Construction Crews Destroy One of Snowbird's New Tram Cabins

[thetrailboss]

I presume that crews dropped it when there was a "mechanical failure" during work yesterday. Looks like one of the cranes failed. The new red cabin is apparently damaged "beyond repair". Fortunately there were no injuries.

A new cabin will take months to make as each one is a custom job. Options going forward are running the blue one alone or doing something else. I wonder if they will reuse the red cabin one more season.

New Snowbird Tram Cabin Damaged During Installation

One of the new cabins being installed on Snowbird’s Aerial Tram fell Saturday during installation, causing significant damage. Thankfully the incident occurred in a closed construction area a…

liftblog.com

One of Snowbird's brand new tram cabins damaged beyond repair during installation

The installation of two brand-new, state-of-the-art tram cabins at Snowbird is not quite going as planned.

www.fox13now.com

 

[ss20]

I presume that crews dropped it when there was a "mechanical failure" during work yesterday. Looks like one of the cranes failed. The new red cabin is apparently damaged "beyond repair". Fortunately there were no injuries.

A new cabin will take months to make as each one is a custom job. Options going forward are running the blue one alone or doing something else. I wonder if they will reuse the red cabin one more season.

New Snowbird Tram Cabin Damaged During Installation

One of the new cabins being installed on Snowbird’s Aerial Tram fell Saturday during installation, causing significant damage. Thankfully the incident occurred in a closed construction area a…

liftblog.com

One of Snowbird's brand new tram cabins damaged beyond repair during installation

The installation of two brand-new, state-of-the-art tram cabins at Snowbird is not quite going as planned.

www.fox13now.com

I would doubt they could run with one new and one old cabin. The new/old cabins certainly aren't the same weight and running one side new one side old would probably cause uneven wear. What a shame. Never rode the tram at the 'Bird anyway last season (not covid paranoia, just that the chairs work just fine to get to all the goods).

6-8" of snow already fell at AltaBird today and a couple inches last night. Should be another foot coming tonight/tomorrow before it's all over. There's no official number for May but it was definitely snowier than January and November!

This is the first time I've seen multiple rainy days since moving to SLC! We need an inch of liquid to get to average May precipitation and we might just get it. That'd be the first month with above average precip for the valley since December. Also a very cool spring according to the climate data. 11 days in May that had above normal high temperatures.... 17 days with the low temperature being below normal and that doesn't include the final couple days of the month that will be way cold.

 

[machski]

I would doubt they could run with one new and one old cabin. The new/old cabins certainly aren't the same weight and running one side new one side old would probably cause uneven wear. What a shame. Never rode the tram at the 'Bird anyway last season (not covid paranoia, just that the chairs work just fine to get to all the goods).

6-8" of snow already fell at AltaBird today and a couple inches last night. Should be another foot coming tonight/tomorrow before it's all over. There's no official number for May but it was definitely snowier than January and November!

This is the first time I've seen multiple rainy days since moving to SLC! We need an inch of liquid to get to average May precipitation and we might just get it. That'd be the first month with above average precip for the valley since December. Also a very cool spring according to the climate data. 11 days in May that had above normal high temperatures.... 17 days with the low temperature being below normal and that doesn't include the final couple days of the month that will be way cold.

Why do you doubt they could use an old cabin? AFAK the hangar arms and the track carriages are not any different in terms of gauge as those for the old cars. Sure, they may be a bit heavier than the old, but you can mitigate that (for example, if the cabins transport water up, run the new without the tanks filled) or limit capacity of the new box vs the old. I would think this is totally feasible if replacement timeframe runs into next ski season

 

[jimmywilson69]

It looks the old red was right underneath the new one that dropped. They are lucky to not loose both...

 

[jaytrem]

Wouldn't they technically be a "destruction crew"?

 

[ss20]

Why do you doubt they could use an old cabin? AFAK the hangar arms and the track carriages are not any different in terms of gauge as those for the old cars. Sure, they may be a bit heavier than the old, but you can mitigate that (for example, if the cabins transport water up, run the new without the tanks filled) or limit capacity of the new box vs the old. I would think this is totally feasible if replacement timeframe runs into next ski season

There's a discussion about it on Liftblog. Snowbird should have an answer from the manufacturer in the next few days but as they discuss there's a ton of variables involved. Peter is the website owner, is a crew lead for one of the Gondola's at Jackson iirc, and has a bunch of industry ties- he knows his stuff.

I wonder if they run it with one old and one new over the summer. That would be interesting.
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  PETER LANDSMANMay 30, 2022 / 7:04 am
  I asked Snowbird that question and they said they would know more in the coming days. My guess is the upgrade project is too far along for the old cabins to be compatible. The hangers are new and a different shape and the control system is new. Plus the new red cabin falling may have damaged the old red cabin.
  Like
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  • 
    SKIERMay 30, 2022 / 9:37 am
    Are the hangers actually new again this year for these cabins? I thought they were using the already new ones that the old cabins have been hanging on for about 2 seasons now and that they were supposed to be used for the new cabins as well.
    The controls incompatibility makes sense.
    Like
    Reply
    • 
      PETER LANDSMANMay 30, 2022 / 9:39 am
      You are right, I forgot the hangers are a few years old.
      

 

[deadheadskier]

Did the guy who forgot to sign the lease have a new job in lift maintenance?

 

[jimk]

Such a shame! I wonder how much one of those cabins costs? Half million, full million? I assume Dopp will have to eat the cost since they were overseeing install when accident took place.

 

[thetrailboss]

Did the guy who forgot to sign the lease have a new job in lift maintenance?

The funny thing was I initially thought that it was Snowbird cutting corners that caused the accident. Turns out it was completely on Doppelmayr.

 

[machski]

Such a shame! I wonder how much one of those cabins costs? Half million, full million? I assume Dopp will have to eat the cost since they were overseeing install when accident took place.

I would guess a cabin is well into multi-millions at this point.

 

[Zermatt]

Seems like worst case you'd be able to get a counter weight for the missing cabin and hang it in the cable and run one cabin only.

Next worst is Dop works extra hard and makes a new cabin in record time and loads it onto a 747 and gets it installed by early season.

A new bridge takes years to construct. Unless there is an accident or failure then they somehow bang out a replacement in weeks. Sure, it costs 10x as much but there is no other choice.

 

[jimmywilson69]

yeah I don't know how "customized" these cabins are for the trams. It would suck to be the foreman or the crane operator. That's a big insurance claim for sure... last but not least thankfully no one was hurt. This could've easily resulted in a death.

 

[drjeff]

I will admit that I know absolutely nothing about the removal and installation of tram cars on the support mechanism that attaches to the haulropes.

Seemed interesting to me that in this case, that the work was being done with the tram car 30? 40? 50? ft up in the air just suspended by the crane, verses being done in the terminal where potentially a lift could be used to support the tram car 1st during removal, and then during installation.

I wonder if it (the replacement installation while the new tram car was suspended in the air via the crane) had something to do with the open air observation deck on the uphill side of the new car?

 

[jimmywilson69]

I doubt it. I'm guessing that's the place where a truck with the tram car on it could easily get to and then be lifted to the tram car hangers

 

[jaytrem]

From watching previous tram upgrades. That seems like that's the standard way to add/remove the cabins.

 

[Zermatt]

On Instagram Snowbird commented that they still plan on having two operable tram cars this winter.

 

[ss20]

On Instagram Snowbird commented that they still plan on having two operable trams this winter.

Oh so they're building Mary's Gulch after all?

That's great news. Did they say how they'll be doing that?

 

[thetrailboss]

Oh so they're building Mary's Gulch after all?

That's great news. Did they say how they'll be doing that?

Mary Ellen would be nice but it is still a ways out I imagine......even though it has been approved.

 

[thetrailboss]

On Instagram Snowbird commented that they still plan on having two operable tram cars this winter.

They are saying that because they are trying to sell passes (and extended the deadline--what does that tell you?)

 

[drjeff]

I can see the potential marketing spin now, kind of like those areas who have chondolas do at times..... You have the choice to ride the old school or the new school depending on which car you ride in. That is of course presuming that they can't get a new car fabricated, delivered and installed in time for next season and they go with 1 old and one new if the engineeing for that is feasible??