WRTL Exterior Lighting was called on to provide floodlighting for a series of dangerous canal locks as part of British Waterways ongoing restoration of the Caledonian Canal.
The series of locks, called Neptune’s Staircase, had become a public hazard. Should anyone have fallen in when the canal were unlit, they would not have been able to see the nearby safety ladders. Safety work therefore demanded the installation of floodlighting on the canal to illuminate the canal’s walls under aggressive environmental conditions.
The area lighting engineer at the Highland Council, Marshall Gillespie, said:
“WRTL’s floodlighting was an unobtrusive fitting, which could easily be attached in a difficult location on the walkway structure and, using 70W HQI lamps, WRTL’s scheme met the demanding light technical performance.
“Good environmental protection to IP66 means that the lantern will withstand the very wet conditions.”
Close to Fort William, Neptune’s Staircase comprises eight locks raising the level by 19 metres in under half a mile between Caol and Banavie. It features one of the highest non-mechanical lifts in Britain.
