falkirk wheel, scotland

Scotland, UK

A Scottish Story

Between the ports of Grangemouth and Falkirk the Forth & Clyde canal, was excavated in 1777 connecting

the east coast of Scotland.

Later, in 1822, the channel was completed connecting Falkirk and

Edinburgh.

The relief of the region required the use of 11 locks to secure the traffic between

Glasgow and Edinburgh.

They had to overcome an uneveness They had to overcome an uneveness of 24 meters in heightof 24 meters in height..

In 1963, after 150 years of operation, construction started of a work of exceptional

craftsmanship

The rotation exchange was named"Falkirk Wheel"

This fantastic device, completed in 2002, has become the symbol of modern

Scotland, allowing savings of travel time and energy

The SiteThe Site

This is the only mechanism in the world to transfer a vessel through rotation.

A set of two containers filled with water, one above and one below, each with a capacity

for one or more vessels, allows to simultaneously transfer from the upper level

to the bottom level which is higher.

The lower channel access is through a lockThe lower channel access is through a lock

The upper channel ……

... Access is through a viaduct

A vessel enters the upper level viaductA vessel enters the upper level viaduct

The vessel in the upper level is readyThe vessel in the upper level is ready

Upper LevelUpper Level

Lower levelLower level

115 ft.115 ft.

During rotation each vessel is kept horizontal by a set of During rotation each vessel is kept horizontal by a set of gearsgears

Both vessels remain horizontalBoth vessels remain horizontal

Ongoing rotationOngoing rotation

rotation near its endrotation near its end

When rotation is completed the boats vessels can leave the When rotation is completed the boats vessels can leave the trays. The photo below is the lower level accesstrays. The photo below is the lower level access

Entry of a vessel to the lower trough

The closure of the bulkheads, the

balance of water levels and the

rotation of the vessel require

around 15 minutes

Ready to begin again with other boats.Ready to begin again with other boats.

The weight of the container, 25 feet long, filled with water The weight of the container, 25 feet long, filled with water and a loaded vessel reaches 300 tonsand a loaded vessel reaches 300 tons

Since both receptacles must weigh the same, together with the water fill corresponding to the volume of the vessel, it is necessary to balance

the weight by regulating water levels.

To close the upstream and downstream bulkheads and complete a rotation of 180 degrees,

energy consumption of the engines is 22.5 Kwh

This rotating work has completely transformed the river journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh making it very

interesting from the tourism point of view

The End