Old Hickory Lock, Dam and Powerhouse on the Cumberland River

(Satellite)

Old Hickory Lock was opened to navigation traffic in June 1954.  The lock chamber is 397 feet long and 84 feet wide.  During normal lake levels, the lock will lift a boat 60 feet from the river below the dam to the lake above the dam.  The lock releases over 15 million gallons of water each time is emptied. [USACE]

USACE photo by Leee Roberts from WorkBoat

The choice of the above photo by WorkBoat was interesting because the article was about shipping Illinois Basic coal for export from Princeton, IN by Norfolk Southern through their Lamberts Point terminal in Norfolk, VA. The alternative export option is by barge down the Ohio and Mississippi for midstream transfer at New Orleans. I don't see how this lock would ever see export coal from any Illinois Basin producer. Maybe there just are not that many pictures of coal barges in a lock.

Old Hickory Lake
Old Hickory Lock at Cumberland River mile 216.2 in Old Hickory, Tennessee, held its grand opening to pleasure boats Sept. 9, 1956. Nearly 10,000 people swarmed the lock and dam structure to see the first pleasure boat named the Avalon lock through.

Pickwick Lock shared
Travis C. Vasconcelos: For September, there are barely leaves on the trees and the folks on the wall are dressed pretty warmly.
Pickwick Lock: Travis C. Vasconcelos Observant. The info was with the photo. Will try to reconfirm the info.

In the Summer of 2015, they dewatered the lock for a month to do standard 5-year maintenance work. This consists of  welding cracks and replacing worn parts. They also "had ERDC (Engineer Research and Development Center) come in and apply a carbon fiber reinforced polymer to the lower gates....The applications of CFRP at Old Hickory Lock will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of this repair method and how it is impacted by exposure in a wet environment." [dvidshub]

USACE photo by Leon Roberts from dodlive

USACE photo by Leon Roberts from dodlive

One of nine photos shared by Pickwick Lock from a tour of the lock

2 of 7 photos posted by USACE-repair:

a
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District inspects and performs scheduled maintenance July 27, 2015 at Old Hickory Lock in Old Hickory, Tenn. The lock is empty of water until Aug. 4, 2015 while maintenance crews inspect the lock chamber and perform scheduled maintenance."

b

From lead230:






This is the first time I have seen a lock without a grate over the gears and the other machinery bays. Also note that they store the bulkhead pieces in a "bay" beside the lock so they will be ready for the next 5-year maintenance cycle and for emergency repairs.

Screenshot