The three electric tugs and two passenger boats headed westward through the tunnel and down the Diggle lock flight to Wool Road, Dobcross. Here they were craned out onto four waiting lorries with extendible trailers to travel by road to Liverpool.
The nine-year old vessels will undergo repairs and maintenance, including some plating work to the hulls.
The convoy is expected to return to Tunnel End in time for the start of the 2010 Standedge Tunnel season on March 20th.
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One of the passenger vessels is lowered onto a waiting truck.
Leaving the Wool Road car park.
One of the tugs is lifted out of the water.
Another tug leaves the water.
Two of the tugs are put onto one trailer. The third had a trailer to itself.
I yhought that they were now allowing boats through the tunnel under there own power and the tugs would be redundant Thanks geoff Peel
ReplyDeleteSorry, Geoff - I only just spotted your comment. You are right that boats now go through the tunnel under their own power. The tugs and passenger boats are now used just for passenger trips. (There are now through trips for passengers on certain days.)
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is still the possibility that the tug system could be used as a fall-back if for some reason one or more boats needed to be towed through.