Wallowa Lake | Tramway

Описание: Wallowa Lake Tramway was installed in 1968, opening up lift service from Wallowa Lake State Park and the lake itself, to a point just below the summit of Mt. Howard. Originally, this lift did serve skiing, and even a rope tow operated here, with plans for several chairlifts. Nowadays, the old and aging machine, among some of the oldest detachable lifts in the Americas, does not operate during the winter anymore. Evidence of skiing is existent, as there are ski racks on the sides of the cabins; though they are likely left over from where these cabins originally came from. This tram sits in the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon, where from the summit of Mt. Howard, there are incredible views to be had (when it's not smokey out from wildfires).

Wallowa Lake Tramway is a Hall/PHB four-passenger gondola, one of the last remaining in the US. It uses early CWA cabins, which replaced older cabins fabricated by Hall. The grips were originally made by Giovanola. Giovanola was bought by PHB later on, but PHB continued to use the grip. It is a double grip, which gets its grip force from the weight of the cabin. The contour and attach/detach areas of the terminals don't use tires or chains; rather they are human- and gravity-powered. Cabins are launched manually, by pulling a rip cord attached to a handle. They are launched at regular intervals, with a timer that spaces them about 1 minute 46 seconds apart (by my count). The drive is at the bottom, most likely a PHB drive, judging by the non-Hall-looking bullwheel, and tensioning is at the top, using a counterweight. The towers are Hall, but the sheaves are most likely PHB. This tram is not only amazing in machinery and primitive technology, but also in length and vertical rise. With a length of 9,650 feet, and vertical rise of 3,700 feet, this is the tallest monocable gondola by vertical rise in North America! Capacity is quite low, as there are only 21 cabins for the 1.83 mile length of this lift. Design speed is also quite low, at 690 fpm, which it was running very close to. Even with these low numbers, this lift is a must-see for sightseers, hikers, or any lift enthusiasts interested in the very alive and living beast that is this gondola.

Timestamps:
0:00 Bottom Machinery and Loading
2:49 Launching
2:56 Ride Up
16:24 Arriving at the Return

Recorded August 14th, 2021