Elevator

:This article is about the transport device. For other meanings of the word, see Elevator (disambiguation).

Unique elevator systems

The gateway arch

:Main Article: Gateway Arch

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The Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri has a unique elevator system which carries passengers from the visitors center underneath the Arch to the observation deck at the top of the structure.

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Called a tram or tramway, people enter this unique tramway much as one would enter an ordinary elevator, through double doors. Passing through the doors the passengers in small groups enter a horizontal cylindrical compartment containing seats on each side and a flat floor. A number of these compartments are linked to form a train. These compartments each individually retain an appropriate level orientation by tilting while the entire train follows curved tracks up one leg of the arch.

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There are two tramways within the Arch, one at the north end, and the other at the south end. The entry doors have windows, so people traveling within the Arch are able to see the interior structure of the Arch during the ride to and from the observation deck.

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New city hall, Hannover, Germany

The elevator in the new city hall in Hannover, Germany is a technical rarity, and unique in Europe, as the elevator starts straight up, but then changes its angle by 15 degrees to follow the contour of the dome of the new city hall in Hannover. The cabin therefore tilts 15 degrees during the ride. The elevator travels a height of 43 meters. The new city hall was built in 1913. The elevator was destroyed in 1943 and rebuilt in 1954.

Related Topics:
Hannover - Germany - Europe - 1943 - 1954

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Luxor Inclinator

In Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Luxor Casino, is the Inclinator. The shape of this casino is a pyramid. Therefore, the elevator travels up the side of the pyramid at a 39 degree angle.

Related Topics:
Las Vegas, Nevada - Casino - Pyramid

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Fourth Street elevator

Main Article: Fourth Street Elevator

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The Fourth Street Elevator is located in Dubuque, Iowa. Also known as the Fenelon Place Elevator, it is the shortest and steepest railroad in the world. This elevator carries passengers from the bottom of one of the major bluffs in Dubuque to the top and back. The elevator is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Related Topics:
Dubuque, Iowa - National Register of Historic Places

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The elevator is 296 feet (90 m) long, with a vertical elevation of 189 feet (58 m). The elevator is funicular in design. There are two cars that always start out opposite each other, and pass each other at the mid-point of the elevator. The two cars in the cable-driven railway are powered by an engine in the station house at the top of the hill. The engine only needs to overcome inertia and compensate for the varying weight of the passengers in the cars. Because the design is funicular, the cars counterbalance each other, and the weight of the two cars does much of the work in moving them back and forth. The weight of the car going down the bluff helps pull the other car at the bottom up to the top.

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Local businessman J.K. Graves built an elevator in 1882 to carry him from his home at the top of the bluff to his office at the bottom. This saved a considerable amount of time - during the 19th century it took at least half an hour to get from one end of the bluff to the other. Eventually Graves gave his neighbors rides on the elevator. In 1884 the first elevator was destroyed by fire. Graves rebuilt the elevator, opened it to the public and charged admission. The second elevator lasted until 1893, when it was destroyed by fire. Graves was unable to rebuild the elevator, so a number of his neighbors banded together and formed the Fenlon Place Elevator Company. They built the present elevator, which is still in service today.

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Even though the elevator is no longer a daily necessity for neighbors since the rise of the automobile, it is still a popular tourist attraction and a unique part of the city. Downtown Dubuque can be seen from the observation deck, as well as the Mississippi River, and the states of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Related Topics:
Mississippi River - Illinois - Wisconsin

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