Switzerland « The Gondola Project

Posts Tagged: Switzerland

11
Jan

2012

Gondola Fondue

In the past, we’ve seen that Gondola technology is extremely flexible.

It can adapt itself literally into anything, whether it be a Gondola Sauna, or a Gondola Music Concert, Cable Lifts have got you covered.

However, one can argue that public transit is pretty wacky in general – especially with the recently held 3rd annual No Pants Subway Ride. While I’ll admit that rail certainly encourages some cheeky behaviour, gondolas are undoubtedly the cheesiest of all.

Evidence you say? Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly introduce to you Vercorin, Switzerland’s fondue gondola. Enjoy!

PS: A big thank-you goes out to Damien for the link!

PS PS: Anyone know what they’re saying?

Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.

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08
Nov

2011

Children’s Playground on Commuter Train

A children's playground located within the upper floors of one of Swtizerland's commuter rail lines. Image by Steven Dale.

What you’re looking at above is a children’s playground located in a Swiss train. I came across this purely by accident yesterday so I have little to no information about what can only be described as every child’s public transit fantasy wonderland.

We’re assuming this is a relatively new development, but have no confirmation of the fact.

If any of The Gondola Project’s large number of German-speaking readers has any details on this (or knows where to get details), please post any information you have in the comments section.

Of particular note, we’d like to know the following:

Is this a new program?
Is it a pilot program?
What was the impetus behind the idea?
Has it proven useful?
What’s the public’s reaction to it?
Is it as amazing as we hope it is?

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27
Oct

2011

The Kriens Funicular

New real estate development in Horw, Switzerland. Nothing interesting here. Image by Steven Dale.

In the Swiss suburb of Horw there exists one of the more fascinating applications of cable transit systems – this time in the form of a funicular.

The private funicular is used to service a new development of low-rise apartment buildings that crawl up the side of a mountain. So new is this development you can’t even find it on Google Earth or Google Maps. The use of the funicular is inspired as it all but eliminates the need for additional road services, thereby making the development more compact and efficient.

Take a look:

Kriens Funicular

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29
May

2010

Von Roll Sky Rides

The Von Roll Company of Switzerland's nameplate. Image by vonrollskyway1.

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.

History / Just For Fun / Oddities

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17
May

2010

The Baden Gondelbahn

Image by PD via Tages Anzeiger.

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.

Baden Gondelbahn / Design Considerations / Gondola / Proposals & Concepts / Urban Planning & Design

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10
Feb

2010

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 “too brainy.” Too bad, because a junior at Princeton would’ve filled his need for a place-kicker perfectly.

An entrepreneur’s invention is dismissed wholesale by a team of venture capitalists. Not what they’re looking for. Too bad they didn’t look closer: The invention might have been a dud, but the entrepreneur’s innovative financing strategy would’ve solved a problem the venture capitalists had been struggling with for years.

What Thomas Edison said: To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

Remember that when you look at the Zurich Polybahn video below. It’s a comically short funicular of only 176m. Barely worth considering from a transportation perspective, except when you look at it’s station design.

More often than not, there’s always something useful in the useless. We just tend not to notice… Too bad for us.

Funiculars / Zurich Polybahn

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30
Jan

2010

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 extensively today.

They are an essential and wonderful part of a transit history that stretches back (literally) to 250 BC. The systems below are privately-owned systems used to access hard to reach Alphütte (Alpine Farms) in Switzerland. Enjoy!