The Worlds first and only "Rotating boat lift" on the Clyde and Forth canal at Falkirk, Scotland.
This engineering feat, 115 feet high, transfers boats between the differing heights of the Forth and Clyde and Union canals.
Words below and photographs from, http://www.bennettmg.co.uk/Project_MS_Falkirk_Boatlift_1.aspx
British Waterways ‘Millennium Link’ canal project is the largest UK canal restoration ever. It reconnects the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals allowing unhindered passage of traffic between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The centrepiece to this project is the Falkirk Wheel - the world’s first rotating boatlift. The 35m high, 1500 tonne machine transports canal barges and other boats between the Forth & Clyde and the Union Canal, a vertical drop of 18 metres. Before the closure of the canals in the mid 20th century this transfer was achieved by a flight of eleven locks.
First structure of its kind in the world.
Design life of at least 120 years.
35 metres high.
35 metres wide.
30 metres long.
Each gondola contains at least 250,000 litres of water.
Capable of carrying eight boats at a time.
A single trip takes 15 minutes.
01/06/08 @ 22:32