The vertical lift of a boat lift (discussion)

[magpie patrick]

For reasons related to my work I'm currently looking at a lot of boat lifts - operational ones that is, on through routes of navigable waterways. The obvious, and perhaps unsurprising, factor common to them all is that the lift exceeds by a considerable margin that which a normal lock would do, even though locks on the continent and in the Americas have got deeper as the 20th century progresses. The ones I've had a look at so far put Anderton's 50 foot lift at the lower end of the scale. 

 

I realise there are many motives for a lift rather than a lock, I suspect speed/capacity may top the late 20th century/early 21st century models, but water supply will also come into it as it did in the early days. The Caisson Lock on the Coal Canal was primarily a water saving device, significantly the lift was around 50 foot for each one and the three proposed needed 22 locks to replace them. 

The question is, I guess, are there any 20th/21st century boat lifts with a relatively small lift - e.g 20 foot or less? I haven't found one yet..

Edited April 30, 2022 by magpie patrick

[Bee]

Can't think of any, I suppose that a 2 or 3 lock staircase might be a kind of halfway house between a flight of locks and a lift, We will be going up the Strepy-Thieu lift in Belgium soon all being well, that is a mighty bit of engineering, I always have a quick look at the cables just in case there's something starting to fray.......

[BuckbyLocks]

No idea of the actual lift, but the Broekerhaven Overhaal (Netherlands) isn't very large. Built around 1920 to lift cabbage boats and has a sideways operation rather than using a caisson with doors. Replaced a mud inclined plane. Restored in the 90s but I have no idea of the current state of the machine. Been through it a couple of times, but not recently.

[BEngo]

There is little logic to a small-rise lift in the absence of any space or ground constraints.

 

 In engineering terms the lock, or a short lock-flight,  is simpler to build and simpler to maintain, provided only that you have sufficient water.  If you need more water then the lock(s) and a bunch of pumps and associated controls are still simpler than a lift.

 

In commercial terms the lock solution will be cheaper to build, to operate and to maintain, though adding  pumps might make the operating and upkeep costs closer to that of a lift.  The killer costs will be in the need to pay a lift operator, not needed for locks or pumps.

 

There might be a planned small-rise lift in the Runcorn locks rebuild, though I doubt it will ever get built.

N

Edited April 30, 2022 by BEngo

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

 

There might be a planned small-rise lift in the Runcorn locks rebuild, though I doubt it will ever get built.

One of the daftest restoration proposals I have ever come across, given that at least some of the old lock is already there under the ground. And the water saving argument doesn't apply since its in the middle of a flight of locks anyway.

 

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

In engineering terms the lock, or a short lock-flight,  is simpler to build and simpler to maintain, provided only that you have sufficient water.  If you need more water then the lock(s) and a bunch of pumps and associated controls are still simpler than a lift.

Quite!

[Pluto]

1 hour ago, BuckbyLocks said:

No idea of the actual lift, but the Broekerhaven Overhaal (Netherlands) isn't very large. Built around 1920 to lift cabbage boats and has a sideways operation rather than using a caisson with doors. Replaced a mud inclined plane. Restored in the 90s but I have no idea of the current state of the machine. Been through it a couple of times, but not recently.

This is in in 1997. It replaced an overtoom, two slopes over which boats were dragged from one level to another. On the lift, the boat is raised and then moved sideways to the other level. The earliest of this type of lift, the remains of one illustrated below, was in Saxony, at Halsbrücke, built circa 1789. This was around the time James Watt Junior was studying at the nearby Bergakademie in Freiberg.

[BEngo]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

One of the daftest restoration proposals I have ever come across, given that at least some of the old lock is already there under the ground. And the water saving argument doesn't apply since its in the middle of a flight

Completely agree.  Over complication without any benefit at all.

 

N

 

 

[Heartland]

Runcorn may not be the best suggestion, in deed it seems to be a wild mixture of ideas often found with the plans of the predatory developer.

 

I had heard once that a boat lift had been planned to link the extent short SU Whitchurch Branch with the lower level to the Warehouse terminus. That scheme has yet to happen. 

[Ray T]

Don't know if this would count?

I suppose you could argue it "lifts"* boats from one level to another, although push would be more accurate.

Tarn et Garonne, Montech sloping waterway, boat lift on the Canal Lateral to the river Garonne

 

 

* lifted as it isn't operational now.

[magpie patrick]

5 hours ago, Pluto said:

This is in in 1997. It replaced an overtoom, two slopes over which boats were dragged from one level to another. On the lift, the boat is raised and then moved sideways to the other level. 

I'm guessing they had good reason not to connect the watercourses? 

[Pluto]

They were usually drainage channels as well. This is probably the best preserved, the Blaue Molen, close to the A4 just north east of Leiden. The incline, with winch over, is to the left of the mill.

[BuckbyLocks]

The connection is with the sea, i.e. above the rest of the land surface being The Netherlands, The Markermeer is rather a large volume of water in the event of a breach in the dam that the overtoom used to get the boats to market before the lift was built.