Empire Sandy - Onboard - Part Four - Twin Flight Locks

Twin Flight Locks - Locks 4, 5 & 6

05 August 2014

Approaching the first of the Twin Flight Locks (downbound) - Lock 6

Lock 6 just ahead

Entering Lock 6

Lock 6  friendly line handlers.
Ships remain under their own power at all times and are each secured in the lock chamber by a crew of St. Lawrence Seaway line handlers.

Empire Sandy - in Lock 6

Lock 6 gates beginning to open

Leaving Lock 6 

Entering Lock 5 - railroad bridge is raised ahead of us

Looking back at Lock 6 from Lock 5

Looking at the back of Lock 5 when fully lowered

Leaving Lock 5 and entering Lock 4 - railroad bridge fully raised in front of us

Entering Lock 4 - the last of the Twin Flight Locks

Looking at the back of Lock 4 when the Empire Sandy was fully lowered

Leaving Lock 4 and heading to Glendale Bridge

Once a vessel passes through Lock 7, it sails out north into the Twin Flight Locks. This is the most complex part of the Welland Canal System, where the magic happens! Locks 4, 5 and 6 make up the Twin Flight Locks. This is where the ships climb the mountain because this set of locks function like giant steps in a large flight of stairs. At this point, the locks will raise or lower a ship three times the distance as a regular lock, since this is where the Niagara Escarpment falls. It also allows for two-way traffic, so a vessel can be going upbound, at the same time that one is going downbound. The water levels always have to be correct, so the vessels can traverse the escarpment smoothly.  It truly is an engineering masterpiece!  

Quote from Niagara Green Belt website