News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Goofyernmost]

Thx! All I remember seeing since joining in Sept is general talk about how ECV loading won’t be a problem, but not a ton of specifics (“they load level” — which clearly isn’t enough for them not to be slower loads). I skimmed this and many other threads, but it’s tough to get all the details on every thread down when new. Appreciate the clarification.

You must have skimmed way to fast because it has been clearly spelled out and shown many times how they go slow and how there is an extra routing that can stop if necessary without affecting the rest of the system. For future reference if you see a thread that has over 15000 posts you can be pretty sure that every possible scenario has been repeated over and over and over again. There were specifics that would bewilder Einstein. Because someone doesn't see it doesn't mean it is not there.

I know that I didn't know much about Gondola's when this thread opened up, but, now I could apply for a job with Gondola companies. It has been intense. Once you get past the jocularity of possible Gondola disasters waiting to happen, it is very informative as well as interesting.

 

[danlb_2000]

This video from early Jan talks about separate loading/unloading spots for ECVs/wheelchairs at the main stations where they can go very slowly or stop if needed (see around 25:55)-- that would answer my concern about that obviously having to be slower (despite the level loading people mention, these will obviously load slower than people just walking on the vast majority of the time).

Is this consistent with what people here understand?

Yes, @Lift Blog spotted this when they first started building the stations. Each station, except Riviera, has an second loop at the end of the line. There will be a way to route cars off the main loop and onto the secondary loop where they could presumably be slowed down or stopped. Since Riviera isn't and end point it can't have this additional loop so it is not clear if they will have any special provisions for ECV loading there.

 

[OG Runner]

You must have skimmed way to fast because it has been clearly spelled out and shown many times how they go slow and how there is an extra routing that can stop if necessary without affecting the rest of the system. For future reference if you see a thread that has over 15000 posts you can be pretty sure that every possible scenario has been repeated over and over and over again. There were specifics that would bewilder Einstein. Because someone doesn't see it doesn't mean it is not there.

I know that I didn't know much about Gondola's when this thread opened up, but, now I could apply for a job with Gondola companies. It has been intense. Once you get past the jocularity of possible Gondola disasters waiting to happen, it is very informative as well as interesting.

Yeah, but what about air conditioning?

 

[Grimley1968]

Yes, @Lift Blog spotted this when they first started building the stations. Each station, except Riviera, has an second loop at the end of the line. There will be a way to route cars off the main loop and onto the secondary loop where they could presumably be slowed down or stopped. Since Riviera isn't and end point it can't have this additional loop so it is not clear if they will have any special provisions for ECV loading there.

But could there be much smaller loops on each side of the Riviera station (parallel to the main line) to allow one or two cars to be pulled on to for assisted loading, and then put back on the main line there? The station doesn't look big enough for this when I look at construction photos or artist renderings, but it seems like an option if there's still space for the unassisted loading.

 

[danlb_2000]

But could there be much smaller loops on each side of the Riviera station (parallel to the main line) to allow one or two cars to be pulled on to for assisted loading, and then put back on the main line there? The station doesn't look big enough for this when I look at construction photos or artist renderings, but it seems like an option if there's still space for the unassisted loading.

Nothing like that was seen during construction.

 

[Bender123]

But could there be much smaller loops on each side of the Riviera station (parallel to the main line) to allow one or two cars to be pulled on to for assisted loading, and then put back on the main line there? The station doesn't look big enough for this when I look at construction photos or artist renderings, but it seems like an option if there's still space for the unassisted loading.

With the, relatively, small size of the hotel and stop, I don't think it will be as crazy as we think. There will likely be a few that need help, but it wont be at near the volume of the other stops on the system.

 

[Lift Blog]

My guess is there will be two spots where all cabins will pause briefly on the main lines at Riviera rather than the secondary areas like at the other stations. If someone really needs a lot of time to load, the lift can simply be stopped, or slowed during the time that cabin is in the designated special needs loading section.

 

[larryz]

My guess is there will be two spots where all cabins will pause briefly on the main lines at Riviera rather than the secondary areas like at the other stations. If someone really needs a lot of time to load, the lift can simply be stopped, or slowed during the time that cabin is in the designated special needs loading section.

If it's like other turn stations I've seen, the car comes off the cable for the turn and re-engages at the far end of the station. Timing would be tight, but a car could stop for a couple of seconds...

 

[Lift Blog]

If it's like other turn stations I've seen, the car comes off the cable for the turn and re-engages at the far end of the station. Timing would be tight, but a car could stop for a couple of seconds...

For cabins to come to a full stop at one point, they have to go faster than normal in another section to compensate. There can be areas where cabins are detached from the cable but still moving quickly with the doors closed and not loading passengers. Looking forward to seeing what the Doppelmayr engineers came up with.

 

[danlb_2000]

If it's like other turn stations I've seen, the car comes off the cable for the turn and re-engages at the far end of the station. Timing would be tight, but a car could stop for a couple of seconds...

The car would definitely have to come off the cable otherwise it would be moving to fast to load and unload.

 

[kainsel]

With the dual load stations, will there be no floor at the switch point? Or will it have a floor section that will lift up out of the way so the cabin can get to the farther load section? If there is no floor what happens if the door stays open around the turn and someone doesn't realize it?

 

[Bender123]

The car would definitely have to come off the cable otherwise it would be moving to fast to load and unload.

"Your cabin and the ground are not traveling at equal speeds..." Jumping in and out as the cabins fly by at 12 MPH would certainly be entertaining..."TUCK AND ROLL GRANDMA!!! THIS THINGS STOPS FOR NO PERSON!!!!"

 

[danlb_2000]

With the dual load stations, will there be no floor at the switch point? Or will it have a floor section that will lift up out of the way so the cabin can get to the farther load section? If there is no floor what happens if the door stays open around the turn and someone doesn't realize it?

For safety reasons I would assume the doors would momentarily close as it goes around the loop. I am not sure if they are going to force everyone to unload since there may be people are just joyriding.

 

[Doug Means]

Boy! you can't miss a day of this thread! Holy crap

 

[Kamikaze]

For cabins to come to a full stop at one point, they have to go faster than normal in another section to compensate. There can be areas where cabins are detached from the cable but still moving quickly with the doors closed and not loading passengers. Looking forward to seeing what the Doppelmayr engineers came up with.

Question for you: Have you ever visited WDW before? And do you plan a visit just to ride this system?

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

You must have skimmed way to fast because it has been clearly spelled out and shown many times how they go slow and how there is an extra routing that can stop if necessary without affecting the rest of the system. For future reference if you see a thread that has over 15000 posts you can be pretty sure that every possible scenario has been repeated over and over and over again. There were specifics that would bewilder Einstein. Because someone doesn't see it doesn't mean it is not there.

I know that I didn't know much about Gondola's when this thread opened up, but, now I could apply for a job with Gondola companies. It has been intense. Once you get past the jocularity of possible Gondola disasters waiting to happen, it is very informative as well as interesting.

I know how forums work. Some of us don’t have all day to spend reading every word, particularly when they haven’t been here for years and >50% of the posts are jokes about gators eating people before or after they’ve been broiled.

So I asked a question and received two quick and excellent answers. Many thanks to THOSE posters.

 

[danlb_2000]

I know how forums work. Some of us don’t have all day to spend reading every word, particularly when they haven’t been here for years and >50% of the posts are jokes about gators eating people before or after they’ve been broiled.

So I asked a question and received a quick and excellent answer. Many thanks to THAT poster.

Don't pay him any mind, he is just our resident lovable curmudgeon.

Now if you had asked about air conditioning, then I would have bit your head off.

 

[Lift Blog]

Question for you: Have you ever visited WDW before? And do you plan a visit just to ride this system?

Never been to Florida. I once went to Disneyland to participate in one of the parades. Got to see more backstage areas than the actual park.

I will be coming when the system opens. Hopefully the Riviera station opens with the rest of the stations in the fall and not months later.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yeah, but what about air conditioning?

Well, heck its gotta have that otherwise we all would fry in the Florida heat.

 

[Thebolt]

For cabins to come to a full stop at one point, they have to go faster than normal in another section to compensate. There can be areas where cabins are detached from the cable but still moving quickly with the doors closed and not loading passengers. Looking forward to seeing what the Doppelmayr engineers came up with.

No they don't. The gondolas do not need to be evenly spaced. If an ECV load at the mid station needs the gondola to stay in the station a little longer, there will be a wider than normal gap in front betwen the slow gondola. Other gondola cars will stack up behind it, and also take longer to traverse the mid station. If the delay would mean more gondolas stacking than the station loading area can accommodate, the inbound cable has to be stopped.
It is a computer scheduling issue to try and get the gondolas evenly spaced again by manipulating the waits in the loading areas until everything is back in balance.