Birmingham

We pick up the tale where we rejoined the Dudley Canal at Windmill End Junction, with the options
of heading to the little loop of Bumble Hole (straight-ahead), or to go to Birmingham (to the right) or back towards Wolverhampton and Stourbridge (left).

Going right we almost immediately come to Netherton Tunnel which is 3027 yards long.  Unlike the previous tunnel we went through (Gosty Tunnel), Netherton tunnel has decent head room.  But the downside to this tunnel is that its a "wet" one - that is every so often large drops of water fall on you and the boat.  Also this tunnel is wide enough to allow 2 way traffic, thereby doing away with a timing system (as found in the Preston Brook tunnel) or the need to man the tunnel to resrict passage (like in the Harecastle tunnel).   

From the tunnel we emerged onto the short Netherton Tunnel Branch - lined with a few cottages.  At the end of the branch is the Main Line at Birmingham Level.  The Birmingham Level refers to a series of canals that 453 foot above sea level, and is made up of a total of 49.2 miles.  The BCN Main Line, or Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line describes the evolving route of the Birmingham Canal between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.  For more information of the BCN Main Line see BCN Main Line

 The Sign post says "Wolverhampton 6 1/2 miles and 3 locks" (to the left) and "Birmingham 6 3/4 miles" (to the right).

One feature of the BCN Main line is the toll islands.  A toll island is a place on a canal where a fee was collected as boats carrying cargo passed. These were sited at strategic points such as the stop lock at the transition from one canal company to another where water transfer was a concern, or at busy locks where water usage and pumping costs were an issue.

 Cruising the Main line gives the chance to see some lovely old bridges, and some not so lovely new bridges.

The first of these photos shows the Engine Arm Aqueduct -a short canal branch of half a mile, that was built by Thomas Telford in 1825 to carry water from Rotton Park Reservoir over to the Wolverhampton Level of the main line - for more details see Engine Arm

The second of these bridges carries the M5 motorway.  It lacks the grace of the Engine Arm Aqueduct somewhat.

This is the New Smethwick Pumping Station.  Originally, it was one of two engines used to pump water back up to the 491 foot (150 m) summit level of the BCN Old Main Line (Birmingham Canal) canal at Smethwick,

not far from the Soho Foundry where it was made. The other engine, also built by Boulton and Watt, was at the other end of the summit level at Spon Lane. In 1804 a second Boulton and Watt engine was added alongside the 1779 engine.  In 1892, a replacement engine was built in a new pumping house, now Grade II listed, next to Brasshouse Lane, as the original Smethwick Engine was considered uneconomic to repair.  Nowadays there is only one engine in this building.

Sadly there are plenty of sights of graffiti as we head into the centre of Birmingham.   But once we reach the centre, it is clear that considerable effort has been made to make the canal centre of Birmingham look appealing.

Approaching Gas Street and the centre of Birmingham.  To the right of the photo is the Sea Life Centre.