Towpath

This MOC was created on the occasion of LowlugXL 2026 and inspired by a piece of my family history. My great-great-grandfather once started the family business as a skipper on the canal. Later in the development it switched to horse and cart until now trucks are used.

^{“A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport was common where sailing was impractical because of tunnels and bridges, unfavorable winds, or the narrowness of the channel.” source Wikipedia}

So on the river two barges with the horses on the towpath, the right barge in the colors of the company. In the bottom left corner a large wagon with a three-in-hand on which a grandfather and his grandchild (me when I was four years old). The dragon is a processing of an airplane into fantasy. Airplanes fly and dragons too, so to stay in medieval fantasy and thus keep in touch with my Discworld MOCs, this was a nice translation of the concept. As a guide, my uncle and the one with the crutches who gives instructions stands for my father who has just had a serious accident at that time. To further capture the family, my aunt is standing on the jetty and the second uncle, who has never been in the company, is at the entrance of the Stagecoach Inn. He is depicted here as a village crier, which he still is in real life. This completes the four siblings.

The bridge over the river was built in a special way. In such a way that a draught horse can pass the bridge without having to loosen the rein. Crossing is necessary here because of the trees along the river and especially the two large barge trees that indicate the bends in the river for the skippers.

Further decorated with a farm and a water mill that tell the story of the grain that serves as raw material and the straw also as roofing for the stable next to the inn. In both corners a small addition; the excavation of a dragon and a piece of swamp, the first draft for further elaboration of any swamp modules. Unfortunately, all this came just too late to show to father, he had a huge memory for all the old facts and figures of the company but unfortunately he passed away last July. It would have been a good starting point for even more stories.

All in all, a very personal MOC, some parts of which will remain on display in my future town.