Travel locks


McAlpine Locks and Dam - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 22nd, 2008

The McAlpine Locks and Dam refers to the series of locks and the hydroelectric dam in Louisville, Kentucky at the Falls of the Ohio. They are located at mile point 606.8 and control a 72.9 mile (117 km) long navigation pool. This was the first major engineering project on the Ohio River, and the first official name of the system of canal locks was the Louisville and Portland Canal, which was completed in 1830 to allow shipping traffic to navigate through the Falls of the Ohio. From 1925 to 1927, a dam for generating hydroelectric power was added, and the system of canals was expanded, first by a private company and then by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hydroelectric plant at the time was the seventh largest hydroelectric plant in the United States.

The system was renamed the McAlpine Locks and Dam in 1960 in honor of William McAlpine, who was the only civilian to have ever served as district engineer for the Corps of Louisville. At present, the normal pool elevation is 420 feet (130 m) above sea level and the drainage area above the dam is 91,170 square miles (236,000 km²). The average daily flow at McAlpine is 118,000 cubic feet per second (3,340 m³/s). The lock chambers are located at the dam on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River and are capable of a normal lift of 37 feet (11 m) between the McAlpine pool upstream and the Cannelton pool downstream. The hydroelectric plant consists of eight turbine units with a net power generation capacity of 80,000 kilowatts. The hydroelectric plant is currently undergoing an 8-year long rehabilitation project. This will extend the life of the 1920s era turbine-generator units and increase power output to 100 megawatts.

In October 2003, McAlpine was designated a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The McAlpine locks are currently undergoing a 10-year, $278 million expansion project scheduled to be completed in 2008.

The hydroelectric plant is owned and operated by LG&E, a subsidiary of E.ON U.S., while the locks are operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Tubular pin tumbler lock - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 22nd, 2008

A tubular pin tumbler lock, also known as Ace lock or “axial pin tumbler lock” or “radial lock”, is a variety of pin tumbler lock in which 6-8 pins are arranged in a circular pattern, and the corresponding key is tubular or cylindrical in shape.

J.A. Blake is credited with patenting the first tubular lock in 1833. Walter R. Schlage continued the development of the tubular lock. He was awarded 11 patents, and his improvements made the tubular lock what it is today.

Tubular locks are commonly seen on bicycle locks, computer locks, and a variety of coin-operated devices such as vending machines and coin-operated washing machines.

Security

Tubular pin tumbler locks are generally considered to be safer and more resistant to picking than standard locks, though there are several ways to open them without a key. Even though the pins are exposed, making them superficially easier to pick, they are designed such that after all pins are manipulated to their shear line, once the plug is rotated 1/6 to 1/8 around, the pins will fall into the next pin’s hole, requiring re-picking to continue. As such, picking the lock without using a device to hold its pins in place once they reach their shear line requires over a dozen complete picks to unlock and relock.

Such locks can be picked by a special tubular lock pick with a minimum of effort in very little time; it is also possible to defeat them by drilling with a special “hole saw” drill bit. Standard tubular lock drill bit sizes are .375″ (9.53 mm) diameter and .394″ (10 mm) diameter.[1] To prevent drilling, many tubular locks have a middle pin made of hardened steel, or contain a ball bearing in the middle pin.

In 2004, videos circulating on the Internet demonstrated that some tubular pin tumbler locks could be easily opened with the shaft of an inexpensive ballpoint pen (e.g. BIC brand) of matching diameter. Trade website BikeBiz.com revealed that the weaknesses of the tubular pin tumbler mechanism had first been described in 1992 by UK journalist John Stuart Clark (see Kryptonite lock).

Mortise lock - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 22nd, 2008

Created by Eli Whitney’s ( creator of the cotton gin ) nephews, Eli Whitney and Philos Blake, a mortise lock (also mortice lock in British English) is one that requires a pocket - the mortise - to be cut into the door or piece of furniture into which the lock is to be fitted. In most parts of the world, mortise locks are generally found on older buildings constructed before the advent of bored cylindrical locks, but they have recently become more common in commercial and upmarket residential construction in the United States.

The parts included in the typical mortise lock installation are the lock body (the part installed inside the mortise cut-out in the door); the lock trim (which may be selected from any number of designs of doorknobs, levers, handle sets and pulls); a strike plate, or a box keep, which lines the hole in the frame into which the bolt fits; and the keyed mortise cylinder which operates the locking/unlocking function of the lock body. However, in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries, most mortise locks on dwellings do not use cylinders, but have lever tumbler mechanisms.

The installation of a mortise lock cannot generally be undertaken by the average homeowner since it is labor intensive and requires a working knowledge of basic woodworking tools and methods. Many installation specialists use a mortising jig which makes precise cutting of the pocket a simple operation, but the subsequent installation of the external trim can still prove problematic if the installer is inexperienced.

Although the installation of a mortise lock actually weakens the structure of the typical timber door, a mortise lock does offer more versatility than a bored cylindrical lock, both in external trim, and functionality. Whereas the latter mechanism lacks the architecture required for ornate and solid-cast knobs and levers, the mortise lock can accommodate a heavier return spring and a more solid internal mechanism, making their use possible. Furthermore, a mortise lock will typically accept a wide range of other manufacturers’ cylinders and accessories, allowing architectural conformity with lock hardware already on site.

Some of the most common manufacturers of mortise locks in the United States are Baldwin, Best, Corbin Russwin, Emtek, Falcon, Schlage, and Sargent. Also, many European manufacturers whose products had been restricted to “designer” installations have recently gained wider acceptance and use.

Lever tumbler lock - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 22nd, 2008

A lever tumbler lock is a type of lock that uses a set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock. In the simplest of these, lifting the tumbler above a certain height will allow the bolt to slide past.

‘Double acting’ Lever tumbler locks were invented in 1778 by Robert Barron of England. These required the lever to be lifted to a certain height by having a slot cut in the lever. So lifting the lever too far was as bad as not lifting the lever far enough. This is the type of lever lock most currently used today.

Lever locks generally use a bitted key. Some use a double-bitted key.

Oswego Canal - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 22nd, 2008

The Oswego Canal is a canal in the New York State Canal System located in New York, United States. Opened in 1828, it is 23.7 miles (38.1 km) in length, and connects the Erie Canal at Three Rivers to Lake Ontario. The canal has a depth of 14 ft (4.2 m), with seven locks spanning the 118 ft (36 m) change in elevation.

Locks

The following list of locks are provided for the current canal, from upstream (south) to downstream (north):

Note: There is no Lock 4 on the canal.

Lock # Location Elevation

(upstream / south)

Elevation

(downstream / north)

Lift Distance to Next Lock

(upstream / west)

1 Phoenix  ?  ? 10.2 feet (3.1 m) 10 miles (16 km)
2 Fulton  ?  ? 17.8 feet (5.4 m) .5 miles (.8 km)
3 Fulton  ?  ? 27 feet (8.2 m) 6 miles (9.6 km)
5 Minetto  ?  ? 18 feet (5.5 m) 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
6 Oswego  ?  ? 20 feet (6.1 m) .5 miles (.8 km)
7 Oswego  ?  ? 14.5 feet (4.4 m) .5 miles (.8 km)
8 Oswego  ?  ? 11.1 feet (3.4 m) N/A

Left Luggage at the Peveril Hotel - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 21st, 2008

Left Luggage At The Peveril Hotel is an album of rejected songs for Six By Seven’s fourth album 04 available initially only via the band’s website. As the band noted on the back of the cover:

“these songs […] never made it onto our 4th album. […] they are, we think, worthy of an album compilation, either that or they just sit around on dat tapes and hard drives… that, we think, would be a bit of a waste…and besides, we need your cash.”

Track listing

  1. “Around”
  2. “Whats Wrong With Understanding”
  3. “Ready For You Now” (original version)
  4. “Bring Down The Government”
  5. “My Own Haunted Life”
  6. “AC Harmonics” (International Peoples Gang remix)
  7. “Clouds”
  8. “Dreaming of a Better Life”
  9. “I’ll Take My Chances”
  10. “Here Comes the Sun”
  11. “Wasted”
  12. “Wallflower”

Southcote Lock - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 21st, 2008

Southcote Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Southcote within the town of Reading in Berkshire, England.

Southcote Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury, and this stretch of the river is now administered by British Waterways and known as the Kennet Navigation. It has a rise/fall of 5 ft 3 in (1.65 m).

The Victorian brick building that overseas Southcote Lock is the redundant Southcote Pumping Station which, when it opened in 1850, was the key to Reading’s demanding water needs.

Deadbolt - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 20th, 2008

A deadbolt is a special kind of locking mechanism, providing more security than an ordinary key-operated lock because the weight of the locking bar is usually sufficient to increase break-in time to 10 or 15 minutes.

Unlike most spring-bolt locks, in which the bolt is held in place only by the pressure of a spring and can easily be retracted, a deadbolt lock cannot be opened except by rotating the lock cylinder.

A variant of the standard deadbolt is the vertical deadbolt, which generally rests on top of a door. Vertical deadbolts resist jimmying (in which an intruder inserts a pry bar between the door and the frame and tries to pry the bolt out of the jamb).

Security Features

Many designs are available from manufacturers. Various manufacturers have patented designs offering unique solutions to prevent the locks from being defeated by picking, lock bumping prying, and other forceful attacks.

Duffel bag - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 20th, 2008

A duffel bag (or duffle bag), is a large cylindrical bag made of cloth with the closure at the top, often also referred to as a kit bag

The name comes from Duffel, a town in Belgium where the thick cloth the bag is made of originated. Nowadays a Duffel Bag typically refers to the specific style of bag, though the phrase may also be used to refer to any large generic holdall or a bag made of thick fabric.

It is often used to carry luggage or sports equipment by people who travel in the outdoors. Duffel bags are often used by sailors, and are sometimes called seabags in this capacity.

See also:

  • Duffel Coat

Mortise lock - luggage locks

Posted in Uncategorized by admin on the August 20th, 2008

Created by Eli Whitney’s ( creator of the cotton gin ) nephews, Eli Whitney and Philos Blake, a mortise lock (also mortice lock in British English) is one that requires a pocket - the mortise - to be cut into the door or piece of furniture into which the lock is to be fitted. In most parts of the world, mortise locks are generally found on older buildings constructed before the advent of bored cylindrical locks, but they have recently become more common in commercial and upmarket residential construction in the United States.

The parts included in the typical mortise lock installation are the lock body (the part installed inside the mortise cut-out in the door); the lock trim (which may be selected from any number of designs of doorknobs, levers, handle sets and pulls); a strike plate, or a box keep, which lines the hole in the frame into which the bolt fits; and the keyed mortise cylinder which operates the locking/unlocking function of the lock body. However, in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries, most mortise locks on dwellings do not use cylinders, but have lever tumbler mechanisms.

The installation of a mortise lock cannot generally be undertaken by the average homeowner since it is labor intensive and requires a working knowledge of basic woodworking tools and methods. Many installation specialists use a mortising jig which makes precise cutting of the pocket a simple operation, but the subsequent installation of the external trim can still prove problematic if the installer is inexperienced.

Although the installation of a mortise lock actually weakens the structure of the typical timber door, a mortise lock does offer more versatility than a bored cylindrical lock, both in external trim, and functionality. Whereas the latter mechanism lacks the architecture required for ornate and solid-cast knobs and levers, the mortise lock can accommodate a heavier return spring and a more solid internal mechanism, making their use possible. Furthermore, a mortise lock will typically accept a wide range of other manufacturers’ cylinders and accessories, allowing architectural conformity with lock hardware already on site.

Some of the most common manufacturers of mortise locks in the United States are Baldwin, Best, Corbin Russwin, Emtek, Falcon, Schlage, and Sargent. Also, many European manufacturers whose products had been restricted to “designer” installations have recently gained wider acceptance and use.

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