The concept of raising or lowering a boat from one level to another, dates back to the 3rd century BC. Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks were building primitive locks to alter the flow of canal water and even preventing saltwater from the Red Sea from contaminating the fresh water of the Nile Delta. It wasn’t until the 10th-century that China developed a lock with gates at either end of a chamber that allowed the passage of boats between one level and another. By 1373, pound locks were built in the Netherlands. Belgium had locks in 1396, and. In fact, in the late 1400s Leonardo Da Vinci is created the mitre gates that formed a tight seal when the gates came together. It became the standard of pound locks and is still in use today.
In the years that followed incredible lock systems were constructed like the Erie and Champlain canals in New York, The Panama Canal and numerous lock systems in Europe. However, what is perhaps the most innovative and ingenious boat lift is not a lock at all. It is the Falkirk Wheel in central Scotland. It was conceived and built to regenerate Scotland’s canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh.
The original canal was connected by a series of 11 locks. The difference in height was 115 feet. It took most of a day for a boat to complete is passage through the locks. Over period of time the locks had fallen into disrepair and disuse. And by 1933 they were dismantled. The Forth and Clyde Canal saw the same end by 1942. Then in 1962 the British Waterway Board (BWB) was established with the purpose of creating new strategy for the planning of waterways in the United Kingdom. There were numerous obstacles to be overcome to bring the canals back to life.
Then in 1993 the Lotteries Act created a new source of funding some of which could be designated for use in re-establishing the canal system. Designs were solicited. A radically new design was submitted by Morrison-Bachy Soletanche Joint Ventures Team. After an intensive period of work, a final design concept emerged from a co-operative effort between the BWB, engineering consultant Arup, Butterley Engineering and RMJM Architects. Funds in the amount of nearly $43 million US dollars were allocated and the project was on its way.
The Institute for Civil Engineering (ICE) described the obstacles to the project thusly; “The Falkirk Wheel was designed to last 120 years. 1,000 people took part in construction, including several ICE members.
Early challenges included tar and mercury contamination as the ground had previously been used as a mine and tar works. Other early-stage work included laying 600m of access to roads to get plant and materials to the site.
Once the area was cleared, engineers dug deep foundations for the structure and used 22m concrete piles socketed onto the bedrock for support.
The wheel was constructed and fully assembled at the Butterley Engineering plant in Derbyshire. It was then dismantled and driven to Falkirk in 35 lorry loads. Workers re-assembled it into fivesections which were lifted into place.”
The official description of the Falkirk Wheel offered by Scottish Canals authority is as follows: “The world’s only rotating boat lift, The Falkirk Wheel links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal 35 meters above, allowing vessels to sail through the sky thanks to a unique fusion of art and engineering – and the same power it would take to boil eight kettles.
Transforming the contaminated site of a former tar works, The Falkirk Wheel opened in 2002 and replaced a flight of 11 locks that once stepped the Union Canal down to the level of the Forth & Clyde, more than 100 feet below. Whereas weary travelers once had a day’s heavy work opening and closing 44 lock gates to complete the journey between the two canals, The Falkirk Wheel allows vessels to transit between the two waterways in just a few minutes.”
The system incorporates a giant wheel with a diameter of 115 feet that supported two massive caissons which are also called gondolas. The two arms are 92 feet long each. The gondolas they support each contain 66,000 gallons of water. The gondolas weight 500 tons each including the water and boats they carry. It takes ten hydraulic motor to make the wheel rotate. As the bottom gondola locks into position, the upper gondola simultaneously locks into place. When the gondola is aligned with the dock. Water is pumped into the gap, and the doors are raised. In the opposite direction the doors are lower and the water between thew gondola and the dock is pumped out. Once unlocked, the wheel start to turn rotating until the upper gondola reach the bottom at the same time the lower gondola reaches the top position.
A unique massive gear assures the gondolas will remain level as they ascend and descend. When the gondola reaches the lower position, it descends into a docking pit that is like a dry dock. Once the gondola is in the lower position, the gates to the canal are opened. The space in the docking pit remains empty of water. The whole process is completed in approximately 15 minutes.
The Falkirk Wheel is a testament to the ingenuity of modern engineers and their courage to create a totally new concept of lifting boats from one canal to another. For a better understanding and a view of the Falkirk Wheel in operation visit https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1427003084964098
There is a visitors’ center on the east side of the lower basin. Visitors can learn the history of the wheel how it works and book a boat trip to actually experience a passage through the wheel. Since it opening the center has had approximately 5.5 million visitors. Truly an engineering marvel while at the same time a work of art, it is now one of Scotland’s busiest tourist attractions, The Falkirk Wheel attracts around 500,000 visitors each year. The Wheel has transformed Falkirk into a key tourism destination, with visitors traveling from all over the world to marvel at the working sculpture which combines modern engineering and technology with ancient principles set out by Archimedes more than 2000 years ago.