right|thumb|Inclined plane on [[Marne–Rhine Canal with a caisson]]

thumb|Inclined plane of the [[Elbląg Canal with a cradle]]

An inclined plane is a type of boat lift cable railway used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings.

History

Inclined planes have evolved over the centuries. Some of the first were used by the Egyptians to bypass waterfalls on the Nile.

Timeline

  • 600BC – The Diolkos, an early Greek inclined plane, was in use.
  • 385AD – Inclined planes were in use on the Grand Canal in China.
  • 1788 – An inclined plane was built by William Reynolds and used, for the first time in England, to raise canal boats on England's Ketley Canal.
  • 1792 – William Reynolds of Ketley Ironworks constructed several inclined planes on the Shropshire Canal.
  • 1792–1921 – In 1792 the Shropshire Tub Canals were built incorporating a number of inclined planes. One of these, the Trench plane closed in 1921 and brought to an end boat-carrying inclined planes in Britain
  • 1800 – Francis Henry Egerton (1756–1829), who became The 8th Earl of Bridgewater in 1823, wrote 'The Description of the Inclined Plane at Walkden Moor. (Lancashire)
  • 1806–1828 Two inclined planes built on the Stollen Canal at Gliwice, Upper Silesia. (see below)
  • 1837–1865 – The extension to the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal, Wales opened in 1837, including two counterbalanced inclined planes and one single-track one.
  • 1849–1942 – Inclined plane built on the Monkland Canal near Blackhill, Scotland to supplement existing locks. The ship capacity is up to 1500 tons, maximum ship size is and elevation is . This is an electric rack railway. The track gauge of the railway is , making it the widest gauge railway of any type in the world.

Without caissons

  • Morris Canal, Northern New Jersey

<gallery mode=packed class="center">

Image:Ronquières JPG01.jpg|Ronquières inclined plane

File:Ru200107240021.jpg|The Krasnoyarsk Dam's inclined plane, an electric rack railway

</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" class="center">

File:Dahme-Umflutkanal-06-VI-2007-313.jpg|Inclined plane on Dahme Flood Relief Canal, showing the cradle at rest

File:Oberländischer Kanal2.jpg|Inclined plane on the Elbląg Canal, showing a vessel entering the cradle

File:Canal Tender at Plane 7 East on Morris Canal from HABS.png|Plane tender at inclined plane 7 East (in background) on the Morris Canal

</gallery>

See also

  • Boat lift
  • Cable car (railway)
  • Cable railway
  • Funicular
  • Inclined plane – the simple machine
  • Lock (water transport)
  • Patent slip
  • Portage
  • Stairlift
  • Water slope

References

Further reading

  • Article on the C & O incline plane
  • Photo of St Louis-Arzviller inclined plane, Canal de La Marne au Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine, France
  • Second photo of St Louis-Arzviller inclined plane
  • The inclined plane of Ronquières (official site)
  • Ronquières Inclined Plane
  • Photos of Ronquières inclined plane
  • Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric dam boat lift — photograph gallery showing all stages of ship elevation
  • Funicular railways of the UK &ndash; Mainly concerning Funiculars but with a good section on canal inclined planes
  • Overtoom &ndash; Dutch Overtoom page
  • Avenhorn Overhaal