>Anybody who has ever thought about going through a lock might enjoy this website of the worlds strangest "lock:" Actually there are many ingenious and often odd methods of moving a boat from one level to another to be found in the canal systems of the UK and Europe. The Falkirk Wheel is actually brand new although it employs the same principle used in an older piece of equipment. An even more significant although not as physically striking a device is the Anderton Lift. This is unique in that it is a complete and operating restoration of the original lift that was built in 1875. It has a website with photos and information-- http://www.andertonboatlift.co.uk/ We've taken a boat on this device, and it's pretty impressive. ______________________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington

On Mar 31, 2005, at 6:00 PM, Faure, Marin wrote: >> Anybody who has ever thought about going through a lock might enjoy > this website of the worlds strangest "lock:" > > Actually there are many ingenious and often odd methods of moving a > boat > from one level to another to be found in the canal systems of the UK > and > Europe. The Falkirk Wheel is actually brand new although it employs > the > same principle used in an older piece of equipment. An even more > significant although not as physically striking a device is the > Anderton > Lift. This is unique in that it is a complete and operating > restoration > of the original lift that was built in 1875. It has a website with > photos and information-- http://www.andertonboatlift.co.uk/ We've > taken > a boat on this device, and it's pretty impressive. > > > ______________________________ > C. Marin Faure > GB36-403 "La Perouse" > Bellingham, Washington > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering > > To unsubscribe send email to > trawlers-and-trawlering-request@lists.samurai.com with the word > UNSUBSCRIBE and nothing else in the subject or body of the message. > > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Marin wrote: Actually there are many ingenious and often odd methods of moving a boat from one level to another to be found in the canal systems of the UK and Europe. REPLY For the stay at homes there is an opportunity to experience something very similar on the Trent Severn waterway in Ontario, Canada. You can make it a part of your great loop trip. The Trent canal system have two lift locks very similar to the Anderton lift. The lift at Peterborough lifts boats 65 feet while the Kirkfield lift lock only lifts the boats 49 feet. Very impressive but can prove to be a rather daunting spectacle if you happen to be the very end boat on the downstream end. Your boat can be secured right up against the very end of the "tub" and at the top of the lift there is nothing beyond your vessel end except for thin air and a precipitous drop to the canal continuation below. That's when you really look to the pins holding the end gate secure. As I recall the Peterborough lift has been in continuous operation for 99 years and is original. No power is used except to open and close valves. Precise vertical positioning of the two counter balanced tubs places an extra one foot of water in the top compartment this providing the necessary force to raise the lower container. The speed of elevation is controlled by the volume of water flowing through the gate valve located in the inter connecting pipe. The Severn portion of the canal system contains a marine railway that climbs over a rock ridge and then drops the boats almost 100 feet. This system was chosen over a lock in order to stop the upstream influx of lamprey that can decimate the fisheries of the interior lakes. BTW this inland canal system was constructed as a strategic military route to protect British forces from any further incursions by "dem damn yankees" <VBG> back in the days following the war of 1812. It took almost a century to complete the canal route; by which time it was long since obsolete and we had an open and undefended border between the US and what had by then become an independent (from Britain at least) country. As a result the Trent Severn canal system has never seen use as a commercial waterway the way the Erie barge canal has. An earlier canal segment from Kingston to Ottawa was built first and is still operated by man power and manual valves. Very picturesque and full of history for those so interested. Just think, you can actually get to operate the lock yourself. Regards Arild