JemmyBoatmen 'legging' through a canal tunnel, a common technique in longer passages with unmotorized vessels, 1961, UK
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PugJesushttps://media.piefed.social/posts/zL/NY/zLNYVJNLR8NNCJV.jpeg
1961?
Was this a staged photo to promote restoration of the canal system (if so, neat!)? Because I’m pretty sure canal boats had been diesel since the late 1800’s (or steam powered, thee are a couple that have been restored).
The longest tunnel in the canal system is 3 miles… 19th century engineers dug a tunnel 3 miles long under 600ft of English countryside. Amazing stuff.
Cruising the Cut on YouTube has a lot of video on the canal system.
Some canal boats in the UK were pulled by horses or mules until the 1960s. This, if it’s not just a demonstration, would probably be one of the last of those old dinosaurs.
I though the canals had been abandoned by the 60’s, didn’t the restoration efforts begin in the 50’s?
Still a great photo though.
Some canals had been abandoned by this point, but a large number remained in use.
yeah but it’s a lot cheaper not to and if you’re transporting goods via canal you’re probably looking for the cheapest option
Canal boats used horses/mules - a human can move them.
Then they converted to steam and diesel engines.
Check out the YouTube channel - he covers the history.
I’m wondering if it’s nothing to do with the propulsion, but simply a way to keep from touching the sides in a narrow tunnel
Wouldnt they have been better off attaching tyres horizontally
Maybe, but if the tunnels aren’t consistent in size and they already have the guys there, this might still be the better option
Good point.
I do know this was how they through tunnels when they used mules/horses.
Makes sense that once they had engines this would still be useful.
I wonder if that’s the Islington tunnel
I did one of these as a tourist in the UK around 2011! The boating company even gives you a novelty “certificate”
I don’t know, that certificate looks sus to me….
Washboard obliques
This is why you only see a legless seacaptain out in the wide sea
900th problems required 900th solutions.
“Unmotorized”
So, what propulsion method were they using outside that wouldn’t work inside the tunnel?
Horsepower. Literal horsepower.
The horses have to go around the tunnel and then be re-hitched to the boat after it emerges.
Crazy thought, why did noone think to use a pulley system like a chairlift? Boat comes in and hooks on and is towed through. Then you can have horses at either end to do all the work.
Maintenance of a system like that probably wouldn’t be worth the cost. Easier and cheaper just to tell the fellows guiding the barge to leg it through.