Wigan Album

He's taking it a bit wide there Brian, that's the bungalow with the chopped off narrowboat in the front garden is it not?. Just a stab in the dark here mate, but does Nicol road have any significance in your history ?. I'll take no response as meaning no. Regards. Ozy.

Ozy - the chopped-off narrow boat was in my Vicarage garden over the bridge. It wasn't chopped off - it was built to go on the front of a themed pub on the East Lancs near Worsley. A mock boat hull, leaking lock gates and a lock cottage exterior completed the picture inside. It failed within months, and I found the scrap in a yard in Warrington. I cadged the boat front, mounted it on a trailer, and used it to attract attention when raising funds to build a narrow boat for disabled people to enjoy rides on the canals. The boat - the WIZARD - is still going strong. The bows went to a canal business in Cheshire.

The driver would have really struggled getting out of there, it was littered with terraced houses on both sides of the road.

it was coming out of Shed St the entrance to Springs Branch depot all the scrap locos arrived by rail but due to wheels etc seizing up through not moving not allowed out by rail

Garry,the front right side wheel's on the wagon would have gone over our Front Door Step.We were brought up at number 297 Warrington Rd ,Donald Corn's lived facing us.

Tha't right Jimmy, Donald who worked for the Wigan Observer and sadly and no longer with us.

I often wondered about that David and now I know. It was on the driveway for quite some time I recall. I'll keep an eye open for the ' Wizard ' on my next long distance towpath cycling and sleeping ' a la belle etoile ' expedition. Always asuming that it will stop raining for long enough of course.
Regards. Ozy.