Boats on Railroad Tracks? Yes!

On the Morris Canal the incline planes were not like a log flume ride, they didn't ride downhill free, the cars were in a cradle that was on tracks and they were fully in control going downhill. The way the plane worked (we walk our dogs in Waterloo Village in NW NJ, there is the remains of an incline plane across the river from Waterloo Village itself), the car going up the incline plane was on a cradle that ran on tracks, and to counterbalance that was a cradle on the other side going down attached to the same cable (so the cradle going downhill acts as a counterweight to the boat going up, and the boat going up helps brake the car going down). There was no slam, the cradle, kind of like a boat trailer, goes into the water and the boat floated off.

They also used tracks to allow boats to be hauled past non navigable sections of a river, they were often called "Portage railroads". John Roebling got one of his first jobs making wire rope for such a portage railroad in Pennsylvania.

@bigkid posted:

On the Morris Canal the incline planes were not like a log flume ride, they didn't ride downhill free, the cars were in a cradle that was on tracks and they were fully in control going downhill. The way the plane worked (we walk our dogs in Waterloo Village in NW NJ, there is the remains of an incline plane across the river from Waterloo Village itself), the car going up the incline plane was on a cradle that ran on tracks, and to counterbalance that was a cradle on the other side going down attached to the same cable (so the cradle going downhill acts as a counterweight to the boat going up, and the boat going up helps brake the car going down). There was no slam, the cradle, kind of like a boat trailer, goes into the water and the boat floated off.

They also used tracks to allow boats to be hauled past non navigable sections of a river, they were often called "Portage railroads". John Roebling got one of his first jobs making wire rope for such a portage railroad in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for the info! I am not at all knowledgeable at all the topic of canals, I just wrote what I heard on the documentary.

I am familiar with Waterloo Village; I haven't been there since my 6th grade field trip. This might warrant a visit back there! 

The root cause of the Johnstown flood.

Jon

What about that park in central Pa. where canal boats were hauled up over the mountains on a stone trough and let down the other side.  I can't now find it on road Atlas, but was there once.

@colorado hirailer posted:

What about that park in central Pa. where canal boats were hauled up over the mountains on a stone trough and let down the other side.  I can't now find it on road Atlas, but was there once.

The Allegheny Portage Railroad? I did a quick search on the internet based on what you said.

Bryce