London Banter - View Single Post - New Bermondsey station (Surrey Canal Road)

[email protected] · January 3rd 16, 10:02 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
() wrote:

With the larger lorries in use today I think 3 could probably do the
job of a pair of narrowboats. The lorries would each need a driver
and could do London to Birmingham as an example in about half a day,
so about 1.5 working days worth of labour. London to Birmingham by
canal normally takes about six days and the pair of boats would be
worked by a crew of two, so about twelve working days worth of labour.

'Fly' boats working through the night could do the trip in about 52
hours, but then you'd need extra crew to work the extra hours. Given
that there are about 100 locks to work through between London and
Birmingham this timing was pretty good.

You can walk from London to Birmingham along the towpath, as I have
done many years ago when I had better legs, in about the same time as
it takes by normal boats.

About the only way to get the costs down would be much larger craft,
which would need much bigger canals.

You're obsessed with narrow boats again. This thread was about barges and
lighters on the Thames.

--
Colin Rosenstiel