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Scotland: the Falkirk Wheel: World's Only Rotating Boatlift

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Scotland: the Falkirk Wheel: World's Only Rotating Boatlift Scotland: The Falkirk Wheel: World's Only Rotating Boatlift Canals, as in many countries, were an important means of transporting people, but especially goods during the industrial revolution. Canals were the best means of transportation prior to the era of railroads and improved roads and conveyances. Scotland was no different. In 1768, by an Act of Parliament, the Forth & Clyde Canal was initiated; however, due to funding and other issues, the canal was not opened until 1790. For over 150 years canals were in operation. During their history, railway companies owned them and eventually railroads helped cause their decline. In 1948, canals were nationalized and administered by the British Transport Commission. <scottishcanals.co.uk> The Forth & Clyde Canal is in central Scotland. It is 35 miles long and enabled seagoing vessels to traverse the central part of the country. Railroads were just not the downfall of canals. Canal upkeep and repair and not realizing their potential as tourist attractions caused the decline to begin sharply during the 1930s. Closures and back‐fill took place. Rights of navigation were stopped by the British Parliament and the Forth & Clyde closed in 1963 to build a highway. <scottishcanals.co.uk> The back filling became housing tracts and the dream of re‐connection was lost for a coast‐to‐coast canal. However, the Millennium Link Project, including the Falkirk Wheel, made the connection possible to unite the Forth & Clyde and Union (Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal) Canals for the first time in over 70 years. The connection provided east/west navigation across the Scottish Lowlands. Eleven locks over 37 miles connect the two canals today. The Union Canal was built 1818‐1822. Tourism became an important part of community development and new income. In 2001, the British government initiated an 83.5 million‐pound ($105 million‐July 2019) project call the Millennium Link. It was the largest canal restoration in Britain's history. According to Scottish Canals: The rejuvenation of the waterways has created an estimated 16,000 jobs and 14,000 home units along the canals and estimated 2 billion pounds in investments to the economy. This included the design and building of the Falkirk Wheel which was able to connect the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals (<scottishcanals.co.uk> According to engineering‐timeline.com: "On the higher side, the Union Canal has a new section added, with two new locks that lower the water level. These lead to the new 150m long, 8m wide Rough Castle Tunnel, which is elliptical in shape and lined with sprayed concrete. The tunnel passes under a road, the Edinburgh‐Glasgow main railway line and the Antonine Wall, built by the Romans. The tunnel leads to the 100m long aqueduct mentioned above. Below the lift, a new basin for the Forth & Clyde Canal has been constructed." According to tripsavvy.com: "Early on, the designers realized that the energy required to raise caissons full of water (the gondolas), boats, and passengers the 115 feet between the two canals would take a tremendous and prohibitive amount of energy, whether driven by electricity or fossil fuel. So, architect Tony Kettle and his team turned to an ancient principle discovered by Archimedes thousands of years ago. Simply put, a floating object displaces its own weight in water. If an object sinks, it displaces its volume, and because it sinks, it is heavier than water and changes the weight of the container in which it sinks. But if it floats, it is essentially of an equal weight as the water it displaces. So, a gondola full of water weighs the same as a gondola containing one or more floating boats. This balanced equilibrium, combined with a sophisticated arrangement of cogs and gears (to keep the gondolas level as the wheel rotates, so they don't tip over and spill out the boats and water), is what makes the rotation of the Falkirk Wheel possible." Each caisson can raise one gondola 115 feet, each weighing up to 600 tons in a pool containing 500,000 liters (132,086 gallons) of water. With a unique system of cogs and gears and not tipping the boats on the turn, the amount of energy used to make a revolution possible is about 1.5 kilowatts hours of energy. Each revolution can take up or lower another gondola/boat or two. Her Majesty Queen Elizbeth II opened the Falkirk Wheel in May 24, 2002. The entire trip from the visitor center and back is approximately 50 minutes. It is a fun and memorable experience. <aboutcivil.org> <tripsavvy.com> About the site via THE FALKIRK WHEEL booklet: The ideas considered in designing the Falkirk Wheel included: a spoon‐shaped seesaw, funicular railway, veritical lift with a cylindrical waterfall, counterweight arms, hefty cranes, a cylindrical drum and a ferris wheel. In 1933, the predecessor to the Wheel at Falkirk used 11 locks and 3,500 tones of water to manage the process. The height/depth difference at Falkirk was 34 meters or 112 feet difference between the Forth & Hyde and Union Canals. It took one full day to negotiate the old system. By contrast, the Wheel used no extra water or need for reservoirs. When it was closed the system was back filled and part of the town rests on it. About the site via THE FALKIRK WHEEL booklet: One of the boats used in the tour is called the Antonine. The reason is that 1800 years ago, the Romans had a defensive fort called Rough Castle and it was part of Antonine Wall. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the wall had been ordered by Emperor Antonius Pius around 142 AD. It was part of the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. The Empire encompased Britain's Atlantic coast east across Europe, the Middle East, Africa to Morocco or 5,000 km or 3,106 miles. Sources: Tour with guides, note: The picture above is from THE FALKIRK WHEEL booklet purchased at the gift shop, Graphics by Anthea and Ben Carter, Haywood Associates, Copyright Scottish Canals, 2012. Title of Booklet "The Falkirk Wheel." It is the only photo that is not mine. https://www.visitscotland.com, https://www.aboutcivil.org/falkirk‐wheel.html , http://engineering‐timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=936 , https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/falkirk‐wheel/, https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/heritage/, https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/heritage/forth‐clyde‐ canal/, https://www.tripsavvy.com/the‐falkirk‐wheel‐complete‐guide‐4178266 and https://scotlandwelcomesyou.com/falkirk‐wheel/. acuri.net John R. Vincenti The Falkirk Wheel .
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