Northwich Viaduct
The route westward from Northwich had to cross the river Weaver and the Weaver Navigation for which a long viaduct was designed by the West Cheshire. Their engineer proposed to use bricks, but when it became part of the Cheshire Lines Committee, the engineers of the Great Northern and MS&L agreed that local red sandstone should be used. In all it is 676 m (739 yds) long and carries the railway on forty seven arches and a wrought iron bowed plate girder span over each of the two waterways, with a further stone arch between them. It is a massive and impressive structure.
The boat is interesting too. The Iris Abbott – the first Duker
The Duker story began in 1947 when Frederick J Abbott, an independent barge and warehousing company in Castlefield, used their war remuneration money to order the first Duker Barge from Isaac Pimblott of Northwich. This barge was built of steel, measured 70 ft by 14 ½ ft to fit the Bridgewater Canal, had a Gardner engine and was named the Iris Abbott. Up to this time, freight was moved along this stretch of inland water by tugs towing timber barges. Around the same time, also using war remuneration money, Bridgewater Transport, part of Manchester Ship Canal Company (MSCC) ordered three new diesel tugs and six steel dumb barges, known as ‘Mere’ barges. (A further thirteen Mere barges were built later)
It appears that the introduction of the Iris caused disquiet as its turnaround time was much faster than the tugs. As well as carrying 47 tons of freight it also operated as a tug to other vessels. To quote “matters came to a head in late 1948 when Bridgewater Transport hired the Iris for a month to run exclusively to Kelloggs from Liverpool with maize for cornflakes. She was paired with one of the Mere class flats and ran rings around the tugs and flats belonging to the company. The pair were consistently doing an extra trip a week over the equivalent tug and flat combination and were also helping to tow other craft when no tug was available (and charging for the service). The Bridgewater men were not happy because the crew of the Iris were earning more money and also getting home more often!” However, it was not until 1949 that the MSCC was truly convinced of the greater speed, when a member of staff produced a comparison between the Iris and their own vessels, showing more journeys with less crew.
The boat was converted to a leisure barge in 1977/78.
Northwich Viaduct
The route westward from Northwich had to cross the river Weaver and the Weaver Navigation for which a long viaduct was designed by the West Cheshire. Their engineer proposed to use bricks, but when it became part of the Cheshire Lines Committee, the engineers of the Great Northern and MS&L agreed that local red sandstone should be used. In all it is 676 m (739 yds) long and carries the railway on forty seven arches and a wrought iron bowed plate girder span over each of the two waterways, with a further stone arch between them. It is a massive and impressive structure.
The boat is interesting too. The Iris Abbott – the first Duker
The Duker story began in 1947 when Frederick J Abbott, an independent barge and warehousing company in Castlefield, used their war remuneration money to order the first Duker Barge from Isaac Pimblott of Northwich. This barge was built of steel, measured 70 ft by 14 ½ ft to fit the Bridgewater Canal, had a Gardner engine and was named the Iris Abbott. Up to this time, freight was moved along this stretch of inland water by tugs towing timber barges. Around the same time, also using war remuneration money, Bridgewater Transport, part of Manchester Ship Canal Company (MSCC) ordered three new diesel tugs and six steel dumb barges, known as ‘Mere’ barges. (A further thirteen Mere barges were built later)
It appears that the introduction of the Iris caused disquiet as its turnaround time was much faster than the tugs. As well as carrying 47 tons of freight it also operated as a tug to other vessels. To quote “matters came to a head in late 1948 when Bridgewater Transport hired the Iris for a month to run exclusively to Kelloggs from Liverpool with maize for cornflakes. She was paired with one of the Mere class flats and ran rings around the tugs and flats belonging to the company. The pair were consistently doing an extra trip a week over the equivalent tug and flat combination and were also helping to tow other craft when no tug was available (and charging for the service). The Bridgewater men were not happy because the crew of the Iris were earning more money and also getting home more often!” However, it was not until 1949 that the MSCC was truly convinced of the greater speed, when a member of staff produced a comparison between the Iris and their own vessels, showing more journeys with less crew.
The boat was converted to a leisure barge in 1977/78.