maximum width of and a maximum draught of ; they carried loads of about . The inclines all consist of two parallel rail tracks with a gauge of . Boats are carried on carriages that run on these rails. The inclines rise from the lower level of the canal to a summit and then down a second shorter incline to the upper canal level. The first part of the main incline and the short upper incline were both built at a gradient of 1:24 (4.2%). A carriage is lowered down the incline to counterbalance an upward moving carriage. Once the downward moving carriage has reached the summit and started down the main incline its weight helps pull up the upward moving carriage. This allowed the slope of the incline for this section to be built at a steeper gradient of 1:12 (8.3%). See also Augustów Canal, linking the river Vistula with the river Neman Big Chute Marine Railway also carries boats in an open carriage instead of a water filled caisson. Boat lift Ship lift of Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station References Further reading External links Official webpage An Overland Canal Some old photos of the lift from 1937 Photo gallery of the canal A trip on the Elbląg Canal described by Michael Palin Canals opened in 1860 Boat lifts Canal inclined planes Canals in Poland Buildings and structures in Elbląg Tourist attractions in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship 3000 mm gauge railways