needlessly destroyed by the fair board and Expo Square
Tulsa Skyride Maintenance
I want to stress how important safety and maintenance are for the Tulsa Skyride. I also want to emphasize that Doppelmayr, Von Roll’s ropeway business successor and world leader in ropeway manufacturing, provides service and support that keep the Tulsa Skyride up to date and supplied with new parts. This page will give you some idea of the complexity and importance of Tulsa Skyride maintenance.
Safety is Everything
A skyride has to be a safe ride. Safety is paramount for any ropeway like the Tulsa Skyride. When it comes to safety, there can be no compromise, no cutting corners. No one wants to be around an unsafe ride.
Maintenance is key to safety. Top-notch maintenance requires knowledgeable and skilled mechanics. And those mechanics require parts, tools, and services to do their jobs properly. Safety also requires knowledgeable management that stays aware of the operating environment to ensure that the skyride does not run in unsafe weather conditions.
Here are some Von Roll skyride maintenance manuals in the Tulsa Skyride office. Click on image to view larger.
Despite the Tulsa Von Roll being a 1965 installation, it has not been left behind in time. Doppelmayr provides support to all of the remaining Von Roll skyrides in the United States with parts, service, and more. This includes the Tulsa Skyride, which has the equivalent of “low mileage” because it has typically run only eleven days per year. Doppelmayr also supports “high mileage” Von Roll skyrides such as those at the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld San Diego that run year-round. With Doppelmayr, the Tulsa Skyride has been brought up to modern standards while remaining a classic 1965 Von Roll.
Not surprisingly, a skyride ropeway is a complicated system. There are literally tons of parts: structural parts, moving mechanical parts, the wire rope (the cable), electrical system, electronics, electric drive motor, gas-powered auxiliary motor, the cabins and all their parts, and more.
This is a view of the underside of a Von Roll VR 101 grip. It is being hoisted up for placement on the station track. Once there, a cabin will be attached to the hanger arm. Click on image to view larger.Going up: Here a VR 101 grip and hanger are being hoisted up to the station track. Once there, a cabin will be placed underneath and attached to the hanger. Click on image to view larger.Here the flanged wheels, called track rollers, of the VR 101 grip are carefully placed on the track. Once the grip is properly placed on the track, a cabin will be attached to the hanger arm. Click on image to view larger.This is an original Von Roll cast iron VR 101 grip. The grip’s frame, or case, was cast as a single piece at Von Roll Ironworks in Bern, Switzerland. When these old, original grips reach the end of their service lives, they are replaced with the new grips from Doppelmayr. The original cast iron grips such as this one are easily identified by the angled extensions that hold the track rollers. Compare this with the grip seen in the two photos immediately above. Note, however, that the grip seen in the two photos further above is viewed from the opposite side. Click on image to view larger.Ready for hanging: Grips and hanger assemblies are ready to be reassembled and attached again to a skyride cabin. Prior to the time of this photo, the grips and hanger assemblies were completely disassembled for service and inspection. Next steps will be to attach the hanger arm to the grip, hoist the grip up onto the station track, and then attach a cabin to the hanger. Click on image to view larger.A crane and work lift were brought out to assist with tower 5 maintenance on this day. At this point, the rope (cable) has been lifted off of one battery on the tower and lowered to a resting position. This time, both batteries will be removed and completely taken apart for maintenance then reassembled and returned to the tower at a later date. In addition, some work will be done on the top of the tower itself. Click on image to view larger.This battery on tower 5 is ready to be lowered to the ground for maintenance. At different times, all batteries on all towers are brought down to the ground for maintenance work. Click on image to view larger.By now, the rope (cable) has been taken off of both sides of tower 5. The battery on the north side of the tower is being prepared to be removed and lowered to the ground for maintenance. Click on image to view larger.The north battery of tower 5 is lowered to the ground. Fairgrounds Pavilion is in the background. Click on image to view larger.Here is tower 5 after both roller batteries had been removed for maintenance. Click on image to view larger.Here is one of tower 5’s roller batteries with all of the sheaves (rollers) removed for service. Click on image to view larger.The sheaves (rollers) are back on the battery and the battery is ready to go back up on tower 5. Click on image to view larger.Tower 5 is back together again. Click on image to view larger.
Ropeway maintenance is complicated. It’s a big job. It’s serious business and is essential to skyride safety. I hope this page has given you some idea of the importance of maintenance as well as a glimpse into what some of the maintenance tasks involve. Let’s ride safely!
