In a message dated 05/08/2006 08:21:55 GMT Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
There is always the question whether English Heritage will allow the plane
to be "restored". My guess is that they will take a lot of persuasion as
what's involved isn't restoring an existing structure but building a new
one, with consequent destruction of the remains of the original.
The last I heard the plan was to build a close replica, but to put it on
stilts (or piles) a foot or so above the existing structure and using electric
motors instead of steam. This will, of course, mean that the will have to drill
down into the hillside, but I'm sure that James the Project Manager will
have identified where they could drill without damaging the existing structure
(too much).
Part of the original problem was that the plane was intended to run 24 hours
a day so required the boilers kept up to temperature round the clock - even
when there were no boats nearby. This mean that at least three men had to be
on duty all the time - a stoker, someone to load the tanks and someone to
operate the mechanism. This really made it uneconomic to run for the
comparatively few boats that needed it, although it reduced the time for
traversing the
hill from 45 mins to about 15. When one of the stands for a wheel carrying
the wires around the structure broke it was a good excuse to close the Plane
down.
A replacement electric system would only require a motor of around 20-25 hp
I understand (to overcome the inertia when the tanks start moving and to help
with braking when they need to stop) and it wouldn't need constant
attention. Based on Anderton, this improved Inclined Plane, combined with
computer
control, closed circuit TV and other people-saving equipment will now require
at
least 12 people to be on duty at any one time. Or is that too cynical? ;-)
DaveD
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
