I’m not going to say anything. Sometimes nature deserves the respect only silence affords. See the rest of the images in the series here, and read the story behind the images here.
Sometimes models can explain things in ways words can’t. With that in mind, take a look at this fantastic Lego model of a 3S Gondola system. Is it perfect? Hardly. But pay careful attention to the acceleration and deceleration wheels. Those replicate pretty accurately the way in which detachable gondola systems are accelerated and decelerated...
In yesterday’s post, I alluded to the bizarre nature of term “3S.” Let me explain – and I warn you, this will make your head hurt: The cable industry differentiates technologies like Monocable Detachable Gondolas (MDG) and Bi-Cable Detachable Gondolas (BDG) based upon the ropes/cables used. Great, you say. That makes sense. Monocables use one...
Banff, Alberta, Canada has probably one of the most unique gondola systems in the world. Well, actually they’re all unique. I’ve rarely found two systems that are alike and that’s the both the technology’s blessing and its curse. Yes, each system is different and unique to its own situation. Systems can be configured in any...
The following four videos come from Music Fog’s Gondola Concert Series while the last video is an older(ish) video of the Avett Brothers performing in a gondola. Fun’s important, people. Gondola Concert Series, 2010 – Part 2: Gondola Concert Series, 2010 – Part 1: Gondola Concert Series, 2009 – Part 2: Gondola Concert Series, 2009...
The above map is the Caracas Metro System. Metro de Caracas, of course, is one of the few transit systems in the world to utilize a Cable Propelled Transit (they call it the Metrocable) system. Look closely at the map and you’ll see all the other CPT lines Metro de Caracas has planned. All eight of...
The above is one of several cable lines connecting Mount Titlis to the resort town of Engelberg, Switzerland. Built in 1984 by the Von Roll Company, it’s an incredibly common and dated MDG system: It’s slow – 15 km/hr. It’s cornering requires large stations. It doesn’t have great capacity – 1,600 persons per hour. It’s nothing...
Please take the time to visit Maria Mysliborska’s wonderful Master’s Thesis Page. It’s a beautiful page that suggests how academic theses will likely be developed and submitted in the future. Maria’s plan is an elegant redevelopment of Edinburgh’s derelict waterfront. Among the highlights of the plan are a local public transit circulator using (you guessed it)...
Like the Medellin Metrocable, the Caracas Metrocable is a MDG system, the most basic of aerial Cable Propelled Transit technologies. It is fully-integrated into the local Metro system, has a maximum operating speed of 18 km/hr, a capacity of 3,000 pphpd and is 1.8 km long. Vehicles can carry 8 sitters and 2 standees. The...
LINEA J Unlike Linea K of the Medellin Metrocable, Linea J is much more actively involved in Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Linea K served an existing and extremely dense neighborhood lacking in transit. Linea J serves the barrio of Vallejuelos and the La Aurora development that is in the process of building and expanding. This...