Ronquieres canal inclined plane - photo

[Scotsman Hosie]

Another example of engineering I can't wrap my head around. Water, being as heavy as it is (the boat, after all, displaces it's own weight with an equivalent volume of water). I can't imagine the weight — let alone the power needed to raise it the height of that incline. It must be like raising a few hundred boats. So you'd think they could come up with a far more efficient means, of getting a boat from point A — to point B. But then, I'm sometimes baffled by any number of the other so-called wonders of modern engineering.

[Frank S]

Another example of engineering I can't wrap my head around. Water, being as heavy as it is (the boat, after all, displaces it's own weight with an equivalent volume of water). I can't imagine the weight — let alone the power needed to raise it the height of that incline. It must be like raising a few hundred boats. So you'd think they could come up with a far more efficient means, of getting a boat from point A — to point B. But then, I'm sometimes baffled by any number of the other so-called wonders of modern engineering.

Actually the system is far more efficient that the series of 14 locks it replaced both in energy consumption as well as in water conservation
Just think of it as a huge freight elevator with a 1350 ton cap having a 5,200 ton counter weight. the only power required is for the friction drive winches pulling on the cables and that required to open and close the gates
" The Ronquières Inclined Plane has a length of 1,432 metres (4,698 ft) and lifts boats through 67.73 metres (222.2 ft)[2] vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures 91 metres (299 ft) long by 12 metres (39 ft) wide and has a water depth between 3 and 3.70 metres (9.8 and 12.1 ft). It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within the same limits.
Each caisson has a 5,200-tonne counterweight running in the trough below the rails, which permits the caisson to be moved independently of the other.[2] Each caisson is pulled by 8 cables wound by winches located at the top end of the inclined plane. Each cable is 1,480 metres (4,860 ft) long.
Each caisson can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of 1.2 metres per second (3.9 ft/s), taking about 22 minutes.
It takes 50 minutes in total to pass through the 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) of the entire structure, including the raised canal bridge at the top end."

[Scotsman Hosie]

Actually the system is far more efficient that the series of 14 locks it replaced...

Thank you — that's a mind-opening explanation, Frank. (And polite way of reminding me that Google can be your friend.)