Lock Sizes on the Weaver

[Peter X]

Are we discussing just the UK? This says the world's biggest lock is the Kieldrecht lock in Antwerp, 500m x 68m, opened in June 2016:

http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/194563/worlds-biggest-lock-officially-opened/

 

In the same month the Panama Canal opened some new locks so they can get bigger ships than before through, but still only 366m x 49m.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamax#New_Panamax

[Tacet]

 

 

That's a fair point. On the River Idle at West Stockwith there are two guillotine sluices, which can be operated like a lock, on the rare occasions when boats pass through. About 1,100 feet long (with a slight kink). Width variable but about 70 foot. Certainly the biggest turf sided lock in the UK, maybe the world?

 

stockwith.jpg

 

According to the internent, there is a 40 mile "lock" (aka pound) bewteen Preston Brook and Wigan. The rise is small, I'll grant you.

 

Rather more practically, the former Limehouse Basin ship lock was a good size and regularly used by inland craft; at 350 x 60 ft it was seven times the current tiddler.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Tacet

[Mike Todd]

From my notes facts and figures for Marsh lock, max. length of vessel 66.4m (218ft), max. beam 12.19m (40ft), max. draught 3.2m (10ft 6in), other locks on the Weaver will be the same dimensions

Maximum size is one thing, actual size is another as there are two locks of different sizes at some locations.

Are we discussing just the UK? This says the world's biggest lock is the Kieldrecht lock in Antwerp, 500m x 68m, opened in June 2016:

http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/194563/worlds-biggest-lock-officially-opened/

 

In the same month the Panama Canal opened some new locks so they can get bigger ships than before through, but still only 366m x 49m.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamax#New_Panamax

Heard the Captain of the QEII on the radio a few days ago saying that the ship is Panamax which means that when they go through there is just 300mm either side! The fees are also six figures!

[Pluto]

That's a fair point. On the River Idle at West Stockwith there are two guillotine sluices, which can be operated like a lock, on the rare occasions when boats pass through. About 1,100 feet long (with a slight kink). Width variable but about 70 foot. Certainly the biggest turf sided lock in the UK, maybe the world?

 

stockwith.jpg

The longest lock is probably on the Gauja-Daugava Canal in Latvia. Built in 1907, there is a lock at one end approaching one mile in length, though the gates are only around 18 feet in width. It was used for handling floating timber between the river Gauja and Riga. The lock was filled with logs at high water levels through a conventional mitre gate, and then a vertical gate at the other end was raised and the logs floated down a sloping section into lakes at the other end, where tugs collected them into rafts for delivery to Riga.

 

Regarding Weston Marsh, the 1907 Royal Commission gives dimensions of 229 feet by 42.5 feet, with 16 feet over the sill. The lock opposite into the Mersey was larger, at 600 feet by 45 feet. This was provided to allow boats to access to the Weaver without having to pay Ship Canal tolls.

[mykaskin]

Of course, everyone is forgetting what must be one of the biggest locks in the UK, Weston Point Dock at roughtly 1000 ft x 126 ft chamber, has fitted over 150 narrow boats with room to do doughnuts in the middle for anyone who would feel the need!

 

As seen here, from 1:17...

 

 

 

Mike

[Scholar Gypsy]

The longest lock is probably on the Gauja-Daugava Canal in Latvia. Built in 1907, there is a lock at one end approaching one mile in length, though the gates are only around 18 feet in width. It was used for handling floating timber between the river Gauja and Riga. The lock was filled with logs at high water levels through a conventional mitre gate, and then a vertical gate at the other end was raised and the logs floated down a sloping section into lakes at the other end, where tugs collected them into rafts for delivery to Riga.

With apologies for pedantry, can you use this lock going uphill? The reference to a sloping section suggests maybe not. Surely if you can only go downhill it's not a lock?

[Pluto]

With apologies for pedantry, can you use this lock going uphill? The reference to a sloping section suggests maybe not. Surely if you can only go downhill it's not a lock?

Yes, it was only used in one direction.

[Machpoint005]

>>> How can it be 29 - which is a prime number? Perhaps Mr Harding has just divided the area of the lock by the area of a full length narrow boat?

 

 

Why is the fact that 29 is prime relevant in any way, please?

[RLWP]

Why is the fact that 29 is prime relevant in any way, please?

Because you can't divide it by anything. So you can't have two rows, or three rows, or five rows. The boats must either be stacked across the lock or not all be the same size

 

The probability is, they are not all the same size, or the maths is wrong

 

Richard

[WotEver]

 

Why is the fact that 29 is prime relevant in any way, please?

I thought it was just me.

[Machpoint005]

Because you can't divide it by anything. So you can't have two rows, or three rows, or five rows. The boats must either be stacked across the lock or not all be the same size

 

The probability is, they are not all the same size, or the maths is wrong

 

Richard

 

So you can have 29 average narrowboats -- why is that not permissible?

I thought it was just me.

 

Nah, we're everywhere.

[RLWP]

 

So you can have 29 average narrowboats -- why is that not permissible?

 

Let's say you wanted to express the size of the lock in double decker buses. Presumably you would use twenty (say) double deckers. Not eighteen double deckers and two minibuses

 

What size is a 'narrowboat'? Sort of makes the measure meaningless really, unless they are all the same size

 

What pattern are you going to use for your 29 'average' narowboats, then?

 

Richard

Edited January 12, 2017 by RLWP

[WotEver]

Because you can't divide it by anything. So you can't have two rows, or three rows, or five rows. The boats must either be stacked across the lock or not all be the same size

 

The probability is, they are not all the same size, or the maths is wrong

 

Richard

Why can't you have 4 rows of 7 with one more across the front of them?

[RLWP]

Why can't you have 4 rows of 7 with one more across the front of them?

 

Dunno, does that work? The lock is 40' across, so seven rows of forty footers is too long. But you can have more than 4 rows of seven foot boats

 

Richard