How the inclined plane works
A canal boat enters a rail-borne cradle. Water power turns a mechanical drive that moves two carriages in opposing directions, carrying the vessel between water levels. This exhibit represents the engineering principle of the historic Buczyniec inclined plane in northern Poland.
01 — OPERATESet water flow, cargo and counter-carriage load. Press Start, Pause or Reset. Reverse only when the machinery is stopped.
02 — INSPECTDrag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom, and use Overview / Vessel / Drive to focus the camera.
03 — LEARNThe drive uses water power P = ρgQHη, a two-mass incline force balance and bounded acceleration. Switch to a heavy load and low flow to observe stalling.
04 — SHORTCUTSSpace Run/pause · R Reset · 1 Overview · 2 Vessel · 3 Drive.
This is an original visualization based on the public historical description, not an exact 3D survey. The displayed track length and rise are historical approximations; terrain, boat, wheel, track dimensions and dynamics are stylized. For sources, see docs/TECHNICAL_NOTES.md.