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44-553: The Kirkfield Lift Lock is a boat lift located in the city of Kawartha Lakes , Ontario, Canada, near the village of Kirkfield . It is designated "Lock 36" of the Trent–Severn Waterway , situated at the highest section of the canal (256.2 m). It is Canada's second lift lock, the other one is the Peterborough Lift Lock , located on the same canal system. Construction of the lock took place between 1900 and 1907. It

88-718: A 50-foot (15.2 m) vertical link between two navigable waterways: the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal . The structure is designated as a scheduled monument , and is included in the National Heritage List for England ; it is also known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. Built in 1875, the boat lift was in use for over 100 years until it was closed in 1983 due to corrosion. Restoration started in 2001 and

132-409: A barge with a beam of up to 13 feet (4.0 m). Each caisson weighed 90 long tons (91 tonnes ; 100 short tons ) when empty and 252 long tons (256 t; 282 short tons) when full of water (because of displacement , the weight is the same with or without boats). Each caisson was supported by a single hydraulic ram consisting of a hollow 50 ft (15.2 m) long cast iron vertical piston with

176-598: A caisson, as opposed to three minutes in normal operation. In October 1871 the Weaver Navigation Trustees held a special general meeting which resolved "to consider the desirability of constructing a lift with basins and all other requisite works for the interchange of traffic between the River Weaver and the North Staffordshire Canal at Anderton and of applying to Parliament for an Act to authorise

220-401: A coffee shop and information and films about the history of the lift. The visitor centre incorporates the new lift control centre. Although a modified version of the original hydraulic system was reinstated, the 1906–08 external frame and pulleys have been retained in a non-operational role. The weights that used to counterbalance the caissons were not rehung, but have been used to build a maze in

264-649: A contract was awarded in order to make repairs. By the start of navigation season on May 19th that same year, the lock was re-opened with "equipment and procedures for short-term, expedited single-tub operations" as repair work continued through the summer. Boat lift It may be vertically moving, like the Anderton boat lift in England , rotational, like the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland , or operate on an inclined plane , like

308-437: A diameter of 3 ft (0.9 m), in a buried 50 ft (15.2 m) long cast iron vertical cylinder with a diameter of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). At river level the caissons sat in a water-filled sandstone lined chamber. Above ground the superstructure consisted of seven hollow cast iron columns which provided guide rails for the caissons and supported an upper working platform, walkways and access staircase. At

352-512: A period of time after its opening engineer James Green reporting that five had been built between 1796 and 1830. He credited the invention to Dr James Anderson of Edinburgh . The idea of a boat lift for canals can be traced back to a design based on balanced water-filled caissons in Erasmus Darwin 's Commonplace Book (pp. 58–59) dated 1777–1778 In 1796 an experimental balance lock was designed by James Fussell and constructed at Mells on

396-620: A second quay was built in 1801 and a second entrance to the basin was constructed in 1831. By 1870 the Anderton Basin was a major interchange for trans-shipping goods in both directions, with extensive warehousing, three double inclined planes and four salt chutes. Trans-shipment was time-consuming and expensive, and the Trustees of the Weaver Navigation decided a link between the waterways was needed to allow boats to pass directly from one to

440-437: A system of counterweights and overhead pulleys that would allow the caissons to operate independently of each other. Although this solution involved many more moving parts than the hydraulic system these would be above ground and accessible thus making maintenance easier and cheaper and have a longer working life. Other advantages of the conversion listed by Saner included a reduction in the number of operating attendants by one and

484-416: A total of 49 days. The converted lift was formally opened on 29 July 1908 (although one caisson had been carrying traffic on electrical power since May 1908 while the second caisson was converted). After conversion to electrical operation the boat lift was operated successfully for 75 years. Regular maintenance was still necessary; for example, the wire ropes supporting the caissons suffered from fatigue from

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528-452: A working fluid in the hydraulic system and the immersion of the pistons in the wet dock at river level led to corrosion and "grooving" of the pistons. Attempts to repair the grooves with copper made matters worse as it reacted electrolytically with the acidic canal water and hastened corrosion of the surrounding iron. In 1897 the lift was converted to use distilled water as its working fluid, slowing corrosion, but not stopping it completely. Over

572-593: Is operated by gravity alone, with the upper bay of the two bay system loaded with an additional 30 cm (12 in) of water as to give it greater weight. Before the construction of the Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift, the highest boat lift, with a 73.15-metre (240.0 ft) height difference and European Class IV (1350 tonne) capacity, was the Strépy-Thieu boat lift in Belgium opened in 2002. The ship lift at

616-563: The Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs , British Waterways and the Trent and Mersey Canal Society. Heritage Lottery Funding contributed £3.3 million, and more than 2,000 individuals contributed to the scheme, raising a further £430,000. Restoration commenced in 2000 and the lift was re-opened to boat traffic in March 2002. The site now includes a two-storey visitor centre and exhibition building with

660-717: The Dorset and Somerset Canal , though this project was never completed. A similar design was used for lifts on the tub boat section of the Grand Western Canal entered into operation in 1835 becoming the first non-experimental boat lifts in Britain and pre-dating the Anderton Boat Lift by 40 years. In 1904 the Peterborough Lift Lock designed by Richard Birdsall Rogers opened in Canada. This 19.8-metre (65 ft) high lift system

704-658: The Ronquières inclined plane in Belgium . A precursor to the canal boat lift, able to move full-sized canal boats, was the tub boat lift used in mining, able to raise and lower the 2.5 ton tub boats then in use. An experimental system was in use on the Churprinz mining canal in Halsbrücke near Dresden . It lifted boats 7 m (23 ft) using a moveable hoist rather than caissons . The lift operated between 1789 and 1868, and for

748-800: The Royal Victoria Dock in London, designed by experienced hydraulic engineer Edwin Clark . Having decided on a hydraulic ram design Leader Williams appointed Edwin Clark as principal designer. At that time the Anderton Basin consisted of a cut on the north bank of the Weaver surrounding a small central island. Clark decided to build the boat lift on this island. The wrought iron caissons were 75 ft (22.9 m) long by 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) wide by 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) deep, and could each accommodate two 72 ft (21.9 m) narrowboats or

792-636: The Three Gorges Dam , completed in January 2016, is 113 m (371 ft) high and able to lift vessels of up to 3,000 tons displacement. The boat lift at Longtan is reported to be even higher in total with a maximum vertical lift of 179 m (587 ft) in two stages when completed. Anderton Boat Lift The Anderton Boat Lift is a two- caisson lift lock near the village of Anderton , Cheshire , in North West England . It provides

836-613: The Cheshire "salt towns" of Northwich , Middlewich , Nantwich and Winsford . Completion of the River Weaver Navigation in 1734 provided a navigable route for transporting salt from Winsford, through Northwich, to Frodsham , where the Weaver joins the River Mersey . The River Weaver Navigation Act 1759 ( 33 Geo. 2 . c. 49) appointed the Trustees of the Weaver Navigation and gave them responsibility for maintaining and operating

880-438: The Weaver at Anderton that took the river to the foot of the escarpment of the canal – 50 ft (15.2 m) above. The Anderton Basin was owned and operated by the Weaver Navigation Trustees. Facilities were built to trans-ship goods between the waterways including two cranes , two salt chutes and an inclined plane that was possibly inspired by the much larger Hay Inclined Plane at Coalport . The facilities were extended when

924-473: The avoidance of costly boiler repairs. Saner promised to achieve the conversion with only three short periods of closure to traffic. This was important because it minimised disruption to traffic and the loss of revenue during conversion. As a result, the weight of the caissons and counterweights would now be borne by the lift superstructure instead of by the rams. The superstructure was therefore strengthened and put on stronger foundations. The new superstructure

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968-589: The boat lift was re-opened in 2002. The lift and associated visitor centre and exhibition are operated by the Canal & River Trust . It is one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom; the other is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland . Salt has been extracted from rock salt beds underneath the Cheshire Plain since Roman times. By the end of the 17th century a major salt mining industry had developed around

1012-437: The caissons via an overhead balance wheel. It had a solid masonry superstructure to support the weight of the loaded caissons. Leader Williams realised that if he used water-filled hydraulic rams to support the caissons their weight would be borne by the rams and their cylinders, buried underground and a much lighter superstructure could be used. He may have been inspired by inspecting a hydraulic ship lift and graving dock at

1056-466: The canal were also demolished. The lock was reinforced with a massive concrete structure; a new two-lane underpass was constructed underneath. Currently, the lock is used exclusively by pleasure boats , like the rest of the canal, becoming obsolete for commercial traffic after the present version of the Welland Canal was completed in 1932. On September 2nd, 2022, water suddenly began pouring out from

1100-515: The construction of such works." In July 1872 royal assent was granted for the Weaver Navigation Act 1872 ( 35 & 36 Vict. c. xcviii), which authorised the construction of the boat lift. The contract for its construction was awarded to Emmerson, Murgatroyd & Co. of Stockport and Liverpool . Work started before the end of 1872 and took 30 months. The Anderton Boat Lift was formally opened to traffic on 26 July 1875. The total cost

1144-464: The late 1960s, the Kirkfield Lift Lock underwent a series of renovations. The original manual controls were electrified and automated, enabling all lock operations to be activated from a single console in the new control tower. The water-driven gate engines and pumps were removed, as well as the retaining walls , concrete piers, and the steel aqueduct. The shops and lockmaster's houses built along

1188-476: The lock's northern caisson. Passengers aboard the Kawartha Voyageur, which was being raised up at the time, evacuated as the damaged lock was lowered back down. Unbeknownst to the passengers and witnesses to the event, the lock had suffered a mechanical failure. The lock was shut down and the site closed to the public as authorities investigated the incident. On January 20th, 2023, Parks Canada announced that

1232-413: The need to close the lift entirely. During 1941 and 1942 the hydraulic rams of the original lift, which had been left in place in a shaft beneath the dry dock, were removed to salvage the iron. During the 1950s and 1960s commercial traffic on British canals declined. By the 1970s the lift's traffic was almost entirely recreational and the lift was hardly used during winter months. The new superstructure

1276-429: The new foundations and superstructure, the wet dock at river level was also converted into a dry dock and the aqueduct between the lift and the canal was strengthened. The original caissons were retained but were modified to take the wire ropes that now supported them on each side. Conversion was carried out between 1906 and 1908. As Saner had promised, the lift was only closed for three periods during these two years, for

1320-486: The next few years maintenance and repairs took place with increasing frequency, requiring complete closure of the lift for several weeks or a period of reduced and slower operation with a single caisson. By 1904 the Weaver Navigation Trustees faced the prospect of closing the boat lift for a considerable period to repair the hydraulic rams. They asked their Chief Engineer Colonel J. A. Saner, to investigate alternatives to hydraulic operation. Saner proposed electric motors and

1364-502: The other. A flight of locks was considered but discarded, mainly because of the lack of a suitable site and the loss of water that would have resulted from using them. In 1870 the Trustees proposed a boat lift between the waterways at the Anderton Basin. The Trustees approached the North Staffordshire Railway Company , owners of the Trent and Mersey Canal, to ask for a contribution towards the cost. When this approach

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1408-414: The pulleys to 36 cast iron counterweights weighing 14 long tons (14 t; 16 short tons) each, 18 on each side to balance the 252 long tons (256 t; 282 short tons) weight of each loaded caisson. The electric motor had to overcome friction between the pulleys and their bearings. A 30 horsepower (22 kW) motor was installed, but normal operation only required about half of this power. In addition to

1452-435: The repeated bending and straightening as they ran over the overhead pulleys and had to be replaced frequently. However, maintenance was simpler than before the conversion because the mechanism of the electrical lift was above ground. Maintenance was also less expensive because the caissons were now designed to be run independently, allowing most maintenance to be carried out while one caisson remained operational and thus avoiding

1496-411: The route. The opening of the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1777 provided a second route close to the Weaver Navigation for part of its length, but extended further south to the coal mining and pottery industries around Stoke-on-Trent . Rather than competing with each other the owners of the two waterways decided it would be more profitable to work together. In 1793 a basin was excavated on the north bank of

1540-399: The start and end of a lift either cylinder could be operated independently, powered by an accumulator or pressure vessel at the top of the lift structure, which was kept primed by a 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) steam engine. If necessary, the steam engine and accumulator could operate either hydraulic ram independently to raise the caissons, although in this mode it took about 30 minutes to raise

1584-427: The upper level the boat lift was connected to the Trent and Mersey canal via a 165 ft (50.3 m) long wrought iron aqueduct , with vertical wrought iron gates at either end. In normal operation the cylinders of the hydraulic rams were connected by a 5 in (130 mm) diameter pipe that allowed water to pass between them, thus lowering the heavier caisson and raising the lighter one. To make adjustments at

1628-437: The water-filled dock at river level softened the impact. No-one was hurt and there was no damage to the lift's superstructure. As a precaution, tests were carried out on the second hydraulic cylinder. During these tests the second cylinder failed too. As a result, the boat lift was closed for six months while sections of both cylinders were replaced and the connecting pipework, which was thought to have contributed to their failure,

1672-449: Was built around the original lift frame in order to avoid the need to dismantle the original lift, which would have taken it out of service for a long period. The new superstructure consisted of ten steel A-frames, five on each side, supporting a machinery deck 60 ft (18 m) above the river level where the electric motors, drive shafts and cast-iron headgear pulleys were mounted. Wire ropes attached to both sides of each caisson passed over

1716-548: Was contrived by Richard Birdsall Rogers , a Canadian engineer, who adopted the design of the Lifts on the old Canal du Centre in Belgium. The concept of the hydraulic lift lock had never been implemented in the harsher Canadian climate prior to the construction of the Peterborough Lift Lock, also designed by Rogers. The successful completion of the locks was therefore considered a significant technological breakthrough. During

1760-650: Was originally intended to restore the lift to electrical operation but after consultation with English Heritage , in 1997 it was decided to restore the lift to hydraulic operation using hydraulic oil . To raise the £7 million restoration cost, a partnership was forged between the Waterways Trust , the Inland Waterways Association , the Anderton Boat Lift Trust , the Friends of Anderton Boat Lift,

1804-431: Was redesigned. The volume of traffic through the lift grew steadily through the 1880s and 90s but the hydraulic cylinders continued to cause problems. The gland of one cylinder (where the piston travelled through the cylinder wall) was temporarily repaired in 1887 and replaced in 1891, and the gland of the other cylinder was replaced in 1894. The main cause for concern was corrosion of the pistons. The use of canal water as

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1848-404: Was susceptible to corrosion and the entire lift was painted with a protective solution of tar and rubber that had to be renewed every eight years or so. In 1983, during repainting, extensive corrosion was found in the superstructure and it was declared structurally unsound and closed. During the 1990s British Waterways carried out preliminary investigations before launching a restoration bid. It

1892-431: Was unsuccessful the Trustees decided to fund the project themselves. The Trustees asked their Chief Engineer, Edward Leader Williams , to draw up plans for a boat lift. He settled on a design involving a pair of water-filled caissons that would counterbalance one another and require relatively little power to lift boats up and down. A similar boat lift on the Grand Western Canal , completed in 1835, used chains to connect

1936-401: Was £48,428 (£5,763,000 at today's prices). For five years the boat lift operated successfully, the longest closures being during spells of cold weather when the canal froze over. In 1882 a cast iron hydraulic cylinder burst while the caisson it supported was at canal level with a boat in it. The caisson descended rapidly, but water escaping from the burst cylinder slowed the rate of descent and

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