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Due to problems with floods, in 1856
the sloping approach was exchanged for a hydraulic coach lift
like the British built them. Thus it was possible to lift a plattform
loaded with up to 35 tons for up to 27 feet. A solid brick tower
was built on each side of the harbor basin. The lifts inside took
care of the railroad cars which were lowered or lifted to and
from the steam ferry which also carried tracks.
In peek seasons, up to 200 coaches per day were ferried through
the lift towers until the first bridges were built across the Rhine.
The towers hence lost all their importance and went out of business in 1907.
In 1971, the tower on Ruhrort's bank was demolished, whereas the tower on Homberg's bank
served as a youth hostel for a number of years.
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