Roundtable - Gatun Locks, Panama
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 09° 15.933 W 079° 55.442
17P E 618182 N 1024389
This Roundtable gets frequent use at the Gutan Locks at the northern entrance to the Panama Canal.
Waymark Code: WMM8VM
Location: Panama
Date Posted: 08/12/2014
Views: 9
The electric locomotives, known as mules, are geared to and run on 'rack track'. The mules do not pull the ships through the locks but merely guide the ship to keep it away from the sides of the locks. As many as eight mules are used to guide one ship and with up to eight ships transiting Gutan Locks at the same time, that adds up to a lot of mules.
There are two separate canals and in between the canals, the turntable connects three parallel tracks. Often both canal are transiting ships in the same direction. After guiding a ship through, the center track would be used by the mules to get back to the other end of the canal to start guiding another ship through. When the canals are used to transit ships in both directions, it's likely that after finishing one ship, the mule would move to the other outer track and guide a ship back the other way.
Note the two control panels on the turntable as well as at least one more on the center track.
Number of Stalls: 1
Currently in Operation: yes
Year Built: Not listed
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