tram

Today we chat about Josh's favourite rant-y topic, public transport and just getting around in general.
Season two of Just The Ticket will feature a new guest every episode, and today's guest is one of our best friends, a well travelled software engineer finding solutions to the worlds problems (and solutions to some _not_ problems too!).

Join Josh, Veera, and friends as we chat about travelling, living abroad, and everything in between

Just The Ticket is a podcast for travellers, ex-pats, and everyone in between.

New episodes every second Friday, see you there.

Mike Franklyn / Moon Stalker / courtesy of epidemicsound.com

The story of the gondolas of Medellin, Columbia, is the history of Medellin itself. We explore how Medellin went from Spanish colonial mining town to industrial city and then, via building a robust public transportation system - and in particular the gondolas - Medellin transformed itself from a murder capital to a tourist-magnet destination. Medellin took a no-wrong-door, holistic approach to its many problems. In the process, the city built a responsive, but inexpensive, form of public infrastructure well suited to its mountainous, but urban, terrain.

Resources

Moment in Equity

Wealth Inequality by Country 2023 – https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wealth-inequality-by-country 

Adriaan Alsema, Colombia’s wealth gap bogging down economic growth and progress: World Bank, Columbia Reports (Oct. 28, 2021) – https://colombiareports.com/colombias-wealth-gap-bogging-down-economic-growth-and-progress-world-bank/ 

Geography and history of Medellin

Political Map of Columbia, nationsonline.org (Undated) – https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/colombia_map.htm#:~:text=About%20Colombia&text=It%20is%20bordered%20by%20Brazil,Cayman%20Islands%20(United%20Kingdom).

Medellin, Britannica (Updated Sept. 7, 2022) – https://www.britannica.com/place/Medellin-Colombia

Medellin FactFile, MedellinColumbia.co (Undated) – https://www.medellincolombia.co/general-information/medellin-factfile/

Brief History of Medellin, casacol (Undated) (author name as Patrick, with no other information) – https://en.casacol.co/2022/06/11/brief-history-of-medellin/

Kenneth Fletcher, Columbia Dispatch 9: The Story of Medellin, Smithsonian (Oct. 28, 2008) – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/colombia-dispatch-9-the-story-of-medellin-88441797/

David Freedman, How Medellin, Columbia, Became the World’s Smartest City, Newsweek (Nov. 18, 2019) - https://www.newsweek.com/2019/11/22/medellin-colombia-worlds-smartest-city-1471521.html

Gondolas

Gondola, Cambridge Dictionary (Undated) (definition) – https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gondola 

Gondola, Online Etymology Dictionary (Undated) – https://www.etymonline.com/word/gondola#:~:text=gondola%20(n.),open%20railway%20cars%20by%201871. 

Gondola (disambiguation), Wikipedia (Updated Feb. 20, 2023) (discussing less common transportation-related meanings of the word “gondola”) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola_(disambiguation) 

Frequently Asked Questions, Georgetown-Roslyn Gondola (Undated) – http://www.georgetownrosslyngondola.com/faqs

Gondolas of Medellin

Steven Dale, Medellin/Caracas, Part 1, The Gondola Project (Oct. 5, 2015) – https://www.gondolaproject.com/2015/10/05/medellincaracas-part-1/ 

Steven Dale, Medellin/Caracas, Part 2, The Gondola Project (Mar. 12, 2010) – https://www.gondolaproject.com/2010/03/12/medellincaracas-part-2/ 

Steven Dale, Medellin/Caracas, Part 3, The Gondola Project (Mar. 14, 2010) – https://www.gondolaproject.com/2010/03/14/medellincaracas-part-3/ 

Cable Cars as Urban Public Transport in Medellin, Seeds of Good Anthropocenes (Undated (seems like 2019) – https://goodanthropocenes.net/cable-cars-as-urban-public-transport-in-medellin/

Video: Medellin: Columbia’s Sustainable Transport Capital, Streetfilms (2012) – https://vimeo.com/39704761 

Charles Parkinson, Medellin’s Strategy for Driving Down Crime: Add More Gondolas, The Future of Resilience (blog), Next City (Nov. 11, 2013) – https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/medellin-expands-the-transit-system-that-helped-tame-its-rampant-crime

Metrocable (Medellin), Wikipedia (Updated May 22, 2023) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrocable_(Medell%C3%ADn) 

Venezuela: Avila National Park, parkswatch.org (March 2002) – http://parkswatch.org/parkprofiles/pdf/avnp_eng.pdf 

Metrocables in Medellin, Columbia, Oxfam International (case study) (Jan. 2021) – https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/621119/cs-metrocables-medellin-colombia-270121-en.pdf;jsessionid=68262E16B5AE71A0EF680FA5E085B1AF?sequence=1 

An encounter with the South Brisbane railway system during the 1960’s was truly a step back in time to the early 20th century. On our latest episode, we’ll talk about how the Gabba depot came to be, why it disappeared, and how a ‘flag and bell man’ was such an iconic part of the old streetscape and railwayscape of inner-city Brisbane for many decades.   

We’ll also talk with Greg Rooney, General Manager of the Rail Management Centre (or ‘RMC’) and South East Queensland Operations for Queensland Rail. Greg shares his story of his father working various trains over to Wooloongabba depot and why he’s excited about the new underground tunnel that will again change public transport on the south side of Brisbane.

It was an early autumn day in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the new futuristic Snowbird tram, we could see all the way down to the Salt Lake Valley. To the north was Mount Superior. In the distance, Jupiter Peak on the Park City ridgeline stood against the blue morning sky.

After 50 years, the old red and blue cabins are being replaced with new floor-to-ceiling windowed cabins. To celebrate its debut, Last Chair hung out in the new tram 350-feet over the valley floor above the Cirque to chat with Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields and Mountain Manager Jake Treadwell about the evolution of the iconic tram and what the new cabins will bring for skiers and riders..

When you dream about skiing at iconic resorts around the world, odds are you dream of trams. They are the classic signatures of some of the world’s greatest ski resorts – Snowbird included.

The dream of Snowbird visionary Ted Johnson, he and Dick Bass collaborated to bring a tram to the resort from day one. Swiss workers moved to Little Cottonwood Canyon, working long, hard hours in the summer of 1971 to make it a reality.

Following a retirement party last spring, the resort went to work retooling the tram machinery and cabins. Both new cars will be online in early December for the start of the season.

For Fields and Treadwell, along with their entire Snowbird team, it was a project close to their hearts – rekindling historic memories of the original tram’s debut in 1971, and the countless stories in the memories of skiers and riders who have whisked their way to the top of Hidden Peak in just minutes.

Here’s a preview of the conversations. Listen to the full Last Chair podcast to learn more. <<LINK>>

How did the concept of the original tram come to fruition?

Dave Fields: The idea for the tram came from Ted Johnson, who worked at Alta in the ‘60s and started buying up mining claims at Snowbird. And when he met Dick Bass in 1969 at a party in Vail, he started sharing his dream. Dick originally signed on to help him find investors and quickly he became the investor. And one of Ted's dreams was to have a tram going from the Snowbird Center all the way to the top of Hidden Peak. Dick and Ted traveled all over to get ideas of how to build the tram and what it should look like. Dick and Ted opened the place on December 23rd, 1971, with the tram on opening day. And it was amazing from day one. And it's been really the icon of this resort. The tram IS Snowbird, and Snowbird IS the tram ever since.

As mountain manager, what does the tram mean to you and Snowbird operations?

Jake Treadwell: So this truly is a unique lift as far as its operation and what it does for us. The tram is the center of the universe for the resort, for our guests and for our employees. This to me it's the best commute to work in the morning that anybody gets. We get to ride this first thing in the morning. We get to see what's going on. But this really is again, it's unique. It's a jig back tram. So as one car comes up, the next car comes down and they're tied together through a haul rope that runs the entire up and down of the system.

What research went into the design of the new tram system at Snowbird?

Dave Fields: We rode them all over. Some of my favorites were the smaller tramway systems that are actually used for residential passage through the mountains and hauling groceries. We rode one in Davos that had that old time feel to it. I really liked the Zugspitze. Things are happening in Europe with tramways that is just incredible. It's proving to be a great way to get through the mountains. 

We started brainstorming about not just the tram, but how we could make it a really exciting event for people when they come up the mountain. So floor to ceiling, glass glass, three panels of floor glass in each cabin in the summertime. And then the real kicker was the balcony (summer). People thought we were crazy, but there actually are some resorts in Europe that do that. So you'll climb up a stairwell from inside the cabin and you'll ride up on the roof of the tram as it passes through the Cirque, 350 feet off the ground. So it will be very exciting to take that ride. We'll have the balconies next summer and I can't wait to take that ride. It's going to be really good.

What was replaced in the system for the new Snowbird tram?

Dave Fields: We opted to replace cabins, track rope, haul rope, almost everything, including the drive system, the motors, the bull wheels – everything other than the towers has been replaced on ours.

Jake Treadwell: So this was basically a complete reset of the tram, the machine room that you can see when you come into Snowbird Center, when you look down, almost all those components were removed this spring, completely pulled out. And we did that in a matter of about a week. And then, slowly but surely, we started replacing the electronic drive, the electric motor, the entire braking system, the drive wheel with a hydrostatic motor down there and a drive. All of these systems meld together in a modern tramway, and it gives us a lot more flexibility and a lot more safety factor, which is always what we're looking for. If we were to lose power at this resort, we can still run a backup generator, an electric motor to get this tramway moving. If we were to lose that system, we have a hydrostatic drive that bolts into the bull wheel and we can drive the machine that way. So we have all these backup systems to make sure that this machine is always ready to move.

What’s your favorite run on the mountain?

Jake Treadwell: I’m a Baldy guy.  You’ve got to go out to hike Baldy and ski Fields of Glory and make it the whole way down. It's the place to be great!

Dave Fields: Well, Jake stole my answer. I really enjoy Northwest Baldy. There are a few zones in there that are really special. I'd love to go out there with my wife and have the hike. You just get such an amazing view down canyon and get to see the whole resort. You get to look over at Mount Superior and then you have the best skiing non-stop fall line all the way to the bottom.

Episode 2: Funiculars

In this episode, we define the term funicular and quickly delve into its history, with odd characters, wealthy businessmen, and marketing gurus along the way. We also talk about where funiculars can be found today as well as many that only exist in the pages of history.

What is a funicular? Basically, a funicular is one of a paired set of carriages that use a cable or rope in order to be moved up or down a steep incline, with each carriage counterbalancing the other. Spoiler alert: Some famous ones are Angel's Flight in LA, Peak Tram in Hong Kong, and about 30, which I don't think are individually named, in Valparaiso, Chile. Hence another term for funicular is an incline. 

While the early history is not well documented, we do have evidence of funiculars dating back to the Middle Ages. Look through our sources as well to go enjoy performances of Funiculi, Funicila, an Italian folk song. You might get lost there. 

Sources for more information

Please note that the newspaper articles are available for free through many public library systems. They are not all available otherwise on the Internet.

Definitions

·      Oxford English Dictionary – free access through library cards from many public libraries in the United States

·      Merriam-Webster Dictionary – definitions are available for free online

·      Matt Hickman, 14 Fabulous Funiculars from Around the Globe, Treehugger: Sustainability for All (blog and website) (Nov. 21, 2018) at https://www.treehugger.com/fabulous-funiculars-from-around-the-globe-4863745 – Treehugger states that it is “the only modern sustainability site that offers advice, clarity, and inspiration for both the eco-savvy and the green-living novice.” 

Funicular traveler writings

·      Joseph Brennan, All the Funiculars: Explorations in Britain (2019) (webpage and blog posts about each funicular visited and the surrounding town; lots of photos and a map) – http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/fun/ 

o   Example of his treks from London – West Hill Lift, Hastings, East Hill Lift, Hastings   – http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/fun/10_HASTINGS.html 

·      Matt Hickman, 14 Fabulous Funiculars from Around the Globe, Treehugger: Sustainability for All (blog and website) (Nov. 21, 2018) at https://www.treehugger.com/fabulous-funiculars-from-around-the-globe-4863745

·      Wayne Bernhardson, The Hills of Valparaíso, Chile, Moon (undated) (neighborhoods on the steep hills, landmarks, and funicular transportation) – https://www.moon.com/travel/trip-ideas/the-hills-of-valparaiso-chile/ 

·      Tom Osborne, The 15 Coolest Things to Do in Valparaíso, Chile, Worldly Adventurer (Mar. 21, 2021) (public art, hilly neighborhoods, views, funiculars, and food and drink, as well as earthquakes) – https://worldlyadventurer.com/things-to-do-valparaiso/ 

·      Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey, The Most Fantastic Funicular Railways You’ll Experience in Europe, Fodors Travel (Jan. 28, 2020) – https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/the-most-fantastic-funicular-railways-youll-experience-in-europe 

History 

·      History blog (Untitled) (June 2011) – http://the---history.blogspot.com/2011/06/history-of-train.html 

·      Timeline of Railway History, Wikipedia (Oct. 4, 2021) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_railway_history 

·      The Monongahela Incline: A Pittsburgh Icon, The Monongahela Incline – https://monongahelaincline.com/ 

·      Early History (About the Incline page), Duquesne Incline – http://www.duquesneincline.org/index8656.html?page=about-the-incline 

·      Iowa SP Fenelon Place Elevator, National Archives Catalog (1978) (primary source document available online) – https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75338808  

·      Marshall Cohen, Fourth Street Elevator, Encyclopedia Dubuque (Sept. 19, 2021) – http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=FOURTH_STREET_ELEVATOR  

·      Jim Swenson, Up-and-down history: Dubuque's elevator attraction still drawing them in, Telegraph Herald (Nov. 22, 2017) – https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_98e97014-71dc-5768-a4d5-226a02bee57b.html 

·      James E. Jacobsen, Phase V Dubuque Historical and Architectural Survey of the Fenelon Place, North Main and Broadway Neighborhoods (2005) (Report prepared by History Pays!; funded by a State of Iowa Certified Local Governments grant with matched funding being provided by the City of Dubuque, and federal funding from the National Park Service. The report provides a detailed description of the neighborhood.) – https://www.cityofdubuque.org/DocumentCenter/View/2926/Phase-V-Report?bidId=   

·      Los Angeles and Southern California – Nathan Masters, Three Forgotten Incline Railways from Southern California History, KCET (Nov. 3, 2018) – https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/three-forgotten-incline-railways-from-southern-california-history  

·      Mark Dodge, Lookout Mountain Funicular — a ride of a lifetime, Golden History Museum & Park (Feb. 15, 2017) (noting the many requests for the museum’s history blog to provide information about the funicular).

·      Lookout Mountain Funicular, Golden History Museum & Park (Jan. 5, 1998) (undated entry) 

·      Franchise Granted for Lookout Line, Republican-Advocate (May 4, 1910) – https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RPA19100504-01&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%e2%80%a2%09Lookout+Mountain+Funicular-------0------ (available for free and without library card)

·      Swiss hotel –

It must be more than a coincidence, Stephen, S1 Episode 6

Gay story from Melbourne, Australia about a guy I always run into. A story of coming of age, boyfriends, relationships and friendship. A story about knowing Stephen.

A random encounter at a tram stop in Melbourne, Australia that led to 2 nights of interesting experiences.

What do ski lifts mean to skiers? Ask Doppelmayr USA President Katharina Schmitz and she’ll tell you ‘freedom.’ In this episode, Last Chair host Tom Kelly chats with the leader of Utah-based Doppelmayr USA to explore the evolution of ski lifts and future trends, not only at resorts but as a vital form of mountain and urban transportation.

Doppelmayr, which is located not far from the Salt Lake City International Airport, has a  history in Utah going back to the 1970s. One of its predecessor companies, CTEC, was founded here. It later morphed into Garaventa, and then became a part of Doppelmayr, an Austrian company with a history going back 125 years.

Utah is a big customer itself for the company, with over a hundred lifts in the state including the Garaventa-built Snowbird tram, now over 50 years old and still one of the most iconic ski lifts in the world, and the brand new Outlaw Express high-speed quad that opened at Sundance just before Christmas.

In many ways, the future of lift technology is already here with products like Doppelmayr’s revamped detachable technology in D Line lifts, which are soon to come to Utah. Its tri-cable 3S line, featuring high-capacity, long span gondolas like the new Eiger Express in Switzerland and Whistler/Blackcomb’s Peak-to-Peak Gondola, may also find a future home in the state.

A passionate skier herself, Katharina Schmitz grew up in Austria, coming to America with her engineering degree to forge a career in the automotive and aerospace industries, before landing in Utah with Doppelmayr in 2018. 

It’s a fascinating interview that will explain current trends in uphill transportation, showcase future innovations and even take a look into the proposed Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola and how Doppelmayr’s triple-cable 3S technology could make a difference. She even speaks to the growing importance of WiFi in lift cabins!

Katharina, tell us more about Doppelmayr.

We have around 3,500 employees, about half of those are in Austria. The rest of us are scattered throughout the world across about 50 subsidiaries. The North American market is a key part of that, so we typically make up around 15 percent of the group's revenue. In really strong years, we were a little bit closer to 20 percent, so we certainly have a lot of attention from our group's headquarters and a lot of support as well.

Why is Utah a good home for a lift company like Doppelmayr?

Having a very business friendly environment certainly is a factor now. In addition to that, having several world class resorts right in our backyard is a real benefit. It helps us to collaborate closely with customers, not only in Utah but throughout the West. And having a Delta hub here is really nice to visit the rest of our customers throughout the country.

The history of aerial tramways in Utah goes back to hauling mining ore in the 1800s. How has the ski lift industry evolved from there?

Yes, it started with material transport and Doppelmayr still has a material transportation segment. But the core market for us is transporting people. We have seen a lot of evolution from the first surface lift in, I think, 1937, that Doppelmayr built in Austria that really started the company's ropeway business. Then if you look from there and how fast we came to the first detachable around 1970 or so, the innovation since then has just been mind blowing. So I think it shifted the profile as to what ropeways are used for or used in.

What’s the coolest lift installation you’ve seen in the world?

I have a personal favorite, which is the Stoosbahn in Switzerland. It is a funicular and it has barrel shaped compartments that have a leveling floor, so you always stay horizontal. It's the steepest funicular in the world and it is the most unique ride. You're going up this amazing incline and then through a little tunnel and come out on the other side. It serves as public transport, as well as access to a smaller ski area that's car free. And it's just an amazing installation, a really fun ride.

In your three seasons here in Utah, any favorite runs?

Well, I'm not as territorial since I'm not native Utahn, but I very much enjoy long runs. So I really do like some of the runs up at Snowbasin - off John Paul or Needles - that are just making for a good, long, fast run.

With the move from quads to six-packs and now to eight-packs, what are the important factors?

Terrain and alignment certainly are the big and obvious ones. Capacity is a big topic these days. And how many people do you want to move up the mountain per hour comes with a few different factors. Lift speed is certainly a factor, but also how many carriers you have. While you typically want to go up the mountain fast, you want to be really slow going through the terminal. And so we found in recent years that having slower carriers through the stations, having longer loading intervals really helps with keeping the lift running and not having any misloads as you go. So that also explains a little bit why you see lifts with, let's say, six or eight seater chairs so you can have fewer carriers, longer loading intervals, and you would still have the same capacity doing that.

So it’s not just about capacity?

In essence, with an eight seater, you would have a higher ultimate capacity. Most resorts don't strive for that per se. They're trying to get a certain capacity. And then it's a question on how comfortable you want your load interval to be. Increasing the load interval is a big topic and it ties into one of these other big factors - the level of skier that really uses that lift. If you have a beginner area, that's maybe one of the most important factors is making sure you can load them. If you have, you know, an alignment where it's all expert skiers, that's probably not your concern and you'll be looking for some other factors.

I recall the old Park City gondola being a great place to develop a relationship with a 25-minute ride. Modern lift technology has really changed that, hasn’t it?

<laughing> Yes, you have to be efficient about your conversation, that's for sure.

कोलकाता शहर अंग्रेज़ों ने बसाया और भारत पर कब्ज़े के बाद यही उनकी पहली राजधानी भी बना। इस शहर को उन्होंने इंग्लैंड के अपने शहरों के प्रतिबिम्ब की तरह विकसित किया। ट्रामें, सुदंर इमारतें, चौड़ी सड़कें, बड़े बड़े कॉलेज और संस्थान। पर आज़ादी के बाद से बढ़ती आबादी और गिरती आर्थिक साख ने शहर के पुराने वैभव पर अव्यवस्था की एक चादर चढ़ा दी है। अब उसे देखने के लिए रात की वीरानी का इंतज़ार करना पड़ता है।

Lost urban glory: Kolkata

Kolkata was a city built by the British and it was their capital from where they ruled the subcontinent. They build the city as a mirror image of towns in Britain with broad boulevards, Gothic architecture, great institutions and a vibrant nightlife. But today it's all shadowed by filth, squalor and overpopulation. You need to wait till the dead of the night to discover its lost glory.

You can follow Keshav Chaturvedi on social media:

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This week Peta discusses the many barriers she experiences when using public transport. When personal safety cannot be promised, it is easy to understand why Peta chooses to get around based on how she is likely to be treated while on public transport.

She also opens up talking about a birthday where she was left on a corner on a cold and raining night alone.

You can ask Peta a question via:

The website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

You can follow Peta's personal account on Instagram @petahooke

Episode transcript

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Today we're heading to Prague's artistic district to meet Lea, a Slovenian performance artist who came to Prague 7 as a student and left a piece of herself there. How hard is it to integrate into the artistic community in a foreign country? How is beer so cheap (and what do you drink in Prague if you don't drink beer)? How can we find beauty in the things that people throw away?

Find out more about Lea's work by visiting her:

- Instagram: @lea_kukovicic

- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aelcicivokuk

- Website: leakukovicic.com

Find out more about Island Life Productions and our work by:

- liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/islandlifeproductions/

- checking out our website at www.islandlifeproductions.com

Česko se opět stává předním výrobcem tramvají. Na dřívější úspěch ČKD Tatra navázala plzeňská Škoda Transportation. Nízkopodlažní tramvaje Škoda jezdí už řadu let v Praze, v Brně, v Bratislavě, či v Rize. Úspěch měla Škoda i v Turecku a Maďarsku. Ale největším překvapením bylo, když se Škodě povedlo vyhrát několik soutěží na dodávky moderních tramvají do německých měst.
 
Ondřeje Matěje Hrubeše (šéfredaktora dopravního magazínu MHD86.cz) zpovídal v pořadu Kukátka na vlnách Country Radia moderátor Miloš Keller.

Josh & Jamal remember Prince, and look at the strange things they, and others, do in public

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