While I’d hardly suggest using the Dursey Island Cable Car as any sort of promotional material for cable transit, it’s certainly unique for reasons beyond the fact that the primary users of the system are sheep:
(video starts in German but quickly switches to English) Seilbahn von Dursey Island
Watch closely and you’ll see something rather interesting . . . anyone notice what it is?
Big thanks to Alex for the link!
9 Comments
There is only one car, and the car doesn’t seem to be gimbaled (if that is the right term.)
The gondola bit goes through the tower, not around the outside?
It’s the only aerial gondola from which it is possible to see Craggy Island?
It’s not on a loop of wire, but a single strand?
I was looking at the gondola going through the tower, not around the outside. Seems to me that could solve a little cornering problem, doesn’t it?
How so?
Chip,
Now don’t quote me on this (because I’m not an engineer), but I’ve been explained the problem of corners thusly:
Basically you can’t do on-tower corners – yet – because the inbound and outbound lines have to be on the same side of the tower (for obvious reasons). The way the side-grip mechanisms are currently designed and manufactured would prevent that.
But what if the outbound used the outside of the tower and the inbound line used the inside of the tower?
Again . . . I’m no engineer, but it might be worth exploring.
Well if you use many slightly slanted roller batteries you also can make curves with conventional MDGs.
http://seilbahn.tk.111.com/kurioses/kurve9.jpg
http://seilbahn.tk.111.com/kurioses/kurve10.jpg
Just not that acceptable in an urban environment.
Where is this?
Schönried-Rellerligrat Switzerland
You can follow the gondola on Google Earth and see the slight curve
http://maps.google.de/?ie=UTF8&t=h&om=1&ll=46.504876,7.287219&spn=0.006336,0.013154&z=17
wow, that is one big doubtful thing.
while being faced with curves you mainly got one problem. and that would be the the resulting forces of the corner (angle). (http://www.pctheory.uni-ulm.de/didactics/thermodynamik/INHALT/JPG/KRAFT.JPG)
this force needs to be counter-fixed with something.
and the only solution here on earth is to fix it with ground.
additionally you have to face the fact, that a 3s system has more tention on its ropes (3 ropes which carry the biggest cabins) than a MDG for instance. so the tension (and more tension – depending on the system – you’ve got) will result in a force which has to be deflected over a tower. the tower basically is the lever arm. problem is not the weight of the system and the system itself on top – it’s the horizontal forces that are not following the natural straight line.
but it also provides more security, faster transportation and but in the end it is bigger and and more expensive.
so all in all: the resulting force of a corner just needs a counterweight (or counter-force).