This span passes over Domingo Baca Canyon, part of which is referred to as TWA Canyon. Mid-span, the cables are 900 ft (274 m) above the mountainside. This span is the third-longest clear tramway span in the world, at a length of 7,720 feet (2,353 m). The longest span is between the second tower and the top terminal. The second, just 80 feet (24.4 m) tall, is situated at the end of a major spur of the mountains at an elevation of 8,750 ft (2,667 m) and was built by the aid of over 2,000 helicopter trips, with support rods driven up to 40 feet (12 m) into the granite. The first tower, which is 232 feet (70.7 m) tall, is situated at an elevation of 7,010 feet (2,137 m) above sea level and built as an inclined tower with an inclination angle of 18 degrees. The viewshed from the tram includes all of Albuquerque and roughly 11,000 square miles (28,000 km 2) of the New Mexico countryside.Īn overview of the tramway and a view of metropolitan Albuquerque from the upper terminal. Approximately four "flights" leave every hour from the base and top termini. A trip up the mountain takes 15 minutes to ascend 3,819 ft (1,164 m), and the normal operating speed of the tram is 20 feet per second (13.6 mph 21.9 km/h). The tramway ascends the steep western side of the highest portion of the Sandia Mountains, from a base elevation of 6,559 feet (1,999 m) to a top elevation of 10,378 feet (3,163 m). Its two cars are capable of carrying 50 passengers each and have numerous safety and backup systems, such as multiple emergency braking systems and a grounding system that ensures the safety of passengers in the event of a lightning strike. ![]() The tram is a type known as a "double reversible jigback aerial tramway," where "jigback" implies that when one tram car is ascending, the other is descending. Description Īn older tramway car ascending the Sandia Mountains All passengers and crew were rescued without injury. Ongoing wind and snow hampered the rescue operations. Members of the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council helped the passengers rappel down the upper tower and hike to a point where they could be rescued by a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office helicopter. All were rescued on the afternoon of January 1st, 2022. 19 employees from the restaurant TEN 3 at the top terminal and 1 Sandia Peak Tram Cabin Operator, were aboard the downhill tram car evacuating the restaurant due to the approaching storm, and were trapped for over 17 hours, likewise 1 cabin operator was stranded in the uphill tram car too. On New Year's Eve, 2021, a winter storm caused the emergency cable to ice over and droop onto the track cables, causing the tramway to stop mid-course. New tram cars were again installed in May 2016. ![]() ![]() New tram cars were installed in 1986, and new track cables in 2009. Entering service on May 7, 1966, the tram makes 10,500 trips per year. Bell Engineering of Lucerne, Switzerland, constructed the tramway. The Sandia Peak Ski Company was cofounded by balloonist Ben Abruzzo and Robert Nordhaus (father of Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus), and Nordhaus was inspired to build a tram to the ski slope after seeing other trams during a trip to Europe. It is the longest aerial tram in the Americas, and was the longest in the world from 1966 until being surpassed in 2010 by the Wings of Tatev in Armenia. It stretches from the northeast edge of the city to Sandia Peak on the ridge line of the Sandia Mountains and has the world's third longest single span. The Sandia Peak Tramway is an aerial tramway located adjacent to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Coordinates: 35☁1′26″N 106☂8′46″W / 35.19056°N 106.47944°W / 35.19056 -106.47944Ĭable diameter 4 x 40mm lock coil track cables, 2 x 32 mm stranded haul cable, 1x 18 mm stranded Emergency CableĦ00 HP DC electric winch Ford industrial engine (evacuation drive)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |