Cable diameter 4 x 40mm lock coil track cables, 2 x 32 mm stranded haul cable , 1x 18 mm stranded Emergency Cable
Installed power
600 HP DC electric winch; Ford industrial engine (evacuation drive)
Operating speed
20ft/s (13.6mph; 21.9km/h)
The Sandia Peak Tramway is an aerial tramway, adjacent to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It stretches from the northeast edge of the city to Sandia Peak, on the ridge line of the Sandia Mountains[1] and has the world's third longest single span.[2] It is the longest aerial tram in the Americas, and was the longest in the world from 1966 until being surpassed in 2010 by the Wings of Tatev in Armenia.[citation needed]
The Sandia Peak Ski Company was founded by Ben Abruzzo (a balloonist) and Robert Nordhaus[3] (the father[4] of William Nordhaus, a Nobel Prize–winning economist). Nordhaus was inspired to build a tram to the ski slope after seeing other trams during a ski trip to Switzerland.[5][6] Bell Engineering, of Lucerne, Switzerland, built the tramway. The project took over 5,000 helicopter trips, airlifting workers and materials. The tram cars pass over two towers, the second of which required over 2,000 helicopter trips to build.[7] The tramway has carried more than 12 million passengers since its maiden voyage, on May 7, 1966.[7] New tram cars were installed in 1986, and new track cables in 2009.[2] New tram cars were again installed in May 2016.[8]
New Year 2022 incident
On New Year's Eve, 2021, a winter storm caused the emergency cable to ice over and droop onto the track cables, causing the tramway to stop mid-course. Nineteen employees from TEN 3, the restaurant at the top terminal, and a Sandia Peak tram-cabin operator were aboard the downhill tram car evacuating the restaurant for the approaching storm, and were trapped for over 17 hours. A cabin operator was stranded in the uphill tram car. Despite wind and snow, all were rescued, without injury, on the afternoon of January 1, 2022. Members of the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council helped the passengers rappel down the upper tower and hike to a point where they could be rescued by a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office helicopter.[9]
Description
Sunset through the Tramway’s second tower
The tram is a type known as a "double reversible jigback aerial tramway," where "jigback" implies that when one tram car is ascending, the other is descending. Its two cars are capable of carrying 50 passengers each and have numerous safety and backup systems, such as multiple emergency braking systems and a grounding system that ensures the safety of passengers in the event of a lightning strike. The tramway ascends the steep western side of the highest portion of the Sandia Mountains, from a base elevation of 6,559 feet (1,999m) to a top elevation of 10,378 feet (3,163m). A trip up the mountain takes 15 minutes to ascend 3,819ft (1,164m), and the normal operating speed of the tram is 20 feet per second (13.6mph; 21.9km/h). Approximately four "flights" leave every hour from the base and top termini. The viewshed from the tram includes all of Albuquerque and roughly 11,000 square miles (28,000km2) of the New Mexico countryside.
An overview of the tramway and a view of metropolitan Albuquerque from the upper terminal.
The tramway has only two support towers. The first tower, which is 232 feet (70.7m) tall, is situated at an elevation of 7,010 feet (2,137m) above sea level and built as an inclined tower with an inclination angle of 18 degrees. The second, just 80 feet (24.4m) tall, is situated at the end of a major spur of the mountains at an elevation of 8,750ft (2,667m) and was built by the aid of over 2,000 helicopter trips, with support rods driven up to 40 feet (12m) into the granite.[7]
The longest span is between the second tower and the top terminal. This span is the third-longest clear tramway span in the world, at a length of 7,720 feet (2,353m). Mid-span, the cables are 900ft (274m) above the mountainside. This span passes over Domingo Baca Canyon, part of which is referred to as TWA Canyon. This is the site of the crash of TWA Flight 260 on February 19, 1955, in which the lives of all 16 passengers and crew were lost. While much of the wreckage was removed during construction of the tramway, some still remains on the canyon floor and may be visible to riders of the tram.
At the top of Sandia Peak there are many year-round recreational options. The restaurant, TEN 3 (stylized as 10|3), is directly adjacent to the top tram terminal and offers scenic views to the west.[10] Many Forest Service trails offer recreational hiking, backpacking and nature hikes to visitors. Additionally, the tram terminal is located at the top of Sandia Peak Ski Area, which is on the opposite side of the mountain from the tramway and the city. Skiing is available in the wintertime, and during the summer more than 26 miles (42km) of mountain biking trails are available. Bikes cannot be taken onto tram cars. There is no public transportation in this area of Albuquerque; the tram is accessible only by car, bicycle, or foot.[11]
Notes
↑ The upper station of the tramway is at a point on the main crest of the Sandia Mountains at elevation 10,378 feet (3,163m), about 1.5mi (2.4km) south of Sandia Crest, the high point of the range. The operators of the Tramway term this point "Sandia Peak"; but this is not an official name, and it is not a "peak" in the sense of having any topographic prominence.
↑ "Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway - Sandia Peak Tramway". 2018-03-22. The Restaurant atop the Tram has been demolished and construction of a new facility to replace it has begun with an anticipated opening of Spring 2019.
An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts, aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and higher wait times.
A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. It is often considered a continuous system since it features a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. In contrast, an aerial tramway operates solely with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals.
The Peak Tram is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Garden Road Admiralty to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. Operated since 1888, it was the first funicular railway in Asia.
The Sandia Mountains are a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The mountains are just due south of the southern terminus of the Rocky Mountains, and are part of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains. This is largely within the Cibola National Forest and protected as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. The highest point is Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet (3,255 m).
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Benjamin L. "Ben" Abruzzo was an American balloonist and businessman who helped make Albuquerque, New Mexico, into an international ballooning center. He was part of the balloon crews that made the first Atlantic Ocean crossing by balloon in the Double Eagle II and the first Pacific Ocean crossing by balloon in the Double Eagle V.
The Klein Matterhorn is a peak of the Pennine Alps, overlooking Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais. At 3,883 metres (12,740 ft) above sea level, it is the highest place in Europe that can be reached by aerial tramway or gondola lift, as well as by any other means of transport. The Klein Matterhorn is part of the Breithorn massif and overlooks on its south side the almost equally high flat glacier named Breithorn Plateau, just north of the international border with Italy. The name "Klein Matterhorn" is a reference to its much larger neighbour, the Matterhorn, which lies 7 km (4.3 mi) away across the Theodul Pass.
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Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest, is a mountain ridge that, at 10,679 feet (3,255 m), is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. Instead of a true summit or topographic peak, this range climbs to a long ridge line. To the east, the range slopes down from the Crest and merges into the plains below. On the west side of the Crest is a cliff; the range dramatically drops over 4,000 feet in elevation over 2 miles of horizontal distance to the Rio Grande Valley and city of Albuquerque below. It is within the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. The Crest features a viewing area with a shop and visitor center, telecommunications transmitters, the popular La Luz Trail, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness, and the summit of Sandia Peak Ski Area and the Sandia Peak Tramway, which is the longest aerial tramway in the Americas.
The La Luz Trail is a popular hiking trail located on the west face of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trail begins at the La Luz Trailhead and proceeds approximately eight miles to either Sandia Crest or the Sandia Peak Tramway. The hike is strenuous, with 3,775 ft (1,151 m) of elevation gain and a grade of 12%. The trail allows hikers to view the flora and fauna of four climatic "life zones" and the granite cliffs and spires native to the west face of the Sandia Mountains. It also offers excellent views of Albuquerque, the cinder cones of the Albuquerque Volcanoes, and Mount Taylor. The La Luz Trail is also home to the La Luz Trail Run.
Sandia Mountain Wilderness, part of Cibola National Forest, is located east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and comprises much of Sandia Mountains. It became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1978 by an act of the United States Congress and has a total of 37,877 acres (15,328 ha).
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Sandia Peak Ski Area, originally La Madera Ski Area, is a ski resort located in the Sandia Mountains in northeast Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, immediately northeast of the city of Albuquerque. It is part of a Special Use Permit Zone in the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. It is New Mexico's first ski area, opening to skiers in 1936. It features Sandia Peak Tramway, which was until 2010 the longest tramway in the world, and remains the longest in the Americas. The resort includes 35 ski runs and a terrain park, and also serves as a site for summer recreation. It is one of the few ski resorts in the US that can be directly accessed from a major city.
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