New album"THE LANCASTER CANAL SOUTHERN SECTION - S1 Bark Hill to Johnsons Hillock

LANCASTER CANAL,SOUTHERN SECTION . - S1. - Haigh , Adlington and Chorley


This level Canal was first dug by the Lancaster Canal Co.with the intention of connecting at Preston,after crossing the Ribble,to the lock-free Northern Section,Preston-Tewitfield.This connection in fact never was completed due to revenue losses caused by the coming of the railways....Initially a temporary measure - but for over 60 years the canal freight was handballed out of barges and millions of tons transhipped from Walton Summit by horsedrawn trucks on The Old Tram Road to Preston Basin.The Section from Top Lock,Wigan to Johnsons Hillock nr.Chorley was later very much used as it was leased and became part of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal we know today.

Many people think this canal is just the Leeds and Liverpool....have a look at this album and it's accompanying albums below and look at the full intriguing story!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bazizfoters/LANCASTERCANALSOUTHERNSECTIONS1HaighAdlingtonAndChorley#

LANCASTER CANAL SOUTHERN SECTION S2 - Johnsons Hillock to Walton Summit:

This part of the canal is today only a short spur readily visible where the Leeds & Liverpool forks off below Johnsons Hillock Locks...but the rest of it- fading into history -is visible to those who will search it out and explore.It was intended to have crossed the Ribble via locks and aqueduct to Preston Basin,but the coming of the railways saw it temporalily transhipping at Walton Summit Basin millions of loads of coal & limestone via The Old Tram Road on horsedrawn trucks for over 60 years.The Walton Summit Branch fell into disuse around 1932,finally being infilled during building of the M61 about 1970.Many structures along it's path still remain,some of them great feats of engineering in their day built manually with no machines.....

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bazizfoters/LANCASTERCANALSOUTHERNSECTIONS2JohnsonsHillockJunctionToWaltonSummit#

LANCASTER CANAL SOUTHERN SECTION S 3 - THE OLD TRAM ROAD,Walton Summit to Preston:

The Old Tram Road,is a unique relic of the Industrial Revolution in Lancashire.To join the two completed sections of the Lancaster Canal was a massive challenge involving several locks,much earth-moving and the design and building of a large aqueduct spanning the Ribble Valley.The flourishing railways threatened the financial survival of the canals.This primitive girder railway was constructed along the proposed line of the canal as a temporary measure to convey the coal and limestone by horsedrawn trucks from Walton Summit terminus to Preston Basin until funds could be raised;however this was never achieved and the tramway rattled on transhipping millions of tons handballed between barge and truck,using horses where possible and assisting with steam winching on inclined planes up the steep slopes.Quite amazing,but this went on for over 50 years,some of the Tram Road is preserved and visible today...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Bazizfoters/THEOLDTRAMROADWaltonSummitToPrestonBasin#

ENJOY LOOKING !!

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