there are gate paddles, the spindle or shaft that turns the pinion (which raises the rack and the attached paddle) runs along the balance beam you push to open and close the gate.<\/p>\n Usually there\u2019s a walkway that runs along the top of the outside face of the downhill gate. You cross the lock on that narrow platform, keeping a hand on the railing that is attached to the beam. There\u2019s usually a similar platform on the uphill gate. It can be a little unnerving crossing the lock the first time and you\u2019ll be thankful for the non-slip surface on the platform. Occasionally there\u2019s a more substantial bridge on the downhill side.<\/p>\n A lock works because water wants to go downhill. By controlling the flow of water with two lock gates and with a means to let water in or out, a boat can go either up or down. When a boat enters a lock, the gate closest to the boat must be open and the gate farthest away must be closed. Water must then be let out if the boat is going down or let in if the boat is going uphill. Then the position of the gates is reversed.<\/p>\n A lock also works because there is an \u201cinexhaustible\u201d supply of water feeding the canal at its highest points. That\u2019s one reason canals usually follow river courses\u2014to have a steady water source. You\u2019ll also find pumping stations and reservoirs near these high points. (The other reason canals follow rivers is that rivers have already excavated a nearly level path the canal can use. Later railroads would take advantage of the same course the canals took, sometimes filling the canal for railway beds.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let\u2019s pretend you have a crew of four, which is the ideal number for a beginner boat crew\u2014one person to drive the boat, one person at the front of the boat to handle the bow line and two people to work the paddles and gates.<\/p>\n The towpath bank on either side in front of a lock is usually lined with masonry or timber and there are bollards or mooring rings to secure a boat (see the mooring chapter.) The driver should nose into the towpath bank and let a person in the bow step out and secure the boat with the front line. One or both of the lock turners should go ahead to see whether the lock is set in your favor, if there\u2019s traffic in the other direction and how many boats are in the queue.<\/p>\n If the lock is in your favor, the lock turners may need to open gates and check to see if the ground or gate paddles are lowered. If the lock isn\u2019t in your favor, the lock turners will need to flood or drain the pound before opening the gates.<\/p>\n Once the lock is set, the lock turners will signal to the boat to come ahead. The bow person will release the forward line, push the boat off, get on board and the driver will proceed into the lock.<\/p>\n Once through the lock, the driver will again nose into the towpath. The person in the bow will step out and secure the boat until the lock turners are back on board. Then the bow person will release the boat, push off and get on board.<\/p>\n A three-person crew works much the same way. Only one lock turner is required\u2014it just goes faster with two to raise and lower paddles.<\/p>\n A two-person crew requires a little more hustle. The bow person will secure the boat until the driver can get off and hold the boat in place with the center line. The bow person then becomes the lock turner, raising or lowering water and opening gates as necessary. After the boat leaves the lock, it can be a little more difficult for the lock turner to get back on the boat. The driver can either throw the center line to the person on the towpath or they can try to get on from the bow. If the former, leave the center line easily accessible.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not in the scope of this book to address turning a lock by yourself, but it\u2019s often done (I\u2019ve never done it). The two difficulties are climbing up or down the ladders and keeping the boat away from the gates while draining or filling the pound. That\u2019s where the center line and the bollards along the lock banks are useful.<\/p>\n A narrow boat lock usually has a single gate on the uphill side and mitered double gates at the lower end. Locks that can accommodate two narrowboats side-by-side generally have double gates at either end. Some of the Thames locks can handle any number of watercraft. The etiquette chapter has more about wide locks.<\/p>\n A flight of locks is simply a series of locks that are treated as a group. Each lock will be in sight of the next and the boat crew probably will not re-board the boat after operating the lock, choosing instead to walk to the next lock to prepare it. Often a large flight has additional water storage and pumping facilities. The Tardebigge flight of 30 locks on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal has a nearby reservoir to provide enough water. The Caen Hill flight of 16 locks has an extra offset pound between each set of locks.<\/p>\n A flight of locks is handled pretty much the same way as a single lock, but it can take all day to get through them all. It\u2019s a good idea to schedule a flight first thing in the morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Staircase locks share gates\u2014the downhill gate of one lock is the uphill gate of the next. The Foxton Locks<\/span><\/a> on the Leceister Line of the Grand Union Canal are two sets of five staircase locks, with expanded pounds to supply water.<\/p>\n There is usually a lock-keeper at a larger staircase lock, ensuring that for boats going downhill, only the topmost lock is full and the others are empty, or for boats going uphill, that all the locks are full except for the bottom-most lock. If you try to pour water into a lock that\u2019s already full, it will overflow the gates and the pound walls.<\/p>\n A staircase is negotiated quite differently than a flight of locks. All the locks in a staircase must be turned in the favor of a boat (or boats) going uphill or downhill. On single locks, uphill and downhill boats take turns going through the locks, but the lockkeeper might have several boats pass through the lock in the same direction.<\/p>\n When a crew approaches a staircase lock, many of the usual rules apply. If the nearest gate is open, that\u2019s a pretty good sign the boat can proceed, but the lookouts need to scan the entire staircase to make sure there isn\u2019t already a boat in one of the pounds headed in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n Going downhill, all the pounds except the topmost must be empty. However the \u201cempty\u201d locks should not be completely empty or there might not be enough water to float over the cill between each lock. Going uphill, all the steps except the bottommost should be full.<\/p>\n Unfortunately there\u2019s always a chance on a longer staircase that you might run out of water. Because gates don\u2019t meet perfectly there\u2019s always some leakage\u2014that full pound of water on the top step might not be a full pound worth by the fourth step, so a boat crew might have to let more water into the top step and then bring it down to the fourth step\u2014but not too much water or again you might overflow the pound on the fourth step.<\/p>\n Longer staircases, however, are often set up differently. There are overflow channels to prevent flooding the pound and holding pounds of extra water to make up a pound that\u2019s too shallow. You should check with the lockkeeper or read any posted instructions on how to operate such locks.<\/p>\n They\u2019re not as frightening as they sound. Instead of the gate swinging out, the gate moves up and down like a camera shutter. Sometimes they are electrically operated. Like all paddles, open them slowly at first.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As mentioned before, locks are relatively simple and you\u2019ll soon become an expert at turning them, but with skill often comes complacency. Please be sober when turning a lock, especially the driver. Carelessness can cause damage to the boat, damage to the lock, usually damage to both and very, very infrequently loss of life.<\/p>\n The biggest danger is being caught on the cill. The cill is the masonry or concrete structure against which the uphill gate closes. There\u2019s a similar ledge against which the downhill gate closes, but it\u2019s less noticeable. Staircase locks, however, share cills. Some cills are stair-stepped, so you might think you\u2019ve cleared it but you haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n If there are both ground and gate paddles on the uphill side, open the ground paddles first until the boat is high enough that the inflow from the gate paddles won\u2019t swamp the boat.<\/p>\n The other danger is rebound, caused by the flow of water into the pound from the uphill sluice or gate paddles. Going uphill, you might have taken care to avoid the uphill gate, probably applying a little reverse thrust to keep the boat from actually hitting the gate. But as water comes into the pound, it hits the closed lower gate, rebounds and pushes the boat forward.<\/p>\n Throw a life preserver to anyone who falls into the lock pound and if possible a line. Put the engine into neutral and try to keep the boat still. Close all paddles, however it may be necessary to either let water in if the pound is almost full to allow the person to swim to the edge of the pound and climb out. Or release water from the pound if the pound is almost empty and open the lower gate. Don\u2019t jump in to save them; you\u2019ll just end up with two people in the pound.<\/p>\n Going too fast through a lock is probably what causes the most cumulative damage to a lock. The gates last about 20 years before replacing. You\u2019ll notice they\u2019re protected with steel plates, but careless and drunken boaters have occasionally broken out the vertical slats or even dislodged gates.<\/p>\n Navigating a bog-standard bridge is not too difficult, as long as you recall the advice given in the How to steer chapter. You\u2019ll need to remember that when you make the front of the boat turn right, the rear of the boat will turn left. Which means that you\u2019ll need to correct the drift of the rear of the boat as you go under the arch of the bridge, because invariably the canal bends either before, after, or before and after the bridge.<\/p>\n Swing bridges are treated similar to locks. They\u2019ll be a spot to moor on the other side of the bridge where a boat can pull aside to let someone off who will swing the bridge aside.<\/p>\n At the least, there will be some sort of locking nut or chain that needs to be removed with a wrench, but some swing bridges may be locked, requiring a CRT key or handcuff key. In addition, there may be crossing guards that need to be put in place to prevent traffic or pedestrians from driving through the turned bridge.<\/p>\n Swing bridges are easy to turn\u2014so easy in fact that you could accidentally slam them against the wooden or stone stops. You should slow the bridge as it reaches the end of its travel.<\/p>\n Again, treat lift bridges like locks. You\u2019ll need to send someone ahead to lift the bridge. Some bridges are raised and lowered by a rope (you may need someone tall enough and heavy enough to move the bridge), some have a hydraulic crank (it\u2019s a bit tedious but effective) and some are operated electrically.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to fully raise a lift bridge before driving your boat through because the clearance is often minimal.<\/p>\n You may occasionally find lift and swing bridges that require an operator and you may need to call ahead to arrange a meeting.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re not claustrophobic, canal tunnels are intimidating if you stop to consider the enormous weight resting on bricks laid two hundred years ago, if you stop to worry about the possibility of meeting a boat coming the other direction in the tunnel and if you worry about your engine dying halfway through.<\/p>\n Some tunnels have requirements\/specifications boaters must adhere to or have signaling that controls traffic through the tunnel.<\/p>\n In general, you should ensure before entering a tunnel:<\/p>\n When possible, try to share the tunnel with other boats going the same direction.<\/p>\n After entering the tunnel:<\/p>\n Apparently some people have trouble keeping course, but I\u2019ve never had that problem. The advice is to look at only one side of the tunnel instead of looking into the gloom ahead. Some tunnels curve as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Turning a lock is a daunting task for beginning narrowboaters for several reasons: it is the one canal task that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":413,"parent":0,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-396","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-narrowboating-for-beginners"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P74kO9-6o","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":414,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions\/414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"note](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?w=800\"){kind=icon}
People who watch canal activity are called gongoozlers (especially if they offer useless advice). Gongoozling is similar to trainspotting (what railroad train watching is called in the UK).<\/p>\n![\"Three-quarter](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/09-lock-diagram.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>How a lock works<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Leonardo da Vinci invented the mitered lock gate. Most gates are angled 18\u00b0 to approximate an arch. Mitered gates point uphill and the pressure of the water keeps them shut.<\/p>\n<\/a>The balance beams attached to the gates are very long for two reasons\u2014to make a longer lever for closing the very heavy gates and to counter-balance the weight of the gate itself. Lock gates can hardly be said to be hinged. They fit into a rounded groove in the pound walls, held in place by relatively thin metal straps and the pressure of the water. Essentially the oak gates float in the water.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Understand the principles
\nof hydrodynamics, i.e. water
\nflows downhill<\/h2>\nEven in the UK, water is not an inexhaustible commodity and occasional droughts have forced the closure of some canals. It\u2019s important to close gates and paddles to prevent water loss.<\/p>\nWhen going downhill, a lock is in your favor if the pound or lock chamber is already filled. When going uphill, a lock is in your favor if the lock chamber is empty.<\/p>\n<\/a>Turning a lock<\/h2>\n
Use the windlass key to lower paddles\u2014don\u2019t let go of the key and allow it to spin uncontrolled. A spinning key is quite dangerous (it can fly off and hit someone) and the falling paddle can be damaged if dropped too quickly.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re moored downhill of a lock that is emptying, be aware that the flow of water can move your boat back. Keep a tight hand on any lines and when available, pass your rope through a mooring ring or around a bollard. The boat driver should be ready to apply some throttle to keep the boat against the towpath or avoid banging into another boat.<\/p>\nAt some locks, the paddle gears are locked to prevent vandalism (opening paddles allowing water to flow unchecked) and you\u2019ll need a \u201chandcuff key\u201d to unlock the gear. Your boat hire will provide you the key if needed, or you can buy one at the CRT store.<\/p>\n<\/a>Smaller crews<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Going it alone<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Types of locks<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Wide locks<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Flight of locks<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Staircase locks<\/h3>\n
Generally staircase locks are negotiated much faster than a similar number of lock flights, however you may have to wait in line longer<\/p>\nI\u2019ve read posts online suggesting how important it is to contact the lockkeeper when you arrive at a staffed staircase lock. And a lockkeeper can be quite comfortable in a cozy cottage. He might not come out to you; you may have to knock on the door. Whatever you do, don\u2019t go through the lock on your own. A boater headed down against three boats coming up will receive a tongue lashing from the lockkeeper they won\u2019t soon forget.<\/p>\n<\/a>Guillotine locks<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Danger<\/h2>\n
Lock gates are mostly built of oak. The paddles used to be made of elm, but Dutch elm disease has made elm scarce and so now paddles are also made of oak. Various pine wood is used for railings and embankments.<\/p>\n<\/a>Beware the cill<\/h3>\n
You\u2019re at most risk going downhill, when the stern of the boat is caught up on the cill. It\u2019s nearly impossible to get the front of the boat caught on the cill going uphill, but it is possible to swamp the front of the boat when opening the uphill paddles too quickly. It\u2019s a good idea to close the front doors of the boat when going uphill and to open uphill paddles gradually.<\/p>\n<\/a>Rebound<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Falling in<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Going too fast<\/h3>\n
Open both lock gates when entering or leaving a lock.
\nDon\u2019t push open a partially closed gate with the boat\u2019s hull\u2014that could damage the edge of the gate and cause it to leak.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Bridges<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSwing bridges<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Lift bridges<\/h3>\n
The Standedge Tunnel<\/span><\/a> on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal is both the highest, longest (3.25 miles) and deepest canal tunnel in Britain. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. You need to arrange passage through the tunnel three days in advance.<\/p>\n<\/a>Tunnels<\/h2>\n
\n
\n