Gondola lift

This article is about the means of cable transport on a looped track. For other uses, see Gondola (disambiguation).

Gondola lift
TypeCable transport
Patriatta pulsed gondola lift in Murree, Pakistan
The London Cable Car over River Thames
The Mi Teleférico cable car system in La Paz, Bolivia, used for mass transportation purposes, is both the longest and highest urban cable car network in the world.
The Aerovia cable car system in Guayaquil, Ecuador
La télécabine d'Arrondaz in Valfréjus, France
Interior of a gondola at Killington Ski Resort, Vermont
Classic 1960s 4-seater monocable gondola lift in Emmetten, Switzerland, built by GMD Müller
Interior of a gondola lift station, in this case, an intermediate station where gondolas detach from the line, automatically travel through the building on tracks and attach to the line of the second section. The drive motors for both sections are visible below the bull wheels.
Gondola Lift at Namak Abrud, Iran

A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. It is often considered a continuous system since it features a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations.[1] In contrast, an aerial tramway operates solely with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals.[2]

The capacity, cost, and functionality of a gondola lift will differ dramatically depending on the combination of cables used for support and haulage and the type of grip (detachable or fixed). Because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alps, the Italian: Cabinovia and French: Télécabine are also used in English-language texts. The systems may also be referred to as cable cars.

  1. ^ Cable Propelled Systems in Urban Environments Archived March 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Edward S. Neumann. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  2. ^ "5 challenging cable car rides". Daisy Liu. July 5, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2014.