voiddonothing

The Niederfinow boat lift is the oldest extant boat lift in Germany. It lies on the Oder-Havel-Kanal near Niederfinow in Brandenburg. The lift overcomes a difference in elevation of 36m.

This building is an Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict Industrial heritage. In December 2007 it received the "Historisches Wahrzeichen der Ingenieurbaukunst in Deutschland" award of the the Bundesingenieurkammer of Germany.

The boat lift consists of 14,000 Tonnes of riveted structural steelwork standing on steel columns. The Oder-Havel-Kanal approaches the head of the lift on a 4,000 Tonne riveted steelwork aqueduct. The trough when filled weighs 4,290 tonnes and hangs on 256 steel cables, these cross over guide rollers and support 192 counterweights which balance the trough. The security of the lift is maintained by keeping half the cables in tension and the other half relaxed in reserve. The guide rollers have a diameter of 3.5m.

Pin gearing with D.C.motors in Leonards electric motor speed controllers, connected together by a shaft allow a symmetrical drive. This arrangement allows the exact synchronisation of the four pin gears. The four Leonard controllers each have an output of 55 kilowatts totalling 220 kilowatts. Four worm geared shafts are driven which intersect with internal threads built into the troughs. These move freely under normal circumstances but would seize if a cable broke providing extra safety.

Planning for the new boat lift

Because of the continuing increase in traffic on the Oder-Havel-Kanal, in 1997 it was decided that a new, bigger lift should be built. In the autumn of 2006 earthworks began between the lift and the old staircase locks. The new lift is due to be finished in 2012. The trough will be 112m long and 11.6m wide and weigh 9000 Tonnes. The cost will be 150 million euros. The old lift will remain in use however until at least 2025.

Source: Wikipedia