Collett’s Caledonian Locks Lift

Manufactured at ECS Engineering, the eight gates which would make up the 18.65 Tonne downstream gates and the 13.3 Tonne upstream gates of the Kytra Lock, required transport from Mansfield to Fort Augustus.

Loaded in Mansfield each of the eight 6.3m x 4.8m wide steel lock gates (and their required ancillaries), which would retain the traditional construction of the canal, travelled on Collett’s 45’ rear steer trailers under police and private escort to their Goole Heavy Lift Depot for stockpiling. The first of three stages, the gates then made the journey in convoy towards Glasgow for overnight parking at Carin Lodge Services. The final stage of the trip took the convoy from Cairn Lodge onwards to the Scottish Highlands, arriving at Fort Augustus, some 550 miles away from the Mansfield manufacturing facility.

With the canal’s water levels dropped between Cullochy Lock to the bottom of the Fort Augustus Lock Flight in preparation for their arrival, utilising the rear steer trailers to access the canal towpath, the Team safely delivered each of the lock gates to the canal side for lifting and positioning.

The ongoing project, which sees the replacement of the lock gates at Kytra and Cullochy also involves the addition of 24 new moorings on the 200-year-old waterways. With work taking place during the canal’s quiet seasons Collett will continue to deliver more gates to the project as and when required by the development schedule.

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Source Collett