myaroslav
Electric mules of Panama canal are well known, but there are other locks in the world where tow locomotives were applied. Electric tow for moving rafts was implemented at Perm hydroelectric plant locks in 1950s. That time large amounts of wood were cut in the upper part of Kama river and transported in large rafts. While boats and barges were usually able to pass the lock without assistance, guiding rafts of wood through the lock required too much tugs: due to large surface it was needed to split the raft into many parts, so application of locomotives promised to fasten passing locks. May be that rare water-saving 6-chamber lock construction had also been chosen in assumption of dense raft traffic. Special version of light industrial #II-KP4 locos was built for servicing the lock having the lower speed and higher traction force. They are having winch under the cab. When the amount of transported wood had fallen, rafts went out of use: transporting logs on board of boats increased both waterway safety and wood quality. So the towing system stands rusting for some years today. #photo #train #electric #industrial
