Skilifts.org / SORT Forum

Does anyone have pictures of a derailed haul rope sitting on the catch? If and when this happens, what kind of damage (if any) does the catch or rope sustain?

Limelight, on Jan 2 2007, 01:55 PM, said:

Two different years, two different derails... the third is what we did to keep that damn rope in the grooves! As for rope damage, all I've seen is some slight abrasion on both the rope and the catcher.
The T-Bar is open now... expect some derail pics sometime soon :)
Sorry the pics are so small, but I can't upload large files.

I'm not positive, but I would think that the rope wouldn't sustain too much damage. The rope catchers on a lift would stop it very quickly. I don't think the cable would get much damage at all.

Lift Kid, on Jan 2 2007, 04:09 PM, said:

K...the rope catchers don't stop the lift, the brakes at the drive terminal do. Many different variables come into play on how a cable could sustain damage such as broken wires. The speed of the lift, loaded carriers, the surface condition of the rope catchers themselves. It's very hard to say especially from in-experience how a cable would not sustain "much damage" in the event of a deropement.

Yeah the T-Bar has a deformed section of rope from a deropement, but it was because the lift didn't stop... which will happen when you put a short YAN fork in a Doppelmayr switch!

damn doppelmayr switches!!! you'd be proud Allan...after doing linework on one of the new UNI-GS lifts I became very familiar with the way the fork goes into the switch body!!

Heh, I remember those pictures :)

Here is another picture of one from 49 Degrees North:

Skier, on Jan 2 2007, 05:43 PM, said:

Nice!

So in this case, did they just do a evac?

Yes

Well it looks like they had a good time.

I've always thought it would be fun to be evac'd assuming it wasn't freezing cold, windy, etc. Maybe I should volunteer for the training they do.

Skier, on Jan 2 2007, 05:55 PM, said:

That would be interesting.

lastchair_44 said:

I know the catchers don't. I meant the sensors/forks. I see how it would affect it if the lift was moving quickly and loaded heavily.

i've seen the results of probably a dozen or so derailments/deropements and the damage ranged from slight scuffing of the rope (a good day), to pulling a tower over and twisting up 3 other sheave trains (not so good).

generally speaking, haul rope material seems to have a nice combinaton of flexibility and wear resistance, coupled with great strength. i've seen ropes saw into a cable catcher, saw into a grip body (fixed grip hung up and slipped on the rope), and destroy a grip/sheave train (detach grip hung up but wouldn't let go). on the other hand, too many chairs taken off in a row for annual NDT lead to an ever-so-soft derailment as the rope got light.

a lift manufacturer once showed me a video of what happens when a lead-in sheave side-plate falls off and the rope derails to the outside, HSQ at 1000fpm. ugly indeed.

as previously said, lotsa variables, lotsa results.

I have inspected many ropes that have ended up in the cable catchers, and generally there is minimal damage to the rope. Usually there is some single plane abrasion with sharp edges surrounding the eliptical oval wear area, but this wears away after some cycle time. Damage occurs if the rope comes out of the catcher and hangs in the framework or if a chair hangs up in the catcher and damages the rope.

Splicer, on Jan 2 2007, 08:31 PM, said:

It looks like that metal got a little hot by its color.

shoemanII, on Jan 2 2007, 07:14 PM, said:

was the tower monitoring system bypassed or something to cause that much damage?

just think "worlds biggest band saw" (see "rope damage" in "industry only forum")
This post has been edited by aug: 03 January 2007 - 07:57 PM

Sigh... here's another from Thursday... Different tower though.

aug, on Jan 3 2007, 09:55 PM, said:

I'd love to, but us common folk can't see that forum.