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Fun: Visiting a special Severn Waterway lock (Lock 44)
Learn: Transportation, Engineering
We cross a street at the zebra crossings. Boats need to do the same to overcome obstacles such as rocky riverbeds. In Coldwater, Severn Region, Ontario, there is a special lock belonging to the Trent-Severn Waterway System, where we can witness boats climbing a rocky hill and crossing a road.
This is the Trent-Severn Waterway Lock 44, a.k.a. Big Chute Marine Railway.
Unlike conventional locks, which include upper and lower sluices and a lock chamber, the Big Chute lock uses a railway to carry boats.
Address: 7001 Upper Big Chute Rd, Coldwater, Ontario
In Google Map, search "Big Chute Marine Railway" for accurate location.
Travel Tip:
The lock 44 closes its operation before sunset.
The building next to the lock has an observation deck, snack shop, and restroom.
The rocky hill that boats climb
Cable controlled railway
2025 Summer Contest (HDSB students only)
During operation, towards the end of the carriage's travel, the structure has a slight "nose down" angle, not in parallel with the slope of the rails. Can you find the secret to how to keep the platform almost horizontally balanced during the entire travel only by watching videos or observation on site? And build a model structure to demo the operation.
Once you find the secret, please send your answer and a photo of the model to the first email at the bottom of the webpage.
Photo/Video: by Xin Yi Zhang (2016). Sorry they are not in HD.
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