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All the United Kingdom Scotland Falkirk Falkirk Wheel

Falkirk Wheel

Old-fashioned knowledge and modern engineering create the world's only rotating boatlift.

Falkirk, Scotland

Added By
Sarah Brumble
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Falkirk Wheel   SeanMack/Wikimedia
Locorth Canalks from the slue into the remainder of the Clyde and Forth Canal   Claude Farmer
Falkirk Wheel   Sean Mack/Wikimedia
Falkirk Wheel   AndiW/Wikimedia
Label on tunnel at end of the slue. The tunnel passes undrr Roughcastle, a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall   Claude Farmer
Entry to tunnel beneath Roughcastle fort   Claude Farmer
Jan Canal at night   Jamie Mallon/Flickr
Falkirk Wheel   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Wheel in infrared   jonespet / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Early morning Falkirk Wheel   adamjasonmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  adamjasonmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  adamjasonmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  adamjasonmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  adamjasonmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
The base of the wheel   boobear12777 / Atlas Obscura User
Falkirk Wheel   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
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About

While it may look like a piece of computer-generated scenery straight out of a video game, the Falkirk Wheel actually transports boats from one disjointed canal to another as they navigate the Scottish countryside.

The Millennium Link project sought to restore navigability through central Scotland, but needed to connect the historic Forth and Clyde canals, separated by some 35 meters, in order to do so. Rather than looking for a terraforming, futuristic solution, the Falkirk Wheel's architects and engineers came up with a perfectly old-fashioned mechanical solution: a rotating boatlift.

Unique in the world, the Falkirk Wheel is in a sense quite simple. One boat enters the bottom lift while another (which has traveled on an elevated water bridge from the other canal) enters the top lift. When they are both secure, the wheel turns and the two boats are exchanged, with the one that was on the bottom now zooming off on the elevated waterway.

The Falkirk Wheel functions based on the Archimedes theory of displacement, which states that a floating object (in this case a boat) displaces its precise weight in water. Combining this ancient principle with its perfectly balanced modern design means that a full, seven-minute rotation requires less energy than powering 100 light bulbs!

But what about those spikes? Engineers have been known to come to blows during booze-fueled debates on the matter. In reality, the horns neither compensate for mechanical torque or play in the gears, nor do they break water tension to provide a smooth entry into the bottom canal. Instead, they’re a purely aesthetic nod to the traditional Celtic double-headed spear, while also serving as a metaphor for how the Wheel helps to connect the 'backbone' of Scotland's waterways.

Related Tags

Inventions Architectural Oddities Engineering Boats Water Architecture

Know Before You Go

Approximately 23 miles from both Glasgow and Edinburgh by train. The Falkirk Wheel is accessible from either Falkirk Grahamston or Falkirk High Station. There are taxi ranks at both stations and it is a short ride to the Wheel. The First Bus No 3 Red Line also runs every 15 minutes from stops close to both stations (limited service on Sundays).

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Added By

littlebrumble

Edited By

kostas1964ath, Allison, Jaszmina Szendrey, fredfarkel...

  • kostas1964ath
  • Allison
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • fredfarkel
  • Dr Alan P Newman
  • SEANETTA
  • boobear12777
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • Gavin
  • jonespet
  • adamjasonmoore

Published

November 12, 2009

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Sources
  • http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel
  • http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2009/03/05/what-are-the-horns-for.aspx
Falkirk Wheel
141 Ochiltree Terrace
Falkirk, Scotland, FK1 4LS
United Kingdom
56.000333, -3.841664
Visit Website
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Photo of Falkirk

Falkirk

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