After the canal trip, we drove to Falkirk, 22 miles east of Glasgow, to see the Falkirk Wheel. This is an ingenious device, which allows vessels to travel from the Forth & Clyde canal into the Union Canal - the latter lies 35 metres / 120 feet higher. The Wheel consists of two barges, filled with water and any vessels. They balance each other out, so it only takes 5½ minutes and the power required to boil 7 kettles to rotate 500 tons of water. Visit the above link for details.
If you have 5 minutes and 40 seconds to spare, you can watch the wheel slowly going round.
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There is a canal near me (Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, aka, C&O Canal), but it's system for raising and lowering barges many feet up and down, is a couple centuries old. The wheel is intriguing.
ReplyDeleteTHAT is totally cool!!!!!
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
That was a feat of engineering...wasn't it? Fascinating. Next time I am up in Cumbernauld visiting family I will nip across to Falkirk and have a wee look at this. Its amazing!
ReplyDeleteOnce again...
Thanks Guido. You are certainly educating me with some of your entries.
Jeanie
Wow that is totally amazing....thank you so much for sharing....June:)
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