London’s first cable car See how the Emirates Air Line transports passengers 90m above the River Thames
Spanning 1.1 kilometres (0.7 miles) across the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Docks in London is the UK’s first-ever urban cable car. Detachable grips are connected to a continuously moving twisted steel cable, or haul rope. This haul rope is one long, 50-millimetre (two-inch)thick cable that loops across the river and back again around two bullwheels inside the terminals on either side. It rotates at a line
speed of up to six metres (19 feet) per second and slows down to ‘creep speed’ in the terminals for boarding and disembarking. The grips grab or release to slow down or speed up the cars. The main terminal contains the drive bullwheel which, powered by electric motors, turns to propel the cable. This is also the location of the various braking mechanisms, including the emergency brake behind the bullwheel, the service brake and the anti-rollback brake.
Living the high life HIW reveals the main components carrying people across London’s most famous waterway
Haul rope This cable consists of eight individual cores inside which are 36 twisted strands of steel and another central polymer core.
Gondola The service began just a month before the 2012 Olympics and, within three weeks, had transported 100,000 passengers. Every 30 seconds one of the 34 cabins leaves a terminal either side of the Thames carrying up to ten seated people per car.
Tower The three helical towers, consisting of some 6,500 steel sections, were lifted into position with cranes. The 61m (200ft) North Intermediate Tower south of Docklands is the shortest, while the tallest reaches as high as 90m (295ft) into the sky.
London Transport Museum celebrates 150 years of the London Underground
. Exhibition: Poster Art 150 – London Greatest Designs . Underground’s 150 Pioneers trail . Underground Steam train runs, tours, talks and Friday Lates . Exclusive gifts available in the Museum shop and online
Open daily / admission charged
Electronics On board each gondola is a wealth of tech, including GPS antennas, CCTV cameras, microphones and emergency call buttons, plus the super-efficient ultracapacitor modules used for power.
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