Disney Skyliner (Gondola Transportation System) Read Post 1 Now Open!

[Andrew015]

Classic Disney: Promote, hype, milk...repeat for 2-3 years, then deliver.

Saw it posted on Facebook - someone starting at POP now posted that there was material in their room about the gondolas
View attachment 256875

 

[joelkfla]

First thing I saw when I opened computer. I don't think the point is the age, the point is the difficulty in evacuation of these things. Disney can barely evac the monorail in a timely manner. No matter the age or maintenance (monorails are under constant maintenance) things happen. No reason to diminish concerns with what happens if these things stop.

Doppelmayr says there are multiple backup systems to return all cabins to a station in case of a failure.

The age of the Cologne system is not as significant as the fact that it is an older technology with many more points of failure.

If they ever did get stuck, most cabins will probably be within reach of a bucket truck.

 

[sndral]

To return the cabins to the station the cable/s must be operable, w/ the incident in Germany this weekend I assume the cabin hitting the tower made the cable inoperable. Bucket trucks would reach assuming they can travel to each individual cabin, but isn't the terrain under the cabins going to remain pretty much as is & thus inaccesable at places?

 

[joelkfla]

To return the cabins to the station the cable/s must be operable, w/ the incident in Germany this weekend I assume the cabin hitting the tower made the cable inoperable.

Yes, but they haven't said why the cabin hit the tower. It may have been a failure related to the obsolete technology.

Bucket trucks would reach assuming they can travel to each individual cabin, but isn't the terrain under the cabins going to remain pretty much as is & thus inaccesable at places?

Yes, it's true that not all of the cabins would be accessible. There was a photo that appeared to show trees being removed on the route from CBR to DHS.

 

[sachilles]

Traditionally, you do rope evacs. I've trained to do it, it's not hard nor time consuming. Though it will be a bit of a thrill for those that don't enjoy being suspended in the air like in soarin'. You don't need bucket trucks. Over water you'd need a raft or something to land on.
That being said, the cars would likely rotate back into station. Rope evacs tend to happen in ski environments were temps are below freezing. When the time to restart the lift, will take longer than it will take to turn you into a peoplsicle.

 

[ajb_tic_tac]

Are there any rumors on when this will open?

 

[skier_pete]

Traditionally, you do rope evacs. I've trained to do it, it's not hard nor time consuming. Though it will be a bit of a thrill for those that don't enjoy being suspended in the air like in soarin'. You don't need bucket trucks. Over water you'd need a raft or something to land on.
That being said, the cars would likely rotate back into station. Rope evacs tend to happen in ski environments were temps are below freezing. When the time to restart the lift, will take longer than it will take to turn you into a peoplsicle.

I would think that Disney will install multiple back-up systems to have a rope evacuation be the absolute last resort. They really don't want to be lowering 100s of tourists on ropes and then have that plastered on the news. Not to say it can't ever happen, but I'm sure they don't want it to.

 

[rteetz]

Are there any rumors on when this will open?

In time for Star Wars land.

 

[DanBoris]

To return the cabins to the station the cable/s must be operable, w/ the incident in Germany this weekend I assume the cabin hitting the tower made the cable inoperable. Bucket trucks would reach assuming they can travel to each individual cabin, but isn't the terrain under the cabins going to remain pretty much as is & thus inaccesable at places?

The entire line should be easily accessible from the ground. The only tricky part is over hourglass lake where I assume they will have a water based rescue vehicle of some sort.

 

[sachilles]

I would think that Disney will install multiple back-up systems to have a rope evacuation be the absolute last resort. They really don't want to be lowering 100s of tourists on ropes and then have that plastered on the news. Not to say it can't ever happen, but I'm sure they don't want it to.

You are taking that out of context a bit. I was replying to someone who suggested they'd use cherry pickers to evacuate people if it happened to be necessary. I simply stated that rope evac would likely be the evac of choice should it become necessary. I doubt very much that it will be necessary. Like once over the span of 20 years.

 

[CarolynFH]

You are taking that out of context a bit. I was replying to someone who suggested they'd use cherry pickers to evacuate people if it happened to be necessary. I simply stated that rope evac would likely be the evac of choice should it become necessary. I doubt very much that it will be necessary. Like once over the span of 20 years.

I've been following this discussion with great interest and learning a lot about gondolas. How does a rope evacuation work? How would people in wheelchairs, ECVs and strollers be evacuated? Just curious!

 

[KYMickey]

Yep, also uses a two cable system whereas Disney will use a one cable system.

it's actually a single cable system like Disney will be using. You cannot have multiple gondolas going in the same direction on a two cable system. What appears to be a second cable in some of the pictures has to be some kind of a safety device.

 

[rteetz]

it's actually a single cable system like Disney will be using. You cannot have multiple gondolas going in the same direction on a two cable system. What appears to be a second cable in some of the pictures has to be some kind of a safety device.

According to someone from liftblog.com

This is an older gondola built in the 1960s using bicable technology (one cable hauls while the other one provides stationary support.) It looks to me like there is a second evacuation ropeway that shares the same towers for the over water span. Ironically, that system, which is supposed to help in an emergency, appears to have become entangled with a passing cabin on the main system. It's worth noting the last fatal gondola accident in the U.S. in 1976 at Vail also occurred on a bicable gondola. Disney's system will have just one cable for each section.

 

[joelkfla]

it's actually a single cable system like Disney will be using. You cannot have multiple gondolas going in the same direction on a two cable system. What appears to be a second cable in some of the pictures has to be some kind of a safety device.

A photo on this link clearly shows the bicable setup:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...er-cable-car-gondola-crashes-in-cologne#img-2
The cabins are suspended from the upper stationary support cable by a 4-wheeled bogey. The lower cable appears to be the propulsion cable.

On a monocable system, the cabins are suspended from the cable by a grip, not wheels.
http://gondolaproject.com/grips/

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This isn't going to be high enough off the ground to warrant this much concern. There's no reason to build high when the land is flat as a board.

I'm sure custom designed mobile rigs to get people down are already being designed and/or built

 

[sachilles]

I've been following this discussion with great interest and learning a lot about gondolas. How does a rope evacuation work? How would people in wheelchairs, ECVs and strollers be evacuated? Just curious!

This should give you an idea. There is also a newer system that each car has a rope system already mounted to each car, which would eliminate the need for an employee to slide down the haul rope(the metal cable the gondola rides on). When closer to the ground the rescue rope can also be tossed over the haul rope, or be shot with a compressed air cannon.
Several examples on youtube.

 

[CarolynFH]

This should give you an idea. There is also a newer system that each car has a rope system already mounted to each car, which would eliminate the need for an employee to slide down the haul rope(the metal cable the gondola rides on). When closer to the ground the rescue rope can also be tossed over the haul rope, or be shot with a compressed air cannon.
Several examples on youtube.

Thanks, that's interesting - but I'm still wondering about severely disabled individuals who are unable to sit upright, hold on, etc. even if the rescuers can remove them from their wheelchair and secure them in the seat. I'm confident Disney is considering all these things but curious to know how they'll work it out.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Silly question, but have they said everyone will have access to the gondolas? Or will it only take you to and from the resorts to Epcot/ DHS?

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Silly question, but have they said everyone will have access to the gondolas? Or will it only take you to and from the resorts to Epcot/ DHS?

Could you clarify that question?

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks, that's interesting - but I'm still wondering about severely disabled individuals who are unable to sit upright, hold on, etc. even if the rescuers can remove them from their wheelchair and secure them in the seat. I'm confident Disney is considering all these things but curious to know how they'll work it out.

I wonder if they would be better served by a different mode of transportation?