1907,1969,2023 Kirkfield Lift Lock (#36) on Trent-Severn Waterway

(Historic Bridges; Satellite, 1,608 photos)

Part of the Trent-Severn Waterway

Street View, Jun 2015

Lock #36 via Dennis DeBruler
42.2m (138') x 10.2m (33') x 14.9m (49')
"The Kirkfield Lift Lock is the second highest hydraulic lift lock in the world with a lift of 15 metres (49 ft). The lock is situated at the highest point along the Waterway at 256.20 meters (840.5 ft) above sea level."

Portland Cement In The Trent-Severn Canal Lift Locks

Gord Young, Editor for Lakefield Heritage Research provided the following detailed discussion which explains why the Kirkfield Lift Lock has the trussed steel towers instead of concrete, and the significance of the Portland Cement that was used in the Peterborough Lift Lock.

The Peterborough Lift Lock is the largest and tallest compressed Portland cement structure in the world. We know this, because test walls created at the Lakefield Portland Cement Company's former property have the highest density Portland cement recorded. Kirkfield Lift Lock on the other hand had to substitute a steel cage using the same shape as that at Peterborough, only because Rogers and later, Grant who replaced Rogers, could not get adequate "on-time" deliveries of the Lakefield Portland Cement Company. Something was wrong with the materials coming out of a Portland cement plant that was created near Kirkfield to try to alleviate the problem. Nothing worked for Grant. He threw up his hands and built the steel-caging instead. The design for Peterborough and Kirkfield was based on the Peavey-Haglin grain elevator in St. Paul MN. Only two things changed from the grain elevator to the lift locks. The concrete forms were squared, and, the Portland cement was compressed after being poured. Haglin's grain elevator was a simple Portland pour. Both lift locks and the grain elevator used the same principle of pour a form and then jack-up the form when the lower-half was nearly set. Rogers had a certain amount of Portland cement poured into the form, then had it tamped until it was nearly dry, poured more, tamped, poured more, tamped, then when full, began jacking up the form. Now that the outer slathing-parging has peeled off, you can see the ridges of the pouring forms.

[HistoricBridges]

TalesFromTheAmericanWaterways-3 via Dennis DeBruler
From inside the Kirkfield Lift Lock

Rick Stout commented on a post: "It was the upper gate that gave way at Kirkfield in 2022. It was lucky it was Marc Ackert who was in the lock at the time because it would have sank any small boats. Of course it was all seniors on the KV and a challenge to get them off the boat onto shore. Marc was scared the whole gate was going to let go. Poor Luke at the lock ran his heart out to get to the safety gate up stream but 6 ft of water in the reach still had to drain to be safe. As it was the water started over flowing over the top of the tub which made that tub heavier and it came down to the lower level again and Marc was able to back out."

Rick Stout commented on a post

On going repairs in 2023 to the Kirkfield Lock. Thanks to Western Mechanical in Barrie, they found a way to pump water into the system to raise and lower one tub but it was a 55 minute upbound and 20 minute down.

Rick Stout commented on a post

Sep 25, 2022:

KawarthanNow
"Ontario Waterway Cruises' Kawartha Voyageur was proceeding through the Kirkfield Lift Lock on September 2, 2022 when the lock experienced a mechanical failure. The lock, which has been closed since then, will reopen on September 26 for limited, single-chamber lockages for vessels returning to their home ports that cannot be trailered. (Photo: Ontario Waterway Cruises / Facebook)"
Boaters had to register for a date and time to use the lock. Upbound was six hours and downbound was 30 minutes. (Pumping a high flow against a 15m (49') head must be a challenge.)

 

Jan 26, 2023:

ThePeterboroughExaminer
Work to begin to fix Kirkfield Lift Lock at a cost of $7.2 million
"On Sept. 2, Lock 36 — the Kirkfield Lift Lock on the Trent Severn Waterway — suffered a mechanical failure, resulting in the site’s closure....“The contractor will arrive at the site in the near future with the goal of having the lift lock fully operational by the beginning of the 2023 navigation season,” states Parks Canada."

May 15, 2023: It was not fully restored at the beginning of the 2023 navigation season, but they did install bigger pumps.

ParksCanada
"These single-chamber lockages will operate on demand and are estimated to take approximately 60 minutes. This timing will be finalized upon the final commissioning of a new pump installation. In addition, short delays may be experienced as vessels are grouped for each transfer. Boaters are being requested to remain on their vessels during the transfer and listen carefully to all instructions provided by lock staff."

May 23, 2023:

NationalParksTraveler
Kirkfield Lift Lock Launches Season With Single-Chamber Lockages

I have not been able to find when the repairs were completed.