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The Ronquières Inclined Plane is a Belgian
Image:Ronquières JPG02.jpg, Boat waiting before the inclined plane
Image:Ronquières JPG03.jpg, Lower control tower and machine hall
Image:Ronquiières Schëffslift.JPG, Caisson leaving lower lock
Image:Ronquières JPG04.jpg, Caisson en route
Image:Ronquières JPG05.jpg, The inclined plane
Image:RonquièresPlanIncliné1.jpg, Caisson en route
Ronquières, the non official siteOfficial Site
* — with photos {{DEFAULTSORT:Ronquieres inclined plane Transport infrastructure completed in 1968 Canal inclined planes Locks of Belgium Buildings and structures in Hainaut (province)
The Ronquières Inclined Plane is a Belgian canal inclined plane
An inclined plane is a type of cable railway used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings.
History
Inclined planes have evolved over the ...
on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal
Brussels South Charleroi Airport, nl, Luchthaven Zuid-Brussel Charleroi, german: Flughafen Brüssel-Charleroi (BSCA), also unofficially called Brussels-Charleroi Airport, Charleroi Airport or rarely ''Gosselies Airport'', is an internationa ...
in the province of Hainaut in Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
that opened in April 1968 after six years of construction. It is in the municipality of Braine-le-Comte
Braine-le-Comte (; nl, ’s-Gravenbrakel, ; wa, Brinne-e-Hinnot) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On January 1, 2018, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 21,649. The total area is whic ...
and takes its name from the nearby village of Ronquières
Ronquières ( wa, Ronkière) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
It is best known as the location of the Ronquières inclined plane on the Brussels-Charleroi ...
.
The purpose of the construction was to reduce the delays imposed by the 14 locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
(already reduced from 16 in the 19th century), which had hitherto been needed for the canal to follow the local topography.
Description
The Ronquières Inclined Plane has a length of and lifts boats through vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures long by wide and has a water depth between . 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. Each caisson is pulled by 8 cables wound by capstans located at the top end of the inclined plane. Each cable is long. Each caisson can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of , taking about 22 minutes. It takes 50 minutes in total to pass through the of the entire structure, including the raised canal bridge at the top end.In popular culture
* The film ''Brussels by Night
Brussels by Night is a Belgian drama film from 1983, directed by former Humo journalist Marc Didden. The low budget picture was financed partly by Herman Schueremans, organizer of the Flemish rock festival Rock Werchter. The film was named after ...
(1983)'' takes place (in part) at the inclined plane of Ronquières.
Photo gallery
Further reading
* * *See also
* Strépy-Thieu boat lift * Article on the French-language Wikipedia from which this article was translated *Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part o ...
References
External links
Ronquières, the non official site
* — with photos {{DEFAULTSORT:Ronquieres inclined plane Transport infrastructure completed in 1968 Canal inclined planes Locks of Belgium Buildings and structures in Hainaut (province)