Cable cars

krokodil

Member
Is there anybody, who knows layouts with working cablecars (surface or air).

This should be the main topic of the modelling efforts (not only just a model somewhere in the corner on the layout).

Any help will be appreciated.




:wave:
 
I have a portuguese cable car, in my layout. One specific part of it is completely devoted to this layout. Since the gauge in Lisbon of the Cable car is 1000 mm, I use N scale track as track work for the layout...

I join this picture... the layout is not yet definitive, and the tracks will be buried in the pavement, of course...

Anything I can help I'll be glad to do so...
 

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krokodil

Member
Hi Ricardo

it is very nice trolley (specially I like the N gauge tracks).

However I am looking for an another type of cablecars (sorry for the insufficient information), which are moved by cables on tracks like in San Francisco or in the air like the cabs in mountains or in Lissabon over the water, especially I am interested in freight air cable cars and their surface equipment.

(Usually used to transport stones, coal, minerals, sand etc. to factories nearby).
 

Vic

Active Member
If its pictures you are looking for do a Google image search keywords, cablecars, tramways, ariel tramway you'll find lots of them on various sites.
 
Originally posted by krokodil
which are moved by cables on tracks like in San Francisco or in the air like the cabs in mountains or in Lissabon over the water, especially I am interested in freight air cable cars and their surface equipment.

Now I understand. When you referred as Cable Car, I thought about San Francisco and Lisbon... but now I see... the ones you're looking at, exist in miniature by Busch and Brawa, I guess...

Those were used as transport means in early years to carry loads from the mines, essentially to main railway lines, all over Europe.
What type of information do you need on them? Ways of working? Loads carried? Existance in countries? Or something else?
 

jetrock

Member
Ricardo: Maybe there is a language difference, but you are not talking about the same thing as krokodil.

Cable cars are passenger-carrying rail vehicles that are pulled by an underground cable through city streets. The cable does not supply electricity (like a trolley wire) but literally pulls the trolley around via the cable. They are found in San Francisco, as you mentioned.

San Francisco also has trolleys (trams) in addition to cable cars--you included a picture of a trolley, which is different from a cable car in that it is powered by electricity, whereas a cable car is pulled by a moving cable. A lot of people not familiar with trolleys will often call them "cable cars" but they are two very different things.

As to krokodil's question--I've never seen a cable-car-only layout--I guess one could be made, using the Bachmann cable car and otherwise using trolley techniques for in-street track--one would have to simulate the cable channel somehow, maybe just with paint or a "third" rail or something. The only prototype is San Francisco, but many cities had cable cars as an alternative to horse cars or steam dummies--one could do an 1870's era cable car layout, or a "free-lance" line where the cable car never stopped running--or just model San Francisco.

As far as overhead cable cars go, I can't really imagine that anyone has built a "layout" based on such things.
 

shamus

Registered Member
There are also aerial cable cars which consist of a reversible moving cable with a gondola suspended underneath at each end. The gondolas convey anywhere from a few dozen to a hundred or more passengers per trip..

Like the cars of a funicular, the two gondolas are counterbalanced. When one gondola is at the upper station, the other is at the lower station, and the gondolas pass each other on their ascent and descent.

Shamus
 

krokodil

Member
Hi to everybody,

thank you for the help and explanations.
Yes, jetrock and shamus were the closest to the thing I am looking for.
Mainly right now I want to collect some kind of experience with those areal cable vehicles for transportation of coal, stone etc. and their equipment in model.
I had such system very close to my earlier home about 20 years ago, unfortunately I did not made to much photos and records. There was a cement factory with 6 runnig cable transport ways and with rail connection. I watched them very often from our window, but that time only the trains were honored. Of course meinwhile everything dissapeared, the cableways, the factory, the rails and a new shopping center is growing up there.

I am now thinking to build something similar in model.

:)
 

interurban

Active Member
:cool:
Australia I forget which City ( it will come to me,, Brain tired right now) Had a fantastic Cable car system.... I have a VHS somewhere from a mate in Aussi.
Email woodie He will give you the rundown..
 

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Woodie

Active Member
Chirs,

It's Melbourne that has one of the most extensive tram (not cable car, or trollies, but trams) network in the world.

A few pics of Melbourne's trams. You can buy HO models of them.

They are also spread around the world now, with them being used as tourist rides. In Seattle, and I think Houston. (in the US) use old Melbourne trams as tourist attractions.

tramw.jpg


tram1.jpg

Website on "Trams of Australia" here
 

jetrock

Member
woodie: Trams and trolleys are the same thing--a trolley in Europe or Australia is a tram, a tram in North America is a trolley. The Western Railway Museum has an old Melbourne car, I believe, in addition to a hatful of other trolleys and trams.

And then of course there are "light rail vehicles", which they have here in Sacramento, but they're still trolleys even though they use pantographs for power collection...

back to the original question, I have never seen a layout focused entirely on cable cars, and I have certainly never seen one based on aerial cable cars. While a cable-car layout might be kind of neat (it would be a lot like a trolley layout, but even smaller, and without a need for overhead) I can't see a layout of two counterbalanced aerial cars going back and forth being much fun to operate.

I think Roundhouse produced a series of cable car powerhouse kits, and I know Bachmann makes a cable car model (they keep advertising the damn things as "trolleys" on eBay) so it'd be pretty cheap to do a basic trolley layout--just get a bunch of DPM kits for building flats and make a simple "dog-bone" with 6" radius loops at each end.
 

interurban

Active Member
Hi Woodie sorry to tell ya matey BUT :p
Before Melbourn had trams/ Streetcars. they had a fantastic CABLE system, check your history books down there and find some pics Woodie you will be amased at what they had.
First it was Horse drawn Tram then Cable. The change over to Trams came about 1914ish.
How does he know I can here ya saying:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :p :p
Me mate sent us a great video, it was fantastic.:wave: :wave:
 

Woodie

Active Member
I was born and bred in Melbourne, and nothing gets more up a Melbournian's goat, that someone calling their beloved trams, "trolleys", or "cable cars" or "street cars".

:curse: :curse: :mad: :curse:

Call 'em whatever you like elsewhere in the world, but in Melbourne, they're "trams".


Now say after me..... "Melbourne has trams. Melbourne has trams".

See? It's not that hard to say. :):)
 
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