16 replies to this topic

[C W Craven]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread with some MD stuff in it.....So started a new one
Several years ago when I was researching a MD lift at Beaver Mtn, UT. Jan Leonard told me that he had acquired all the drawings that MD (or its successor - I can't recall) was willing to part with. These drawings were then given to Jim Ellis. I believe that the drawings are still in the possession of Superior Tramway. The remaining MD drawings, Jan seemed to think, were destroyed by MD (reason unknown).

C W

[XMTN]

CW
I would bet a good portion of those drawings came from the Otsego Club/ Hidden Valley when CTEC retrofitted the Minor Denvers there with new chairs and grips. CTEC also replaced/retrofitted a drive terminal at the Porcupine Mountain ski area. Is there a drawing in particular you are looking for?

This post has been edited by XMTN: 21 March 2017 - 04:30 AM

[Kelly]

CW thanks for the history.

Forum readers: Jim Ellis was Riblet’s primary engineer for many years before forming his own company Aerial Engineering/Superior Tramway; they make a number of ropeway items along with a much improved design of the Riblet chairlift…hence Superior Tramway.

http://www.superiortramway.com/

[C W Craven]

XMTN,
Thanks for the offer.
I was working on that Beaver Mtn. project 15 years ago (the lift was later removed/replaced), Where has the time gone.
The drawings I spoke of above came from Miner Denver when they finally closed out their ropeway side.
Jan and Jim wanted to preserve as much info as they could for our ropeway industry.
My Hat is off to both Gentlemen for their preservation efforts.

C W

[passengerpigeon]

Kelly, on 21 March 2017 - 08:14 AM, said:

CW thanks for the history.

Forum readers: Jim Ellis was Riblet’s primary engineer for many years before forming his own company Aerial Engineering/Superior Tramway; they make a number of ropeway items along with a much improved design of the Riblet chairlift…hence Superior Tramway.

http://www.superiortramway.com/

Sorry for the thread deropement, but does anybody have any recent news regarding Superior Tramway? Their website hasn't been updated in a while, and I would really like to see them put up a new lift at some point since Riblet is my favorite lift company from a purely aesthetic standpoint.

Going back on topic, which Miner-Denver lifts are still running today, and which ones, if any, have mostly original components? Are there any "frankenlifts" with many parts from other manufacturers but some Miner-Denver components?

Thanks,
Passengerpigeon.

[JohnRW]

passengerpigeon, on 21 March 2017 - 11:08 PM, said:

Sorry for the thread deropement, but does anybody have any recent news regarding Superior Tramway? Their website hasn't been updated in a while, and I would really like to see them put up a new lift at some point since Riblet is my favorite lift company from a purely aesthetic standpoint.

They're still around. They did an electrical retrofit project on our ancient T-bar a year ago, and we've got a small project I'm hoping for them to do this summer. They've also done engineering support for a couple load tests for us. From talking with Frank, sounds like they do a lot of drive upgrades (that's the second one they've done for us) and general lift engineering inquiries. Don't think they're really in the market for new lifts, but I'm sure they'd assist in relocations.

This post has been edited by JohnRW: 22 March 2017 - 03:24 PM

[sheave]

passengerpigeon, on 21 March 2017 - 11:08 PM, said:

Going back on topic, which Miner-Denver lifts are still running today, and which ones, if any, have mostly original components?

Copper Peak, MI

 md-0978.jpg (446.09K)
Number of downloads: 242  md-1018.jpg (494.71K)
Number of downloads: 236

Not sure how many parts have been replaced since 1970, but I can find it out.

[_litz]

Wow, that's a tiny lift ...

[Peter Pitcher]

Those don't look like Miner Denver chairs, I've never seen center pole Miner Denver chairs. They liked to use floating bull wheels, their design was copied from the early Poma chairlift. The first YANs were vastly improved Miner Denvers

[passengerpigeon]

Peter Pitcher, on 24 March 2017 - 02:06 PM, said:

Those don't look like Miner Denver chairs, I've never seen center pole Miner Denver chairs. They liked to use floating bull wheels, their design was copied from the early Poma chairlift.

Were they really "copied"? Miner-Denver lifts look superficially like Pomas, but as far as I can see, no parts are identical to early Poma products (or Montaz-Mautino for that matter, whose lifts also used similar designs).
As for the centre-pole chairs, I believe those are a Miner-Denver original design as I recall seeing a photo of another centre-pole MD lift and reading about a third (there may have been more). To my knowledge, all old Poma doubles were built with bail chairs, and the centre-pole Poma double chairs are a recent design intended to replace those chairs in lift retrofits.

Peter Pitcher, on 24 March 2017 - 02:06 PM, said:

The first YANs were vastly improved Miner Denvers

I have never heard of that connection. Do you have any additional information or photos of early YAN lifts?

[Kelly]

1968 YAN
http://www.skilifts....ont/belmont.htm

[vons]

Examples of MD from Colorado school of mines archives, Photos by Charles F. Dwyer
 MDsantafe2.jpg (133.26K)
Number of downloads: 162
Terminal at Ski Santa Fe, this was in fact the first Chairlift I ever used it was replaced around 1986 or 87 with a Poma fixed Quad. I got to see this terminal up close when it was removed and I will note some features, the driveshaft of the electric motor protruded from both ends of the motor and the Auxiliary drive was directly coupled to this shaft. The aux also had a 4 speed tranny with gear shifter, and hand clutch. There was Fulk 90 degree gear box powering a pinion drive (this lift I remember was very loud). The lift used a band style break on the BW. The floating bull wheel at the top had been modified into a supported arrangment by adding an overhead gantry with I beam trollies connected to the floating BW assembly with turnbuckles. The counterweight hung off the south hillside directly in line with the current unload of the new Quad and you could only unload to the left and had to ski under the line to get to the trails west of the lift.
 MDgrip.jpg (80.65K)
Number of downloads: 224
This grip is why the copy charge exists as it is almost the same as Yan's and Poma's of that era

Some other MD pictures
 mddriv1.jpg (136.63K)
Number of downloads: 233  mdret.jpg (92.8K)
Number of downloads: 224  md tower.jpg (84.73K)
Number of downloads: 165

Some other unique thing about MD is they also built 3 sheave assemblies like Yan would in the 80s

[_litz]

The aux atop that terminal looks like someone chopped the front end off a truck and mounted it up there ...

(by your description of the clutch and tranny, maybe more than just the front ..... ;-) )

[vons]

You might be right as it did have a standard gear lever. Part of the lift lives on as the towers where recycled into both the Easy Street chairlift and as supports for a expanded deck at the mid mountain lodge.

[Peter Pitcher]

vons, on 27 March 2017 - 08:36 AM, said:

Examples of MD from Colorado school of mines archives, Photos by Charles F. Dwyer
MDsantafe2.jpg
Terminal at Ski Santa Fe, this was in fact the first Chairlift I ever used it was replaced around 1986 or 87 with a Poma fixed Quad. I got to see this terminal up close when it was removed and I will note some features, the driveshaft of the electric motor protruded from both ends of the motor and the Auxiliary drive was directly coupled to this shaft. The aux also had a 4 speed tranny with gear shifter, and hand clutch. There was Fulk 90 degree gear box powering a pinion drive (this lift I remember was very loud). The lift used a band style break on the BW. The floating bull wheel at the top had been modified into a supported arrangment by adding an overhead gantry with I beam trollies connected to the floating BW assembly with turnbuckles. The counterweight hung off the south hillside directly in line with the current unload of the new Quad and you could only unload to the left and had to ski under the line to get to the trails west of the lift.
MDgrip.jpg
This grip is why the copy charge exists as it is almost the same as Yan's and Poma's of that era

Some other MD pictures
mddriv1.jpg mdret.jpg md tower.jpg

Some other unique thing about MD is they also built 3 sheave assemblies like Yan would in the 80s

I was on the crew that built that Miner Denver in Santa Fe, it may have been Miner Denvers first lift. Jan Kuncynski was the lift engineer. The aux was a Mack 707 Truck engine.

[vons]

Did you build the the fun to ride Poma lifts Peter? I miss the old Lift 5 and the TPP best way to get fast laps.

Back to topic here are some pictures of a sister lift to Santa fe. http://www.chairlift.org/tyrolian.html

[Peter Pitcher]

vons, on 28 March 2017 - 03:20 PM, said:

Did you build the the fun to ride Poma lifts Peter? I miss the old Lift 5 and the TPP best way to get fast laps.

Back to topic here are some pictures of a sister lift to Santa fe. http://www.chairlift.org/tyrolian.html

I was not there when that T210 Poma was built but I repaired it many times.
More information about Miner Denver:
In the 1950's Arapahoe Ski area was developed by a man named Larry Jump and he started his operation there with a Poma platterpull commonly known as a Poma lift. As he became more successful he decided to replace the Poma lifts of which he had several with double chairlifts and because he already had a relationship with Poma those were the lifts that he built, At some point in the late fifties he either had a falling out with Poma or a customer-friend named Jim Wright decided to built their own dam lift. But because of the Eisenhower tunnel being finished Larry decided that Arapahoe would no longer be competitive and he sold it. Jim Wright started Miner Denver using the Poma lifts with their floating bullwheels as a pattern. The only way I know of in telling an earlyPoma chairlift from a Miner Denver is the sheaves which were cast in Denver and with Miner Denver on the side plates.