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Apr 21, 2018
Design Considerations, Education, History

Nostalgic Carrier Designs

Many modern urban ropeways and their manufacturers are easily recognizable based purely from their cabin designs. For instance, monocable detachable gondolas (MDGs) built by Doppelmayr use the OMEGA carriers from CWA while the Leitner Group (Leitner ropeways and Poma) uses the Diamond cabins from Sigma. However, before the industry experienced a flurry of mergers at/near the turn...

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Mar 12, 2017
Education, History, Media & Blogs, Research & Development, Thoughts

Reaction: Cable Cars Are Changing the World

It’s no secret that with the rise of the 24-hour news cycle and the collapse of advertising revenues, journalistic standards and intellectual rigour have been on the decline across the publishing spectrum. As such, when journalist Duncan Geere of How We Get to Next requested an interview of me on the subject of urban cable...

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Oct 05, 2015
Analysis, Caracas Metrocable, Caracas Mount Avila, Gondola, History, Medellin MetroCable, Urban Planning & Design

Medellin/Caracas, Part 1

HISTORY Modern Cable Propelled Transit started in Caracas, Venezuela with the Mount Avila Gondola. This system was originally built in the middle of the last century to carry people from Caracas to the top of Mount Avila where the luxurious Hotel Humboldt had been built. Political and economic strife caused the government to leave for...

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Jul 06, 2015
History, Infrastructure, Research Issues

Why Doesn’t the Industry Keep Better Records?

Ropeway systems have continually demonstrated their ability to adapt to strange new environments. From the mighty rivers of rural China to the stacked vertical density of New York, it seems nothing is insurmountable. No doubt this flexibility is a main reason why we see more and more of urban gondolas being proposed and built. And...

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Oct 28, 2014
History, Infrastructure

Military Cable Cars

Guest post by Ross Edgar. Over the years, the Gondola Project has discussed numerous different applications of Cable Propelled Transit (CPT), highlighting the versatility and adaptability of such technology. However, one particular avenue of CPT remains largely unexplored: military cable systems. Military applications of CPT do not readily spring to mind, yet in Alpine nations...

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Nov 06, 2013
History, Installations

A Brief History: New Brighton Cable Car

At the Gondola Project, we love learning about historical cable car systems and this past week, we were fortunate enough to have a reader send us some links and pictures of a cable lift in the seaside resort town of New Brighton, England. Aside from a few pictures and tidbits of info, details about the system...

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Apr 23, 2012
History

CPD – Cable Propelled Doctor

On Friday last week, we brought you the news story that featured how a simple cable span was being use to ferry children across a gorge in China’s Guizhou province. Today, we’ve come across another incredible and heart-warming amazing story in China, but this time involving a selfless doctor named Dr. Deng. Deng is a village...

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Feb 02, 2011
History, San Francisco Cable Cars

All Movements Begin With A Small Step

Two arguments against the current state of cable transit are the rather short line lengths of existing systems and the relatively few systems that actually exist. Both arguments suggest that urban gondola transit is not yet ready for ‘prime time.’ Fair enough. It is, however, important to remember that all technologies start out modestly. No...

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Jun 29, 2010
1934 Chicago World's Fair, History, Just For Fun

1934 Chicago World’s Fair

For your amusement (at around 2:25) . . . In Technicolor! And for the record: When I talk about Cable Propelled Transit, this is not what I mean.

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May 29, 2010
History, Just For Fun, Oddities

Von Roll Sky Rides

Von Roll Seilbahn was a prolific Swiss builder of ropeway systems in the 20th century. While Von Roll itself lives on as a supplier of industrial and electrical components, the ropeway division was acquired by Doppelmayr of Austria in 1994.

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