Project #24 - Peterborough’s Trent Lock

Lock 21 is the world’s highest hydraulic boat lift, the eco-friendly structure raises and lowers boats 65 feet, using only gravity and water pressure, requiring no external electricity.

• Traditional lock systems of the time were considered too slow to overcome the 65-foot elevation change. In 1896, Richard B. Rogers traveled to Europe to study existing hydraulic lift systems and canal engineering. He returned with an innovative concept that adapted European hydraulic lift technology to the unique challenges of the Canadian landscape, leading to the design of one of the most remarkable engineering achievements on the Trent–Severn Waterway..

• Seeking to boost local employment, the project was fast-tracked as a federal initiative that year, and construction soon began.

• At the time, it was a massive engineering project and one of the largest unreinforced concrete structures ever constructed. More than 20,000 cubic meters of Portland cement concrete were used in its construction.

• The enormous steel caissons were contracted to the Dominion Bridge Company for fabrication and installation. The overall project took more than eight years to complete from initial construction through final commissioning.

• Opened to the public on July 9, 1904, at a cost of $560,000

Fun Nuggets:

• The lock operates on the principle of balance, using two water-filled caissons that act like giant counterbalanced chambers on hydraulic rams. By adding approximately one foot of water to the upper caisson, it becomes about 144 tons heavier, causing it to descend. As it lowers, the hydraulic system forces the lower caisson to rise, allowing vessels to be lifted or lowered between levels.

• The system is beautifully simple in its design and takes only about three minutes to complete a full cycle.
  

• It still operates much as it did over a century ago and is enjoyed today by both tourists and local groups.