Sandia Peak Tramway

The Sandia Peak Tramway is an aerial cable car which runs from the northeastern edge of the, at about 1,600 m altitude Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA on towards the town steep Sandia Mountains, the far-reaching views over the surrounding plain and some moderate slopes offer the flat sloping eastern side.

The Sandia Peak Tramway runs from the 1,999 m high valley station about two supports on the 3,163 -meter-high Sandia Peak. The aerial tramway with a ( diagonal ) length of 4,467 m is considered the second longest running in a section of passenger ropeway in the world. The first inclined by 18 °, 71 m high pillar stands near the valley station, the second post is already about 2 /5 of the distance on a mountain spur, so here's a height of 24.4 m (80 ft) is sufficient to to lead the gondola on the spur. From then on, it comes with a span of 2,353 m above steep valleys directly to the mountain station. The maximum height above ground amounts to 274 m.

The two gondolas train each hold 55 people and travel at a speed of about 6 m / s (19 km / h). They were in 1986 for the 20th anniversary replaced by new vehicles.

The gondolas on two supporting cables of 40 mm diameter, which are held by counterweights of each 47 t hanging deep shafts in the base station in about 20 m. The pods to be pulled by a pull rope 32 mm thick, which is driven by an electric motor. 1997, all ropes were replaced within seven weeks.

Architectural History

The Sandia Peak Tramway goes back to the initiative of Robert Nordhaus, the cable cars had inspired in the Alps on a trip to Europe. The preparations took two years to the actual construction work. The cable car was built in 1964 to 1966 by the now-defunct Swiss Bell Maschinenfabrik AG Kriens. The construction of the first support and the mountain station could be reached by vehicle, the site for the second post on a steep mountain spur is only accessible for climbers, so that the individual parts of the support had to be flown in by helicopter. For this support and for the installation of the cables helicopter flights were five thousand required. On 9 May 1966, the cable car was put into operation.

Long before the construction of the cable car a passenger plane in the upper cable car route was flown against the mountain, the ruins of which could not be completely removed and for consecrated persons are from the gondola still visible.