1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. The museum had some nice displays and information but what I came to this location to mainly see was the Canal Locks that have survived do to the major preservation efforts. It was wonderful to actually be able to walk up and touch the stone locks that D&H Canal boats once traveled nearly 200 years ago. Keep in mind this part of D&H history pre-dates railroads in the US. Here are a few shots we took of Lock #16 [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
As a brit who lives very close to a canal and just started N gauge the history and photo you present are facinating and I look forward to your posts.
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Also at Lock #16 we found one of the stones where you can see where the Ropes have worn into them from the years of usage. [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]
As I progress with this chapter of RRAdventures you will see American RR History be born right out of a canal with with ties back to England!!!
The rope wear is interesting. I wonder if they treated ropes in any way to keep them from quickly being frayed and breaking?
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. In this area are several Locks so off we go exploring. You can see some more Rope cuts in another stone at this lock as well. The canal from all information I have seen the flow was not much but decades of having boats tied up at each lock left their mark... [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Here are a few shots of the locks in this area [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
Canal boats were not that big back then. I remember the old song we use to sing in grade school. Although it was about the Erie Canal I suppose the boats were about the same on both systems.
I also would like to know how wide. In the UK the early canals locks are about 10 ft wide in places if for single boats and about 20 ft for 2 abrest. The canal boats could carry thirty tons at a time with only one horse pulling so I guess these would be the same unless US horses are bigger ;-).
I do know those barges were not large. But seeing how narrow these locks appear, knowing the boats were ever narrower.... Seems smaller than I'd imagined. We sang the same song in grade school.
From the information I have, the Locks were 90’ long, 15’ wide, and 15’ deep, and provides an average change in elevation of 12.6’. The first boats carried 30 tons of coal but the D&H CC did use 100 ton boats in the end
Fifteen feet wide? Guess my eyes must be getting old. They sure look much narrower, which is why my wondering. Interesting.
360 View Want to mess with your eyes, try this 360 View that someone took of a D&H lock http://www.360cities.net/image/delaware-and-hudson-canal-lock-new-paltz
Yikes. I'm dizzy now! Weird page, as after about fifteen seconds, it jumped me into a language learning course site.
I'm finding this really interesting. While in St. Louis this past weekend, Angela and I kept finding "abandoned ROWs". I started to notice the curves were a bit sharper then she noticed that the two "ROWs" had a small canal between them. So they must have had a series of these coming in from the Mississippi river? Interesting how we forget how important this form of transportation once was.
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. While also in Cuddebackville, NY, we tracked down Lock #51 [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
Speaking of the Erie Canal, after Maurice Wurts (Co-Founder of the D&H) did a rough survey for the D&H Canal, he hired Benjamin Wright to make the detail appraisal of the route. Benjamin Wright would later become the Principal Engineer of the Erie Canal that would be built 2 years later I didn't have that happen to me but I do know there are icons within the image that if you click on them they will take you to another 360 site or even outside the site so maybe you click on one of them Yes, large and small canals have been a source of waterways for a longtime that many today don't even notice there historical / current existence. I worked on the Highline Canal here in Denver that is a Irrigation / Recreation waterway that runs 66 miles. It was conceived in 1870 and construction began in 1880 and completed in 1883 and it too has it's aqueducts/flumes. Not all of the route is open to the public but I have walked the entire route as part of my job working the canal one summer. I have also experienced transitioning the Panama Canal by boat but will save that for a later RRAdventures chapter...
1998: Delaware and Hudson (175th) - cont. Also here at Lock #51 is the Lock Tenders Home [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] - [/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
Apparently being a lock tender was a well respected and rewarded position. That's a lovely home, one in which I could become quite comfortable.
