We left Keadby Lock and headed towards the most unusual sliding railway bridge. It passes over the canal with only a couple of feet to spare. This photo shows a train crossing - it seems to be a busy line.
It was built in 1925 and is supposedly one of only three of its kind in Europe. In order to allow the passage of boats, winches slide the bridge deck sideways whilst wire cables and pulleys winch it back again.
A truly remarkable piece of engineering.
The canal is wide and quite straight with just a few turns. A big contrast from the twisting Trent.
There are swing bridges which take a while to operate. You have to moor up, move the road barriers into position, open the swing bridge, the boat sails through, then you need to push the bridge back and reopen the road. The bridge should be easy to open if it is perfectly in balance but unfortunately they aren't and Graham sometimes had to come and help.
A railway follows for quite a while and there are some lovely old signal boxes. No wonder rail tickets are so expensive with the cost of manning these boxes.
This area also seems to be windfarm alley. We passed dozens on our way. We wondered if the cost of these installations are recouped in the electricity which they generate.
We are moored at Stainforth and will continue on our route to Leeds tomorrow
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