We were off in reasonable time this morning as we had a date with Oxley Marine to pump out our bilges, about 90 minutes away. The weather was really summer-y all day, quite hot at times, even when we were not doing locks.
Part of the section just before Autherley Junction goes through a very narrow rock cutting. Although we have been through this way several times before, this is the first time we can recall having to pass a boat coming the other way. Fortunately there are a few passing places - but what would have happened to loaded pairs as the laybys are only one boat's length.
By 10:15 we had passed the junction and were able to pull in to the short space available outside Oxley. They seemed to be expecting us - at least that was a good start and Dave immediately set about assembling the necessary pump and piping to remove the diesel and water from all of the engine room bilges. There was a lot! We must have lost around 25 litres of fuel at some stage.
Things then started to take an unexpected turn. Phil, the well-known engine expert who features in many of Orph's Tales on Narrowboatworld arrived back from a breakdown call. He was put on stand by to replace stern gland packing to reduce the amount of water that comes in - the design of the trays under the engine and the location of the bilge pump take this into account.
However, we also asked a couple of questions about why there seemed to be oil or grease on the underside of the deck board and, on starting the engine, he noticed the quantity of smoke that we have been experiencing of late - which stays in the engine bay, not out through the exhaust.
The main reason - and we have heard this before but not about Take Five - is 'glazing' which is a common consequence of not running the engine has hard as it is designed (for trucks rather than boats!) A rattle at slow speed was also diagnosed.
As a result we quizzed Phil about the medium term future - were we likely to have an immediate breakdown, which would not have been good if it happened next trip when the one or more of the grand children may be with us. The cost of fixing the immediate problem was around 40% of the cost of a new engine so we asked Orph (the boss) for a quote and further advice.
The upshot, after lengthy debate, is that we are now booked in at the end of this trip for a new Beta complete engine replacement. Canaline were seriously considered but since they are the same price but with unknowns about mounting, we returned to the make that we know.
Before leaving we also replaced our gas bottle and, having decided that we will not, after all, go up the Shropshire Union, only to have to come back and perhaps go up again in August, but rather go south aqnd back around some of the parts of the BCN we have not visited recently. This meant that we also needed to fill with fuel - we had been intending to fill at the famous Turner's garage later in the afternoon a little way up the SU.
So it was almost 3 o'clock when we eventually left Oxley and headed south. The shorter route into Birmingham starts at Aldersley Junction just a mile south of Autherley and is via Wolverhampton but this involves a flight of 21 locks almost as soon as we set off, with some uncertainty about save mooring above the flight. This left us with the only other option: further south to Stourton and back through Stourbridge - the way we came back last year. However, it is likely that we will return via Wolverhampton at the end of the week.
We were a bit surprised at this Mobil sign as we cannot recall seeing any recently but it turned out to be part of a former boatyard in a shirt arm that seems to be all but deserted at present. Checking the internet, it does seem that the brand name (now part of the huge ExxonMobil empire) is generally used for oil rather than petrol in the UK. At least we could only find Esso branded station in this area.
An interesting building at the road bridge below Compton Lock - but so far we have note discovered anything about its history.
We dropped down through three locks on an afternoon's cruise that was very pleasant in the warm sunshine and occasional shade from trees alongside the canal.
We mentioned in an earlier blog that there are some distinctive features about this canal - it is surprising how many variations there are from one to another across the network - but the southern half of the Staffs and Worcs has something not seen on the northern half: circular weirs over the by-wash at some, but not all, of the locks.
If you know what to look for in this picture of the engine bay, you should notice that the spaces under and to the sides of the engine are totally free of water and diesel - a little has come into the part below the stern tube, under the feet (!). The stern gland is the part where a tube delivers grease which is pumped down every morning |(so long as we remember). By the left foot is the automatic bilge pump - which also stopped on Saturday until Mike cleaned out its filter.
8.5 Miles - 3 Locks
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