Swiss-American lift businesses
sheave
20 Mar 2021
Log (starting 06/15/21)
07/30/23: big update on various sections
05/29/23: updated Mammoth section
03/15/23: updated Skiers, added Rebel Ridge
10/12/22: added a Luck drawing and some new findings, added Hans Wegmueller
10/04/21: fixed some typos
06/23/21: added a picture of the Bridal Veil Falls tram cabin
06/15/21: added a new theory, revised the history
Overview
Companies () = building ski lifts during that time
People
Lifts (incomplete)
History
A Swiss welder, Paul Hunziker, started his career in the 1950s with Northrop, but soon after became employed with Habegger. He was working on the Linthal tramway project, but also traveling to the U.S. to promote Habegger's tramway for the Palm Springs project. During this time, he likely met the people that became important for his later project. Like Otto Luck, who designed the Habegger gondola that crossed the Zuerichsee in Switzerland.
In 1957, a Swiss engineer, Fred Schmutz, and his family emigrated from Geneva, Switzerland, to the U.S. They moved to Long Beach, Calif. Around the same time, a Polish-born Berkeley graduate in chemical engineering founded Gamut Engineering in San Francisco. His name was J. Edward "Ed" Immergluck. His wife, Jeanne Marie Bachman, was born in Washington D.C. and had Swiss ancestors.
In fall 1958, Utah businessman and former state senator Rue L. Clegg was close to fulfill his lifelong dream: a tram next to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Heron Engineering was chosen to build the tram. But the project was stopped for an unknown reason.
In 1959, Hunziker moved to the U.S. and Immergluck became a sales rep for the Swiss company Bachmann & Co. (BACO). BACO was founded by Marcel Bachmann (there might be a connection between Immergluck's wife and Bachmann). He started his business by selling Vogler surface lifts in Switzerland. During the 1950s, they developed their own T-bar lifts. Their first T-bar in the U.S. was installed at Sky Tavern, NV in 1959. It was first installed with T-bars, but only weeks later switched to platters or discs after they had arrived from Switzerland. Immergluck was quickly sending out marketing material to other ski areas to promote his first success and BACO's lifts. In 1960, he became involved in different projects in Utah, but it is unknown if those activities resulted in more BACO ski lifts.
In the meantime, Hunziker had his first job at Mammoth supervising the construction of the Yodler restaurant. After that, he and his family were moving around. Redondo Beach was their last stop before finally moving to Utah. He was often making trips to the beach with Schmutz and his family.
Immergluck likely sold a tram to Rue Clegg while he was on business trips in Utah to promote his lifts. The tram was not build by Heron, it was designed by Bachmann & Co. / BACO. This likely was their first and only tramway. According to Bachmann's son, the company might have only been involved in delivering the design and the cabins. The tram started operating in late 1961. A year later, Rue Clegg died of a heart attack during a vacation in Mexico. The same year, BACO filed a suit against Clegg for not paying the amount due after the tram started operating.
The new cabin at the factory of BACO in Steffisburg, Switzerland (© BACO AG)
Kenneth Witt, a Chicago Technical Institute graduate, was hired to build the tram under his company, Witt Construction. He hired Hunziker, who was on a road trip through Utah looking for new projects. It wasn't an easy project as the top terminal wasn't designed correctly and the lift was plagued with technical issues. After the project was finished, Hunziker started Swiss-American Cableways, Inc. in Orem, Utah with the help of local investor DeLynn Heaps. Heaps started advertising the business "with experienced European engineering and supervisory". The chief engineer likely was Otto Luck. Luck was also working for BACO and had designed his own grip. Also involved at some point was engineer Hugh McKellar. The first contract was to build a restaurant at the tram's top terminal.
In the meantime, Fred Schmutz had started a new business in Long Beach: Cosmos, Inc. He likely was one of the two Swiss or German-speaking businessmen who visited Cowelco, a Long Beach based Steel contractor, in 1962. His first shop was just around the corner of Cowelco. He only built two chairlifts and stopped Cosmos soon after. The first lift was installed at Mohawk Mtn, CT. The second lift was initially sold to a ski area planned by Walt Disney. For some reason, the lift was not needed and eventually sold to Steamboat Springs to become the area's first chairlift - Christie. Otto Luck was also involved here as his name appears on a drawing that was the initial design for the chair at Mohawk:
Paul opened a shop in Bishop, CA during his time where he was installing lifts for Mammoth, Squaw and other ski areas. He was also trying to install a Swiss-made detachable chairlift to Snow Valley, CA. When funds went low, the installation had to be abandoned less than half completed and was eventually removed.
In 1965, Fred opened a new business: Allied Cableways & Machinery Co. (a ski lift manufacturing business). Mrs. Neva Rae Gersdorf of Chicago was listed as a co-owner. A lift was installed together with Paul Hunziker's American Cableways at Rebel Ridge, CA. The company again disappeared a few years later. According to Fred's grandson, he continued to work as an engineer for ski lifts.
Back in Utah, Ed was again successful and able to secure another big deal. He became sales rep for the tramway division of German manufacturer Pohlig-Heckel-Bleichert (PHB) and sold their 1963 gondola to Treasure Mountain, Utah. Kenneth Witt didn't rest either. He became Hunziker's new partner under American Cableways and sold a "swiss-engineered" double chair, Wildcat, to Snowbasin.
Hunziker was hired by James Leuscher in 1965 to build the new lifts at Mt. Rose: two double chairs and a T-bar. The same year, Immergluck started working for Hall and likely established the contact with PHB. He also was involved in the gondola project at Sterling Vineyards, CA. Another Provo-made chairlift was built by Hjorth Bros. at Timp Haven. Kenneth Witt died in April 1965, but his businesses remained until the early 1970s. Hunziker started his own business around that time, Hunziker Lift, Inc. of Provo, Utah. He also had two other businesses: Western Lift and Crane Co., North American Lift Co. Hunziker owned Solitude between 1967 and 1968.
Hunziker T-bar at Mt. Rose
After spending some time in Colorado in 1969 and 1970, Hunziker and Otto Weber, Staedeli's sales rep for the East Coast, started working for Pullman-Berry in 1971. One if the first lifts was designed by none other than Otto Luck. The same year, Hunziker died in an airplane crash. Around that time, Immergluck went to the newly formed tramway division at Thiokol and became a member of Utah's Tramway Safety Comitee until 1988. He died in 2013.
The end of this story is a series of lifts that were designed by Thiokol in its first year as a ski lift manufacturer. Robert Withrow, an engineer from Idaho who arranged the sale of a Miner-Denver/Telecar chairlift to the owners of Bear Gulch, ID, together with Ed Immergluck, might have also hired Otto Luck. After the first year, Withrow left and Jim ... was hired. His background was the source of the classic Thiokol A-frame design.
Even though Otto Luck was well known in the Swiss community, his traces are lost after 1971.
Lift pictures
BACO
Bridal Veil Falls
The original construkction was wrong and the cabin hit the rock just before the top terminal. So a new platform had to be constructed.
During operation, the viewing platform and cafe still was under construction. The additional platform to unload the tram can easily be seen as the track rope saddles had not been painted in red.
Cosmos
Christie
Coffee Mill
Swiss-American Cableways
Currently no lifts known
American Cableways
Chair 5 (Mammoth)
Loading of the parts with one of Dave McCoy's trucks
Allied Cableways & Machinery
Chairlift at Regel Ridge, CA. It was a cooperation between Allied Cableways (Fred Schmutz) and American Cableways (Paul Hunziker).
Hjorth Bros.
Frontier Land
Hunziker Lift
Western Lift & Crane
Pullman-Berry
Thiokol
With regard to Mammoth, here is a history of the first lifts. Any pictures for chairs 4-7 would be great.
Unless otherwise noted all images Ⓒ Denver Library or private collection (do not use without permission of the copyright holder)
Special thanks to: California Ski Library
This post has been edited by sheave: 06 August 2023 - 02:20 AM
07/30/23: big update on various sections
05/29/23: updated Mammoth section
03/15/23: updated Skiers, added Rebel Ridge
10/12/22: added a Luck drawing and some new findings, added Hans Wegmueller
10/04/21: fixed some typos
06/23/21: added a picture of the Bridal Veil Falls tram cabin
06/15/21: added a new theory, revised the history
Overview
Companies () = building ski lifts during that time
- Bachmann & Co. / BACO (195?-198?): Swiss manufacturer. Started working with Ed Immergluck as the US sales rep in 1959 (first lift was sold to Sky Tavern, NV). Immerluck likely sold the BACO tram at Bridal Veil Falls to Rue Clegg. BACO had hired Otto Luck in the 1960s, but wasn't very impressed with his work. Likely only two BACO lifts were sold in the US. BACO later was bought by Poma.
- Witt Construction Co. (1961): Kenneth Witt's company, constructed the Bridal Veil Falls tram.
- Cosmos, Inc. (1962-1963): Started by two Swiss, likely Fred Schmutz and Paul Hunziker or Ed Immergluck, in cooperation with Cowelco, Inc. of Long Beach. Fred Schmutz became president. Two lifts were made, then money became an issue and the project was stopped by Cowelco. This is likely the first use of BACO's design.
- Swiss-American Cableways, Inc. (196?-196?): Started by Paul Hunziker with the help of local investor DeLynn Heaps. Exact number of lifts built unknown. First contract was to build a cafe and dining club at Bridal Veil Falls' upper terminal. The company was dissolved in 1973.
- American Cableways, Inc. (196?-1965): Started by Paul Hunziker together with Kenneth Witt. Exact number of lifts built unknown, but someone affiliated with the company was able to confirm two installations. Supplied parts for Lift 5 at Mammoth.
- Hunziker Engineering Works (196?): Company of Paul Hunziker during his time in Bishop, CA. Likely no lifts were built under that brand.
- Allied Cableways & Machinery, Inc. (1965-19??): Started by Fred Schmutz together with Neva Rae Gersdorf after Cosmos went out of business. Installed at least one chair at Rebel Ridge with American Cableways.
- Hjorth Bros., Inc. (1965): Hjorth was manufacturing the chairs for Hunziker's lifts. After Witt's dead in 1965, Hunziker started working with Hjorth to build the lift for Frontier Land in Jackson, Wyoming. Timp Haven and an unknown contract in California followed (the parts were later used to build two lifts at Squaw), but Hunziker had already left for his next adventure.
- Hunziker Lift, Inc. (1965-1967): Hunziker went on to build two double chairs and a T-bar at Mt. Rose, Nevada under his own brand. This is the first confirmed used of the Luck grips. The T-bar's installation was delayed due to a design error with the crossarms and sheave assemblies. After only three lifts, Hunziker closed his shop in Provo, Utah.
- Western Lift and Crane, Inc. (1967-1968): A new shop in Springville was bought and a new business started. It received various orders from Mammoth's Dave McCoy incl. the construction of Chair 7. Around the same time, Hunziker became involved with Solitude. Chair 7 was eventually delivered in spring 1968.
- North American Lift Co. (?-?): The company was mentioned in the archives with regard to Hunziker, but it is unclear if the business ever resulted in any lifts.
- Pullman-Berry (1971-1972): In the last years of Pullman, the company sold one of its divisions to Berry Metal of Pittsburgh, PA. The owner knew Hunziker and got him on board together with Otto Weber. They started designing lifts that likely were a mixture of BACO's, Hunziker's and Staedeli's design. The lifts were made in Harmony, PA. After Hunziker's accident, a former co-worker of Hunziker stepped in to finish the remaining contracts and Pullman-Berry decided to stop selling lifts. Even though the decision was already made, likely two more lifts were sold in 1972 that had a different design, e.g. for the bullwheel.
- Thiokol (1971-1978): Ed Immergluck started working for Thiokol in 1971 together with Roberth Withrow. Thiokol made four lifts in 1971, likely with Otto Luck's help (not yet confirmed, but the design resembles the lifts of Hunziker and Pullman-Berry where Luck's involvement is already confirmed). In 1972, Withrow left Thiokol and an engineer named Jim ... took over. He had experience with special manufacturing techniques which were used to design the A-frame terminals. Thiokol also made all the installations and was quickly loosing money. In 1976, they decided to get out of the tramway business.
People
- Ed Immergluck: Polish engineer, sales rep for BACO and PHB (under Gamut Eng.), employee of Hall and Thiokol
- Rue Clegg: Utah senator, owner of the Bridal Veil Falls Tram
- Fred Schmutz: Swiss engineer, founded Cosmos and Allied Cableways, friend of Hunziker
- Otto H. Luck: Swiss engineer, inventor of the Luck grip, friend of Hunziker, employee of BACO, designed the Pullman-Berry chairlift for Sunday River
- Paul Hunziker: the central figure in the whole story
- Neva Rae Gersdorf: co-owner of Allied Cableways
- DeLynn Heaps: Utah investor, financier of Hunziker's business "Swiss-American Cableways"
- Hugh McKellar: working for Hunziker, exact history unknown, was converting the European designs
- Kenneth Witt: hired Hunziker for the BVF Tram, owner of Witt Construction, co-owner of American Cableways
- Dave McCoy: gave Hunziker his first job in the US, bought at least one chair from Hunziker
- Otto Weber: Swiss, US sales rep for Staedeli, involved with Pullman-Berry
- Barney Mulligan: ski school director at Mt. Rose, the name shows up on Hunziker's brochure
- Robert Withrow: engineer, worked for Thiokol in 1971 and arranged the deal for selling a Telecar/M-D chair to Bear Gulch, ID
- Hans Wegmueller: installed the first Cosmos lift at Mohawk, continued working for Paul Hunziker in Utah, his traces lost after that
Lifts (incomplete)
' Years State Area Name Make Model Confirmed Current State Installation 1959-1968 NV Sky Tavern T-bar BACO Platter Yes Removed New 1961-1996 UT Bridal Veil Falls Tram BACO Tramway 6 Yes Removed New 1962-2007 CT Mohawk Mountain Nutmeg Cosmos Double Yes Scrapped New 1962-19?? CO Steamboat Christie Cosmos Double Yes Relocated New 1963-???? CA Mammoth Mountain Chair 5 American Cableways/Riblet Double Partially Removed New 1964-???? UT Snowbasin Wildcat American Cableways Double Yes Removed New 1964-1978 MI Barn Mountain ? American Cableways Double Yes Relocated New 1964-???? CA Rebel Ridge ? Allied Cableways/Am. Cableways Double Yes Removed New 1964-1974 WY Frontier Land Chairlift Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Relocated New 1965-199? UT Timp Haven Mandan Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Scrapped New 1965-???? CA Squaw Valley Headwall Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Removed New 1965-???? CA Squaw Valley Exhibition Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Removed New 196?-196? CA Snow Valley ? ? HSD Yes Uncompleted New 19??-today ID Kelly Canyon Skiers Hjorth Bros. Double Partially Operating Likely new 1965-???? NV Mt. Rose Northwest Hunziker Lift Double Yes Removed New 1965-???? NV Mt. Rose Ponderosa Hunziker Lift Double Yes Removed New 1966-???? NV Mt. Rose Alphorn Hunziker Lift T-bar Yes Removed New 1965-???? CA Mammoth Mountain Chair 6 Hunziker Lift/Riblet Double Partially Removed New 1968-1984 CA Mammoth Mountain Chair 7 Western Lift & Crane Double Yes Relocated New 1971-???? NY Ski Minnewaska Chairlift Pullman-Berry Double Yes Removed New 1971-today NE Devils Nest ? Pullman-Berry Double Partially Defunct New 1971-1987 ME Sunday River Barker Mtn. Pullman-Berry Double Yes Relocated New 1971-197? MA Bedford Ctry. Cl. ? Pullman-Berry Double Partially Relocated New 1971-1992 NM Taos 4 Pullman-Berry Double Yes Removed New 1971-1974 VA Big Devil ? Pullman-Berry Double Yes Relocated New 1971-???? UT Powder Mountain Sundown Thiokol Double Partially Removed New 1971-???? UT Powder Mountain Timberline Thiokol Triple Partially Removed New 1971-???? UT Nordic Valley Troll Thiokol Double Partially Removed New 1971-???? NY West Mountain Triple Thiokol Triple Partially Removed New 1972-1999 NH Cannon Mountain Hong Kong Pullman-Berry Double Partially Removed New 1972-1975 PA Wildwood Highland ? Pullman-Berry Double No Removed New 1974-1980 WY Pine Creek - Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Removed Relocation (Frontier Land, never installed, stored at Afton fairgrounds for some years) 1979-1985 MN Coffee Mill Run of the Mill American Cableways Double Yes Relocated Relocation (Barn Mountain, MI) 1980-today UT Aspen Hills Chairlift Hjorth Bros. Double Yes Operating Relocation (Afton, WY) 1985-1987 MA Blanchard Hill ? Pullman-Berry Double Partially Relocated Relocation (Bedford Country Club, MA) 1985-today ND Frost Fire Double American Cableways Double Yes Operating Relocation (Coffee Mill, MN) 1987-2016 MT Big Sky Challenger ? Double Yes Removed Relocation (Mammoth Mountain, CA), relocated by Superior Tramway 1988-today ME Sunday River Little White Cap Pullman-Berry Double No Operating Relocation (Sunday River, ME), only parts reused 1988-???? MA Mt. Watatic Summit Pullman-Berry Double Partially Removed Relocation (Blanchard Hill, MA) 198?-today ID Pebble Creek Aspen Western Lift & Crane Double Yes Operating Relocation (Chair 7, Mammoth Mtn., CA) 198?-today MN Andes Tower Hills Milky Way Hunziker, Miner-Denver Triple Partially Operating Relocation, made from various parts (Hunziker tension terminal from an unknown lift or even homemade, towers from Hunziker boneyard, Miner-Denver drive, Homemade chairs) 198?-today MN Andes Tower Hills Hollywood Hunziker, MD, Riblet Triple Partially Operating Relocation, made from various parts (Hunziker tension terminal from an unknown lift or even homemade, Miner-Denver drive and towers, Homemade chairs, Riblet sheave assembly) 199?-today MN Coffee Mill Barnstormer Cosmos Double Partially Operating Relocation (Steamboat, CO) 19??-???? PA Camelback Coolmoor II Pullman-Berry Double No Removed Relocation (Big Devil, VA) 19??-19?? MA Nashoba Valley - Pullman-Berry Double Partially Relocated Relocation (Mt. Watatic , MA, never installed) 19??-19?? NH Temple Mountain - Pullman-Berry Double Partially Unused Relocation (Nashoba Valley, MA, never installed, likely some parts used and returned to Nashoba) (tbc)
History
A Swiss welder, Paul Hunziker, started his career in the 1950s with Northrop, but soon after became employed with Habegger. He was working on the Linthal tramway project, but also traveling to the U.S. to promote Habegger's tramway for the Palm Springs project. During this time, he likely met the people that became important for his later project. Like Otto Luck, who designed the Habegger gondola that crossed the Zuerichsee in Switzerland.
In 1957, a Swiss engineer, Fred Schmutz, and his family emigrated from Geneva, Switzerland, to the U.S. They moved to Long Beach, Calif. Around the same time, a Polish-born Berkeley graduate in chemical engineering founded Gamut Engineering in San Francisco. His name was J. Edward "Ed" Immergluck. His wife, Jeanne Marie Bachman, was born in Washington D.C. and had Swiss ancestors.
In fall 1958, Utah businessman and former state senator Rue L. Clegg was close to fulfill his lifelong dream: a tram next to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Heron Engineering was chosen to build the tram. But the project was stopped for an unknown reason.
In 1959, Hunziker moved to the U.S. and Immergluck became a sales rep for the Swiss company Bachmann & Co. (BACO). BACO was founded by Marcel Bachmann (there might be a connection between Immergluck's wife and Bachmann). He started his business by selling Vogler surface lifts in Switzerland. During the 1950s, they developed their own T-bar lifts. Their first T-bar in the U.S. was installed at Sky Tavern, NV in 1959. It was first installed with T-bars, but only weeks later switched to platters or discs after they had arrived from Switzerland. Immergluck was quickly sending out marketing material to other ski areas to promote his first success and BACO's lifts. In 1960, he became involved in different projects in Utah, but it is unknown if those activities resulted in more BACO ski lifts.
In the meantime, Hunziker had his first job at Mammoth supervising the construction of the Yodler restaurant. After that, he and his family were moving around. Redondo Beach was their last stop before finally moving to Utah. He was often making trips to the beach with Schmutz and his family.
Immergluck likely sold a tram to Rue Clegg while he was on business trips in Utah to promote his lifts. The tram was not build by Heron, it was designed by Bachmann & Co. / BACO. This likely was their first and only tramway. According to Bachmann's son, the company might have only been involved in delivering the design and the cabins. The tram started operating in late 1961. A year later, Rue Clegg died of a heart attack during a vacation in Mexico. The same year, BACO filed a suit against Clegg for not paying the amount due after the tram started operating.
The new cabin at the factory of BACO in Steffisburg, Switzerland (© BACO AG)
Kenneth Witt, a Chicago Technical Institute graduate, was hired to build the tram under his company, Witt Construction. He hired Hunziker, who was on a road trip through Utah looking for new projects. It wasn't an easy project as the top terminal wasn't designed correctly and the lift was plagued with technical issues. After the project was finished, Hunziker started Swiss-American Cableways, Inc. in Orem, Utah with the help of local investor DeLynn Heaps. Heaps started advertising the business "with experienced European engineering and supervisory". The chief engineer likely was Otto Luck. Luck was also working for BACO and had designed his own grip. Also involved at some point was engineer Hugh McKellar. The first contract was to build a restaurant at the tram's top terminal.
In the meantime, Fred Schmutz had started a new business in Long Beach: Cosmos, Inc. He likely was one of the two Swiss or German-speaking businessmen who visited Cowelco, a Long Beach based Steel contractor, in 1962. His first shop was just around the corner of Cowelco. He only built two chairlifts and stopped Cosmos soon after. The first lift was installed at Mohawk Mtn, CT. The second lift was initially sold to a ski area planned by Walt Disney. For some reason, the lift was not needed and eventually sold to Steamboat Springs to become the area's first chairlift - Christie. Otto Luck was also involved here as his name appears on a drawing that was the initial design for the chair at Mohawk:
Paul opened a shop in Bishop, CA during his time where he was installing lifts for Mammoth, Squaw and other ski areas. He was also trying to install a Swiss-made detachable chairlift to Snow Valley, CA. When funds went low, the installation had to be abandoned less than half completed and was eventually removed.
In 1965, Fred opened a new business: Allied Cableways & Machinery Co. (a ski lift manufacturing business). Mrs. Neva Rae Gersdorf of Chicago was listed as a co-owner. A lift was installed together with Paul Hunziker's American Cableways at Rebel Ridge, CA. The company again disappeared a few years later. According to Fred's grandson, he continued to work as an engineer for ski lifts.
Back in Utah, Ed was again successful and able to secure another big deal. He became sales rep for the tramway division of German manufacturer Pohlig-Heckel-Bleichert (PHB) and sold their 1963 gondola to Treasure Mountain, Utah. Kenneth Witt didn't rest either. He became Hunziker's new partner under American Cableways and sold a "swiss-engineered" double chair, Wildcat, to Snowbasin.
Hunziker was hired by James Leuscher in 1965 to build the new lifts at Mt. Rose: two double chairs and a T-bar. The same year, Immergluck started working for Hall and likely established the contact with PHB. He also was involved in the gondola project at Sterling Vineyards, CA. Another Provo-made chairlift was built by Hjorth Bros. at Timp Haven. Kenneth Witt died in April 1965, but his businesses remained until the early 1970s. Hunziker started his own business around that time, Hunziker Lift, Inc. of Provo, Utah. He also had two other businesses: Western Lift and Crane Co., North American Lift Co. Hunziker owned Solitude between 1967 and 1968.
Hunziker T-bar at Mt. Rose
After spending some time in Colorado in 1969 and 1970, Hunziker and Otto Weber, Staedeli's sales rep for the East Coast, started working for Pullman-Berry in 1971. One if the first lifts was designed by none other than Otto Luck. The same year, Hunziker died in an airplane crash. Around that time, Immergluck went to the newly formed tramway division at Thiokol and became a member of Utah's Tramway Safety Comitee until 1988. He died in 2013.
The end of this story is a series of lifts that were designed by Thiokol in its first year as a ski lift manufacturer. Robert Withrow, an engineer from Idaho who arranged the sale of a Miner-Denver/Telecar chairlift to the owners of Bear Gulch, ID, together with Ed Immergluck, might have also hired Otto Luck. After the first year, Withrow left and Jim ... was hired. His background was the source of the classic Thiokol A-frame design.
Even though Otto Luck was well known in the Swiss community, his traces are lost after 1971.
Lift pictures
BACO
Bridal Veil Falls
The original construkction was wrong and the cabin hit the rock just before the top terminal. So a new platform had to be constructed.
During operation, the viewing platform and cafe still was under construction. The additional platform to unload the tram can easily be seen as the track rope saddles had not been painted in red.
Cosmos
Christie
Coffee Mill
Swiss-American Cableways
Currently no lifts known
American Cableways
Chair 5 (Mammoth)
Loading of the parts with one of Dave McCoy's trucks
Allied Cableways & Machinery
Chairlift at Regel Ridge, CA. It was a cooperation between Allied Cableways (Fred Schmutz) and American Cableways (Paul Hunziker).
Hjorth Bros.
Frontier Land
Hunziker Lift
Western Lift & Crane
Pullman-Berry
Thiokol
With regard to Mammoth, here is a history of the first lifts. Any pictures for chairs 4-7 would be great.
'
1955: Chair 1 (United Tramway)
1957: Chair 2 (Riblet)
1959: Chair 3 (Riblet)
T-bar 1 (Doppelmayr)
1962: Chair 4 (Riblet)
1963: Chair 5 (American Cableways):
4,200 ft long, went up to 10,500 ft - all towers were height adjustable. Confirmed that the lift was already up and running for the 63/64 season.
1965: Chair 6 (Hunziker Lift):
1,800 ft long, beginners chairlift
T-bar 2 (Riblet)
Both lifts were a cooperation between Hunziker, Riblet and Mammoth.
Riblet designed the height adjustable terminals and the T-bar,
Hunziker was involved with the towers, line and chairs (it is not confirmed which brand he used).
1966: Gondola 1 (Bell), first section
1967: Gondola 2 (Bell), second section
1968: Chair 7 (Western Lift and Crane):
started at the new parking lot, was sold to Pebble Creek in the 1980s.
Yan helped installing it and was involved in the relocation when he installed the new Chair 7 in 1984.
1969: Chair 8 (Lift Engineering)
Chair 9 (Lift Engineering)
1970: Chair 10 (Lift Engineering)
Unless otherwise noted all images Ⓒ Denver Library or private collection (do not use without permission of the copyright holder)
Special thanks to: California Ski Library
This post has been edited by sheave: 06 August 2023 - 02:20 AM
