#Switzerland

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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May 17, 2010
Baden Gondelbahn, Design Considerations, Gondola, Proposals & Concepts, Urban Planning & Design

The Baden Gondelbahn

This is the Baden Gondelbahn in Baden, Switzerland. It is a concept by Stephan Kalt, director of Regional Transport for Baden-Wettingen. Kalt’s concept connects the spa town of Baden with a local train station via Urban Gondola.

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Feb 10, 2010
Funiculars, Zurich Polybahn

Sometimes . . .

. . . we miss the little things because we’re too focused on criticizing the big things. A restaurant critic slams a new local bistro but fails to notice the washrooms. Too bad, because the sinks would’ve fit perfectly in his tiny downtown condo. A professional football scout skips the Ivy League schools because they’re...

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Jan 30, 2010
Gondola, Oddities

Classic Gondolas

None of these are what I would consider appropriate examples of Cable Propelled Transit, but they’re neat to look at nonetheless. They give you a sense of how old and basic the technology is. In essence, these are a few of the historic installations that gave rise to modern cable systems. They are still used...

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Dec 15, 2009
Just For Fun

Antique Urban Gondola Game

Just for fun . . . I threw together this game using Shuffle Brain’s Photograb widget. It’s a pleasing little puzzle game for those of you with a couple of minutes to kill. Enjoy!

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Nov 01, 2009
Background, History

One Summer In Switzerland . . .

. . . after graduating from planning school, I was visiting my partner’s family when plans arose to go hiking around her local ski resort. Let me make this clear from the beginning:  I am no skier.  I’ve skied twice in my life with little success and those occurrences were on hills of inconsequential size....

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