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Jan 03, 2010
Analysis, Gondola, Grip Module, Lessons, Research Issues, Urban Planning & Design

Grip Module, Lesson 4: Corners

Corners are important because all cities have them. If your transit technology cannot turn corners, you cannot exist in cities. It’s just that simple. As I said before, however, no one has taken the time to explicitly and simply explain how cable deals with them. For those who’ve never encountered Cable Propelled Transit before, you...

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Dec 30, 2009
Analysis, Grip Module, Research Issues, San Francisco Cable Cars, Thoughts, Urban Planning & Design

Grip Module, Lesson 3: Attachable Grips

The exception to Detachable Grips are what I like to think of as Attachable Grips. This concept is best exemplified by the familiar San Francisco Cable Cars. I will not go into a long description about the technology. Instead, I’d like to point you to Joe Thompson’s Cable Car Guy website which does an excellent job...

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Dec 20, 2009
Analysis, Grip Module, Research Issues, Urban Planning & Design

Grip Module, Lesson 2: Detachable Grips

It’s important to recognize that the term used to describe a Detachable Grip is detachable not attachable. Detachable grips are attached to a cable with heavy, industrial springs providing the pressure necessary to create the grip’s vice-like hold. Until a constant, targeted, external and specially-designed force is applied to pry open the grip, the grip’s hold is (for all...

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Dec 18, 2009
Analysis, Grip Module

Grip Module, Lesson 1: Introducing Grips

If you’ll recall, cable cars, funiculars, aerial trams and urban gondolas are propelled by means of transit vehicles attaching themselves to a moving cable. Hence the term Cable Propelled Transit. But how does that occur?  With Grips, that’s how. Grips are just what they sound like. They are like a fist grabbing onto a rope...

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