Teter toter over Peterborough Loft Lock 21
08 September 2018 | Lakefield
This morning I had a few last minute engine room things to do, and Susan went for groceries. It seems to be an endless patern just like at home; groceries, fuel, garbage, repairs. You just take your lifestyle on the road!
Rene and Antje drove us back to the boat last night as we wanted to get an "early" start. I say this figuritively, as now the locks are on reduced fall hours, 10 to 4. We just went 10 miles today, but climbed 7 locks for a total of 141 feet of rise.
What makes these locks facinating is that no electrical power is used to move the trays. Another thought is that no matter how many boats are in the trays, The Weight Never Changes! Huh? Well as boats go in, they displace an equal amount of water, so there is never any differance in weight.
The way the locks operate; each lock is balanced on a hydraulic piston about 6 feet across. They are cross connected with a 18 inch pipe with a valve. The top tray always stops 12 inches below the canal water level. A valve is opened filling the top tray. Then the cross connecting valve is opened, and the heavier tray pushes water through the connecting valve, pushing the tray that is down, up. Just add water! And this was built in 1890. The perfect K.I.S.S. Machine.
We are staying at Lakefield tonight, and on to Fenlon Falls (we hope) tomorrow. Monday will be a rain day, so we shall stay alongside. Transiting Locks in the rain is not much fun!
I have a youtube link below of a Parks Canada time lapse of the locks in action. The Picture is of the lock
https://youtu.be/eE_uS9hy0LI