The Panama Canal Mule

by Rene Triay FineArt Photos

Title

The Panama Canal Mule

Artist

Rene Triay FineArt Photos

Medium

Photograph - Photos

Description

The Electric train called mules that keep the ships straight side to side while traversing the locks in the Panama canal.

Wikipedia: From the outset, it was considered an important safety feature that ships be guided though the lock chambers by electric locomotives, known as mulas (mules, named after the animals traditionally used to cross the isthmus of Panama), running on the lock walls. These mules are used for side-to-side and braking control in the locks, which are narrow relative to modern-day ships. Forward motion into and through the locks is actually provided by the ship's engines and not the mules. A ship approaching the locks first pulls up to the guide wall, which is an extension of the centre wall of the locks, where it is taken under control by the mules on the wall before proceeding into the lock. As it moves forward, additional lines are taken to mules on the other wall. With large ships, there are two mules on each side at the bow, and two each side at the stern�eight in total, allowing for precise control of the ship.

The mules themselves run on rack tracks with broad gauge, 5 ft,[4] to which they are geared. Traction is by electric power, supplied through a third rail laid below surface level on the land side. Each mule has a powerful winch, operated by the driver; these are used to take two cables in or pay them out in order to keep the ship centred in the lock while moving it from chamber to chamber. With as little as 2 ft (60 cm) of clearance on each side of a ship, considerable skill is required on the part of the operators.

Smaller vessels, such as small tour boats and private yachts, are taken as handline transits, where mooring lines to the lock walls are handled manually by line handlers on the ship.

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November 10th, 2014

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