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People mover

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A people mover or automated people mover ( APM ) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks.

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81-606: The term was originally applied to three different systems, developed roughly at the same time. One was Skybus , an automated mass transit system prototyped by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation beginning in 1964. The second, alternately called the People Mover and Minirail , opened in Montreal at Expo 67. Finally the last, called PeopleMover or WEDway PeopleMover, was an attraction that

162-587: A "Chart for determining the number and size of elevators required for office buildings of a given total occupied floor area". In 1920, Howard B. Cook presented a paper titled "Passenger Elevator Service". This paper marked the first time a member of the elevator industry offered a mathematical means of determining elevator service. His formula determined the round trip time (RTT) by finding the single trip time, doubling it, and adding 10 seconds. In 1923, Bassett Jones published an article titled "The Probable Number of Stops Made by an Elevator". He based his equations on

243-624: A $ 114 million plan for a more conventional steel-wheeled light rail system. The 28-mile (45 km) system would originate in the South Hills area as the present streetcar system did and extend through downtown to the East Liberty neighborhood. Driverless operation would be an option, and the system would be fully grade-separated. WABCO's proposal notwithstanding, PAT voted to adopt the Skybus plan on July 10, 1969. PAT's decision provoked

324-541: A building is at its most busy first thing in the morning; however, in more complicated elevator systems, this model does not work. In 1990, Peters published a paper titled "Lift Traffic Analysis: Formulae for the General Case" in which he developed a new formula which would account for mixed traffic patterns as well as accounting for passenger bunching using Poisson approximation. This new General Analysis equation enabled much more complex systems to be analyzed however

405-485: A compromise proposal, costed at $ 300 million, which placed Skybus on hold and included six commuter rail lines (including the future PATrain ). A major issue remained the disposition of two sources of money: state and federal. U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe had announced a $ 60 million grant in September 1971, and more money would be advanced as the Skybus project developed. Shapp, as governor, controlled

486-426: A deeply grooved pulley , commonly called a sheave in the industry. The weight of the car is balanced by a counterweight . Oftentimes two elevators (or sometimes three) are built so that their cars always move synchronously in opposite directions, and are each other's counterweight. The friction between the ropes and the pulley furnishes the traction which gives this type of elevator its name. Hydraulic elevators use

567-498: A disbursement of $ 38 million in state money. Flaherty argued that the funds could be used for any transit project and were not tied to the Skybus project itself. The position of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) became crucial: Skybus could not be built without federal support. The Port Authority, city, and state could not agree on an appropriate plan which would serve both

648-461: A floor at the same time, are usually driven by the same motor. The system increases efficiency in high-rise buildings, and saves space so additional shafts and cars are not required. In 2003, TK Elevator invented a system called TWIN, with two elevator cars independently running in one shaft. In 1901, consulting engineer Charles G. Darrach (1846–1927) proposed the first formula to determine elevator service. In 1908, Reginald P. Bolton published

729-600: A metro (e.g. Rennes , Lausanne , Brescia , etc.) are now doing so. On September 30, 2006, the Peachliner in Komaki , Aichi Prefecture , Japan, became that nation's first people mover to cease operations. Many large international airports around the world feature people mover systems to transport passengers between terminals or within a terminal itself. Some people mover systems at airports connect with other public transportation systems to allow passengers to travel into

810-539: A more compact system. The IGBT also allowed the development of a small, highly integrated, highly sophisticated all-digital control device, consisting of a high-speed processor, specially customized gate arrays, and a circuit capable of controlling large currents of several kHz. In 2000, the first vacuum elevator was offered commercially in Argentina. Some people argue that elevators began as simple rope or chain hoists (see Traction elevators below). An elevator

891-580: A novel tourist attraction which they called the "ascending room", which elevated customers to a considerable height in the center of London, providing a panoramic view. Early, crude steam-driven elevators were refined in the ensuing decade. In 1835, an innovative elevator, the Teagle, was developed by the company Frost and Stutt in England . It was belt-driven and used a counterweight for extra power. In 1845, Neapolitan architect Gaetano Genovese installed

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972-472: A right to know how the money's being spent." The Pittsburgh Press editorialized that PAT "pulled a monumental blunder the other night when it not only excluded the public from the meeting at which the WABCO proposal was made but actually tried to keep the details of the proposal from reaching the public." Among the most vehement critics of Skybus was then-City Councilman Peter F. Flaherty (a Democrat ), who

1053-577: A small cabinet houses the controller. The equipment is otherwise similar to that of a normal traction or hole-less hydraulic elevator. The world's first machine-room-less elevator, the Kone MonoSpace, was introduced in the year 1996, by Kone . Compared to traditional elevators, it: Its disadvantage was that it could be harder, and significantly more dangerous, to service and maintain. Double-decker elevators are traction elevators with cars that have an upper and lower deck. Both decks, which can serve

1134-460: A so-called 'flying chair' built for one of his mistresses at the Château de Versailles in 1743. Ancient and medieval elevators used drive systems based on hoists and windlasses . The invention of a system based on the screw drive was perhaps the most important step in elevator technology since ancient times, leading to the creation of modern passenger elevators. The first screw-drive elevator

1215-442: A storm of controversy, both for the decision itself and the manner in which it was taken. Throughout the decision-making process PAT held numerous closed-door meetings and was less than forthcoming about how it chose Skybus over the WABCO proposal. Pro–Rail Republican County Commissioner William Hunt stated that "PAT officials should be aware ... that they are a public company using taxpayers' money and these taxpayers have

1296-588: A successful elevator enterprise in Austria-Hungary. The safety and speed of electric elevators were significantly enhanced by Frank Sprague , who added floor control, automatic operation, acceleration control, and further safety devices. His elevator ran faster and with larger loads than hydraulic or steam elevators. 584 of Sprague's elevators were installed before he sold his company to the Otis Elevator Company in 1895. Sprague also developed

1377-415: A system known as Cabinentaxi during the 1970s. Cabinentaxi featured small cars with from four to eight seats that were called to pick up passengers on-demand and drove directly to their destination. The stations were "offline", allowing the cabs to stop by moving off the main lines while other cars continued to their destinations. The system was designed so the cars could be adapted to run on top or bottom of

1458-420: A variety of factors. Hydraulic elevators are cheaper, but installing cylinders greater than a certain length becomes impractical for very-high lift hoistways. For buildings of much over seven floors, traction elevators must be employed instead. Hydraulic elevators are usually slower than traction elevators. Elevators are a candidate for mass customization . There are economies to be made from mass production of

1539-409: A vertical cylinder, allowing the platform, carrying a heavy load, to be raised and lowered. Counterweights and balances were also used to increase lifting power. Henry Waterman of New York is credited with inventing the "standing rope control" for an elevator in 1850. In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator, which prevented the fall of the cab if the cable broke. He demonstrated it at

1620-512: A working title for a new attraction, the PeopleMover . According to Imagineer Bob Gurr , "the name got stuck," and it was no longer a working title. Starting in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, people movers were the topic of intense development around the world. Worried about the growing congestion and pollution in downtown areas due to the spread of cars, many countries started studying mass transit systems that would lower capital costs to

1701-455: Is "automated guideway transit", which encompasses any automated system regardless of size. Some complex APMs deploy fleets of small vehicles over a track network with off-line stations, and supply near non-stop service to passengers. These taxi-like systems are more usually referred to as personal rapid transit (PRT). Larger systems, with vehicles with 20 to 40 passengers, are sometimes referred to as "group rapid transit" (GRT), although this term

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1782-689: Is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems such as a hoist , although some pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack . Elevators are used in agriculture and manufacturing to lift materials. There are various types, like chain and bucket elevators , grain augers , and hay elevators . Modern buildings often have elevators to ensure accessibility, especially where ramps aren't feasible. High-speed elevators are common in skyscrapers . Some elevators can even move horizontally. The earliest known reference to an elevator

1863-426: Is applied in high-speed elevators worldwide. The Toshiba company continued research on thyristors for use in inverter control and dramatically enhanced their switching capacity, resulting in the development of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) at the end of the 1980s. The IGBT realized increased switching frequency and reduced magnetic noise in the motor, eliminating the need for a filter circuit and allowing

1944-446: Is essentially a platform that is either pulled or pushed up by mechanical means. A modern-day elevator consists of a cab (also called a "cabin", "cage", "carriage" or "car") mounted on a platform within an enclosed space called a shaft or sometimes a "hoistway". In the past, elevator drive mechanisms were powered by steam and water hydraulic pistons or by hand. In a "traction" elevator, cars are pulled up by means of rolling steel ropes over

2025-518: Is in the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius , who reported that Archimedes ( c.  287 BC – c.  212 BC ) built his first elevator probably in 236 BC. Sources from later periods mention elevators as cabs on a hemp rope, powered by people or animals. The Roman Colosseum , completed in 80 AD, had roughly 25 elevators that were used for raising animals up to the floor. Each elevator could carry about 600 pounds (270 kg) (roughly

2106-414: Is not particularly common. Other complex APMs have similar characteristics to rapid transit systems, and there is no clear cut distinction between a complex APM of this type and an automated mass transit system. Another term " light metro " is also applied to describe the system worldwide. One of the first automated systems for human transportation was the screw-driven 'Never-Stop-Railway', constructed for

2187-576: Is thought to be the first office building with passenger elevators. In 1872, American inventor James Wayland patented a novel method of securing elevator shafts with doors that are automatically opened and closed as the elevator car approaches and leaves them. In 1874, J. W. Meaker patented a method permitting elevator doors to open and close safely. The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880 in Germany. Inventor Anton Freissler further developed von Siemens' ideas and created

2268-512: The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley , London in 1924. This railway consisted of 88 unmanned carriages, on a continuous double track along the northern and eastern sides of the exhibition, with reversing loops at either end. The carriages ran on two parallel concrete beams and were guided by pulleys running on the inner side of these concrete beams, and were propelled by gripping a revolving screw thread running between

2349-526: The Erie Railroad to the Hudson and Manhattan Tubes . This unit was 227 feet (69 m) long with a rise of 22 feet (6.7 m) on a 15 degree grade , and only cost $ 75,000. A Carveyor consisted of many small cubicles or cars carrying ten people riding on a flat conveyor belt from point A to point B. The belt rode on a series of motorized rollers. The purpose of the motorized rollers was to facilitate

2430-470: The Mt. Lebanon and Beechview neighborhoods before reaching Downtown Pittsburgh via the unused Wabash Tunnel . The entire project would cost $ 295 million; Skybus alone was $ 232 million. In July 1969 an alternative emerged to the Skybus plan. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO)—an unrelated company also founded by George Westinghouse , several years prior to Westinghouse Electric's founding—proposed

2511-479: The New York City Board of Transportation , had several meetings with a group of architects who were trying to revamp the whole New York City Subway system in the heart of town to connect Pennsylvania Station, Madison Square Garden , Times Square, Grand Central and several new office complexes together. Several of these architects were involved in other programs, and in later years many variations of

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2592-616: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania quashed the injunction on both procedural and factual grounds, holding that the suit was not timely and that Westinghouse's role was not improper. Opposition to the Skybus project continued, with Flaherty and Hunt demanding that the proposal be submitted to a referendum in the 1973 election. The projected cost of the Early Action Program, including Skybus, had risen from $ 228 million to nearly $ 400 million. Governor Milton Shapp offered

2673-482: The "Flying chair", an elevator ahead of its time in the Royal Palace of Caserta . It was covered with chestnut wood outside and with maple wood inside. It included a light, two benches, and a hand-operated signal, and could be activated from the outside, without any effort by the occupants. Traction was controlled by a motor mechanic utilizing a system of toothed wheels. A safety system was designed to take effect if

2754-649: The Carveyor people movers were developed. In November 1954 the New York City Transit Authority issued an order to Goodyear and Stephens-Adamson to build a complete Carveyor system between Times Square and Grand Central. A brief summary and confirmation can be found in Time magazine on November 15, 1954. under the heading "Subway of the Future". The cost was to be under $ 4 million, but the order

2835-560: The Downtown People Mover Program. Four systems were developed, Rohr 's ROMAG , LTV 's AirTrans , Ford 's APT and Otis Elevator 's hovercraft design. A major presentation of the systems was organized as TRANSPO'72 at Dulles International Airport , where the various systems were presented to delegations from numerous cities in the US. Prototype systems and test tracks were built during the 1970s. One notable example

2916-541: The Industrial Products Division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. , if Goodyear had ever considered working on People Movers. He felt that with Goodyear's ability to move materials in large quantities on conveyor belts they should consider moving batches of people. Four years of engineering design, development and testing led to a joint patent being issued for three types of people movers, named Speedwalk, Speedramp, and Carveyor. Goodyear would sell

2997-588: The New York exposition in the Crystal Palace in a dramatic, death-defying presentation in 1854, and the first such passenger elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City on 23 March 1857. The first elevator shaft preceded the first elevator by four years. Construction for Peter Cooper 's Cooper Union Foundation building in New York began in 1853. An elevator shaft was included in

3078-629: The Pittsburgh area. With support from the state of Pennsylvania and the federal government, Westinghouse and PAT built a 9,340-foot (2,850 m) demonstration track at the Allegheny County Fairgrounds in South Park . The cars, which could operate separately or be coupled together, were powered by a pair of 60 horsepower (45 kW) motors and could travel at a maximum speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Each of

3159-524: The United States. Driverless metros have become common in Europe and parts of Asia. The economics of automated trains tend to reduce the scale so tied to "mass" transit (the largest operating expense is the driver's salary, which is only affordable if very large numbers of passengers are paying fares), so that small-scale installations are feasible. Thus cities normally thought of as too small to build

3240-420: The airport's city. [REDACTED] Media related to People movers at Wikimedia Commons Transit Expressway Revenue Line The Transit Expressway Revenue Line ( TERL ), commonly known as Skybus , was a proposed people mover rapid transit system developed by Westinghouse for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1960s–1970s. In contrast to the traditional streetcars then in use,

3321-536: The balance. The Commission's decision did nothing to end the controversy. Flaherty, now mayor, remained opposed and used his powers as mayor to frustrate the project. In 1971 he and the Port Authority came to blows over the Wabash Tunnel , which Skybus would use to reach the downtown area. The Pittsburgh City Council voted to convey land at the mouth of the tunnel to the Port Authority. Flaherty vetoed

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3402-500: The car does not reach maximum rated speed or acceleration, and added the functionality of express zones. This equation is now referred to as the 'Up peak Calculation' as it uses the assumption that all the passengers are coming into the building from the ground floor (incoming traffic) and that there are no passengers traveling from a higher floor to the ground floor (outgoing traffic) and no passengers traveling from one internal floor to another (interfloor traffic). This model works well if

3483-688: The car passed through them. The first elevator in India was installed at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata by Otis in 1892. By 1900, completely automated elevators were available, but passengers were reluctant to use them. Their adoption was aided by a 1945 elevator operator strike in New York City, and the addition of an emergency stop button, emergency telephone, and a soothing explanatory automated voice. An inverter-controlled gearless drive system

3564-605: The city of Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny County. The Port Authority remained committed to Skybus, as did a majority of the County Commission. Mayor Flaherty continued to favor a mix of traditional heavy and light rail, as did Governor Shapp. Ultimately in 1976 a cross-jurisdiction task force recommended light rail instead of Skybus, and the UMTA support was withdrawn. Once the Allegheny County Fair

3645-485: The components, but each building comes with its own requirements like different number of floors, dimensions of the well and usage patterns. Elevator doors prevent riders from falling into, entering, or tampering with anything in the shaft. The most common configuration is to have two panels that meet in the middle and slide open laterally. These are known as "center-opening". In a cascading telescopic configuration (potentially allowing wider entryways within limited space),

3726-577: The concept and Stephens-Adamson would manufacture and install the components. A Speedwalk consisted of a flat conveyor belt riding on a series of rollers, or a flat slippery surface, moving at 1.5 mph (2.4 km/h) (approximately half the speed of walking). The passengers would walk onto the belt and could stand or walk to the exit point. They were supported by a moving handrail . Customers were expected to include airport terminals , ballparks , train stations , etc. Today, several manufacturers produce similar units called moving walkways . A Speedramp

3807-463: The cords broke, consisting of a beam pushed outwards by a steel spring. The hydraulic crane was invented by Sir William Armstrong in 1846, primarily for use at the Tyneside docks for loading cargo. They quickly supplanted the earlier steam-driven elevators, exploiting Pascal's law to provide much greater force. A water pump supplied a variable level of water pressure to a plunger encased inside

3888-659: The country with Miami's Metromover . Westinghouse built the first 12 Adtranz C-100 buses used for the Metromover. Westinghouse would also participate in the development of similar driverless transit systems like the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in California, and automated people movers at several major U.S. airports, including Tampa, Orlando, and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Elevator An elevator ( American English ) or lift ( Commonwealth English )

3969-845: The decision. The council voted to do so again, overriding Flaherty's veto. Flaherty then refused to sign the necessary papers. The matter reached the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania , which ruled against Flaherty in July 1972. PAT would spend a total of $ 9.2 million rebuilding the tunnel and then undoing the work after the system was canceled. In November 1971 the City Council had decided to table legislation funding Skybus. Construction stopped after Court of Common Pleas Judge Anne X. Alpern issued an injunction, ruling that PAT had failed to consider alternatives and that Westinghouse had "an illegal conflict of interest." In January 1973

4050-590: The design because Cooper was confident that a safe passenger elevator would soon be invented. The shaft was cylindrical because Cooper thought it was the most efficient design. Otis later designed a special elevator for the building. Peter Ellis , an English architect, installed the first elevators that could be described as paternoster elevators in Oriel Chambers in Liverpool in 1868. The Equitable Life Building , completed in 1870 in New York City,

4131-409: The doors roll on independent tracks so that while open, they are tucked behind one another, and while closed, they form cascading layers on one side. This can be configured so that two sets of such cascading doors operate like the center opening doors described above, allowing for a very wide elevator cab. In less expensive installations the elevator can also use one large "slab" door: a single panel door

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4212-452: The elevator shaft when the car was not being entered or exited. In 1887, American inventor Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota , patented an elevator with automatic doors that closed off the elevator shaft when the car was not being entered or exited. In 1891, American inventors Joseph Kelly and William L. Woods co-patented a novel way to guard elevator shafts against accident, by way of hatches that would automatically open and close as

4293-482: The equations had now become so complex that it was almost impossible to do manually and it became necessary to use software to run the calculations. The GA formula was extended even further in 1996 to account for double deck elevators. RTT calculations establish an elevator system's handling capacity by using a set of repeatable calculations which, for a given set of inputs, always produce the same answer. It works well for simple systems; but as systems get more complex,

4374-491: The first book devoted to this subject, Elevator Service . The summation of his work was a massive fold-out chart (placed at the back of his book) that allowed users to determine the number of express and local elevators needed for a given building to meet a desired interval of service. In 1912, commercial engineer Edmund F. Tweedy and electrical engineer Arthur Williams co-authored a book titled Commercial Engineering for Central Stations . He followed Bolton's lead and developed

4455-581: The four cars was 30 feet 6 inches (9.30 m) long and could seat 28. Power was provided a 565 volt three-phase AC underrail system. During the 1960s the Port Authority formulated its so-called "Early Action Program", the purpose of which was to establish a more robust rapid transit system in Pittsburgh. The program called for an 11-mile (18 km) Skybus line and two "busways" ( bus rapid transit routes), plus rehabilitation of existing equipment. The Skybus route would originate South Hills Village and follow existing streetcar right-of-way through

4536-468: The gradual acceleration and deceleration speeds on the conveyor belt and overcome the tendency of all belts to stretch at start up and during shutdown. At point "A" passengers would enter a Speedwalk running parallel to the belts and cars of the Carveyor. The cars would be moving at the same speed as the Speedwalk; the passengers would enter the cars and be seated, while the motorized rollers would increase

4617-448: The hearings to express their views. Flaherty accused the PAT board of directors of having an "emotional commitment ... to the Skybus plan" and of collusion with business-industrial interests in the Pittsburgh area who favored the plan. Tabor split the difference, presenting a plan which included WABCO and a 16-mile (26 km) Skybus loop east of downtown. A continuing source of contention

4698-818: The idea and technology for multiple elevators in a single shaft. In 1871, when hydraulic power was a well established technology, Edward B. Ellington founded Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company, which became the London Hydraulic Power Company in 1883. It constructed a network of high-pressure mains on both sides of the Thames which ultimately extended 184 miles (296 km) and powered some 8,000 machines, predominantly elevators and cranes. Schuyler Wheeler patented his electric elevator design in 1883. In 1884, American inventor D. Humphreys of Norfolk, Virginia , patented an elevator with automatic doors that closed off

4779-677: The immaturity of the technology and other factors, led the Port Authority to abandon the project and pursue alternatives. By the start of the 1980s most politicians had lost interest in the concept and the project was repeatedly de-funded in the early 1980s. Only two APMs were developed as a part of the People Mover Program in the U.S., the Metromover in Miami , and the Detroit People Mover . The Jacksonville Skyway

4860-461: The introduction of steel beam construction, worked together to provide the passenger and freight elevators in use today. Starting in coal mines, elevators in the mid-19th century operated with steam power , and were used for moving goods in bulk in mines and factories. These devices were soon applied to a diverse set of purposes. In 1823, Burton and Homer, two architects in London , built and operated

4941-572: The point where any city could afford to deploy them. Most of these systems used elevated guideways, which were much less expensive to deploy than tunnels. However, elevating the track causes problems with noise, so traditional steel-wheel-on-rail solutions were rare as they squealed when rounding bends in the rails. Rubber tired solutions were common, but some systems used hovercraft techniques or various magnetic levitation systems. Two major government funded APM projects are notable. In Germany, Mannesmann Demag and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm developed

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5022-457: The principles of hydraulics (in the sense of hydraulic power ) to pressurize an above-ground or in-ground piston to raise and lower the car (see Hydraulic elevators below). Roped hydraulics use a combination of both ropes and hydraulic power to raise and lower cars. Recent innovations include permanent magnet motors, machine room-less rail mounted gearless machines, and microprocessor controls. The technology used in new installations depends on

5103-432: The speed of the cars up to the traveling speed (which would be preset depending on the distance to be covered). At point B Passengers could disembark and by means of a series of flat slower belts (Speedwalks) go to other Carveyors to other destinations or out to the street. The cars at point B would continue on rollers around a semicircle and then reverse the process carrying passengers back to point A. The initial installation

5184-557: The technology used a dedicated elevated concrete track and rubber-tired driverless cars . A demonstrator was built and operated in the South Hills area but political opposition killed the deployment of a larger system. Westinghouse, a Pittsburgh firm, developed the technology during the early 1960s in cooperation with the Port Authority of Allegheny County , a public entity which by 1964 controlled most mass transit in

5265-412: The theory of probabilities and found a reasonably accurate method of calculating the average stop count. The equation in this article assumed a consistent population on every floor. He went on to write an updated version of his equations in 1926 which accounted for variable population on each floor. Jones credited David Lindquist for the development of the equation but provides no indication as to when it

5346-428: The track (but not easily converted from one to the other), allowing dual-track movements from a single elevated guideway only slightly wider than the cars. A test track was completed in 1975 and ran until development was completed in 1979, but no deployments followed and the companies abandoned the system shortly thereafter. In the U.S., a 1966 federal bill provided funding that led to the development of APM systems under

5427-548: The tracks in a pit; by adjusting the pitch of this thread at different points, the carriages could be sped up, or slowed down to a walking pace at stations, to allow passengers to join and leave. The railway ran reliably for the two years of the exhibition, and was then dismantled. In late 1949, Mike Kendall, chief engineer and Chairman of the Board of Stephens-Adamson Manufacturing Company, an Illinois-based manufacturer of conveyor belts and systems , asked Al Neilson, an engineer in

5508-512: The weight of two lions) 23 feet (7.0 m) up when powered by up to eight men. In 1000, the Book of Secrets by Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi in Islamic Spain described the use of an elevator-like lifting device to raise a large battering ram to destroy a fortress. In the 17th century, prototypes of elevators were installed in the palace buildings of England and France. Louis XV of France had

5589-403: The width of the doorway that opens to the left or right laterally. These are known as "single slide" doors. Some buildings have elevators with the single door on the shaftway, and double cascading doors on the cab. Elevators that do not require separate machine rooms are designed so that most of their power and control components fit within the hoistway (the shaft containing the elevator car), and

5670-485: Was Pittsburgh 's Skybus, which was proposed by the Port Authority of Allegheny County to replace its streetcar system, which, having large stretches of private right of way, was not suited for bus conversion. A short demonstration line was set up in South Park and large tracts of land were secured for its facilities. However, opposition arose to the notion that it would replace the streetcar system. This, combined with

5751-406: Was WABCO's cost estimate, which PAT's consulting engineer said was at least $ 100 million too low. The viability of the unproven Skybus technology, in particular the switching system , remained a concern. In September the County Commission voted 2–1 to adopt the plan. The Commission stated that of the $ 228 million only $ 20–30 million would be paid by the county, with federal and state funds making up

5832-557: Was a candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh . Flaherty accused PAT of prejudging in favor of Skybus and rushing the decision to secure federal funding for the project. Flaherty urged additional, open, hearings to better evaluate the merits of the Skybus and WABCO proposals. In response, the Allegheny County Commission agreed to hold a series of public hearings into the competing plans. Both Flaherty and John K. Tabor , his Republican opponent for mayor, appeared at

5913-554: Was built by Ivan Kulibin and installed in the Winter Palace in 1793, although there may have been an earlier design by Leonardo da Vinci . Several years later, another of Kulibin's elevators was installed in the Arkhangelskoye near Moscow . The development of elevators was led by the need for movement of raw materials, including coal and lumber , from hillsides. The technology developed by these industries, and

5994-629: Was built in the late 1980s. Although many systems were generally considered failures, several APM systems developed by other groups have been much more successful. Lighter systems with shorter tracks are widely deployed at airports; the world's first airport people movers, the Tampa International Airport People Movers , were installed in 1971 at Tampa International Airport in the United States . APMs have now become common at large airports and hospitals in

6075-493: Was done away with in the early 1970s, rides on the Skybus track ceased. In the Spring and Summer of 1980 the county had the track, cars and computer dismantled and bartered for scrap, with the computer building becoming a park police office. The Skybus tests proved that rubber tire driverless transit could function. Westinghouse Electric would later have a role in the development of the first major fully automated transit system in

6156-448: Was first proposed. Although the equations were there, elevator traffic analysis was still a very specialist task that could only be done by world experts. That was until 1967 when Strakosch wrote an eight step method for finding the efficiency of a system in "Vertical transportation: Elevators and Escalators". In 1975, Barney and Dos Santos developed and published the "Round Trip Time (RTT) formula", which followed Strakosch's work. This

6237-510: Was never fulfilled due to political difficulties. Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania , Disneyland in California, and Walt Disney World in Florida are among many locations that have used variations of the Carveyor concept. The term 'people mover' was used by Walt Disney , when he and his Imagineers were working on the new 1967 Tomorrowland at Disneyland . The name was used as

6318-407: Was originally presented by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and that opened at Disneyland in 1967. Now, however, the term "people mover" is generic, and may use technologies such as monorail , rail tracks or maglev . Propulsion may involve conventional on-board electric motors, linear motors or cable traction . Generally speaking, larger APMs are referred to by other names. The most generic

6399-506: Was the first formulized mathematical model and is the simplest form that is still used by traffic analyzers today. Modification and improvements have been made to this equation over the years, most significantly in 2000 when Peters published "Improvements to the Up Peak Round Trip Time Calculation" which improved the accuracy of the flight time calculation, making allowances for short elevator journeys when

6480-581: Was to be the 42nd Street Shuttle in New York City between Times Square and Grand Central station. The first mention of the Carveyor in a hardback book was in There's Adventure in Civil Engineering by Neil P. Ruzic (1958), one of a series of books published by Popular Mechanics in the 1950s in their "Career" series. In the book the Carveyor was already installed and operational in downtown Los Angeles. Colonel Sydney H. Bingham, Chairman of

6561-594: Was very similar to a Speedwalk but it was used to change elevations; up or down a floor level. This could have been accomplished by an escalator, but the Speedramp would allow wheeled luggage, small handcarts etc. to ride the belt at an operating cost predicted to be much lower than escalators or elevators . The first successful installation of a Speedramp was in the spring of 1954 at the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Station in Jersey City, New Jersey , to connect

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