In order to explore the health patterns of engineering systems from the point of view of maintenance information, a life cycle reliability analysis model for waterway locks was developed and verified based on maintenance event data. With the engineering system breakdown structure used for technical support and in combination with maintenance event information during the waterway lock life process, the maintenance interval was used to measure the system life cycle reliability by means of the complex system reliability theory. The overhaul interval, medium maintenance interval, breakdown repair time, and failure frequency were defined as waterway lock reliability parameters. Referring to the ideas of reliability analysis in the product development stage in the manufacturing industry, a reliability analysis model for waterway locks was proposed based on maintenance event data, and its practicability was examined using historical maintenance records of 17 waterway locks on the Grand Canal in the north of Jiangsu Province of China.