The Falkirk Wheel

[billtils]

A wee geography/history lesson first of all. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the two main cities in Scotland, about 42 miles apart, and in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the main trading link between the two was provided by the Union and the Forth and Clyde Canals. The journey involved a series of locks - 39 on the Forth and Clyde Canal - or a circuitous routing on the Union Canal. Many factors, including the rise of steam trains and the modern dependance on motor transport led to the declne and near demise of both.

The two canals have been resurrected as a tourist/recreational entity, originally using a flight of 11 locks, but the ingenious Falkirk Wheel boat lift now provides an easy link for canal voyagers and an attraction in its own right.

Here are a few shots from a family trip yesterday.

[Geoff F]

A wonderful bit of engineering.

[Manfred M]

Reminds me a little of the Peterborough Lift Locks on the Trent Canal; also an engineering oddity. It opened in 1904 and had a lift of 20m / 65 ft. I'd love to get a look at the Falkirk Wheel if my travels ever take me to that part of the world.

[pschlute]

Quite fascinating. I just watched a video on how it all works. It only uses 1.5kWh of energy to make a half turn, equivalent to boiling 8 household kettles !

[DanK]

Interesting.

Are those solar panels on the right?

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[billtils]

Are those solar panels on the right?

I'm not sure Dan. Their website says they plan to install 85 panels by fiscal year 2022-23 but I couldn't find an update. I've emailed them and will let you know (if they reply ...).

Bill

[DanK]

Here’s another comparison. 1.5 kWh will drive a moderate-sized EV about 4.3 miles/ 7 km.

(On this side of the pond, one of the statistics the govt provides about EVs is the energy consumption in kWh per 100 miles, in town and on the road. I don’t recall the details of either statistic, e.g., the speed.)


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[billtils]

Interesting.

Are those solar panels on the right?

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Dan, no reply from the "Wheel" re the panels but the most recent post ("Ex Machina") shows the structures to be windows, not PV panels.

[Jim A]

Ah, Bill, the title caught my eye and attracted me. I have seen quite a few photos of the wheel in the past, indeed a friend lent us a small book which details all about it. Enjoyed looking at your images!

[billtils]

Thanks Jim, glad you enjoyed them.