In the late 1940s as a kid I operated a freight elevator with the rope and ball controls. It was used to move autos from the street to the 2nd and 3rd floors of an auto dealer in Washington DC. It was located on 14th street in NW Washington. Not sure how it was powered but I definitely remember the rope and the balls.
I know of one that is older. I saw it many years ago in an antique store in Washington. DC. It was an exact replica of the platform that Elisha Otis used to demonstrate his safety brake at the Crystal Palace in 1854. Non- electric. Operator had to pull on one rope outside of the elevator to move it.
@@upanddownadventures Recently, I was in DC trying to find that store. It has been replaced by a newer, larger building. This was on Indiana Ave NW between 6th and 7th streets, near Pennsylvania Ave.
I remember going to a Popeye’s in DC as a kid that had an absolutely ANCIENT elevator right next to a new one. Interesting, and it was where my mom first told me elevators used to straight up kill people
I used to work in the mill buildings in Manchester, NH. Water powered the shafts and belts which ran all of the looms in the mills. It does appear that the electric motor was added at a later date when the rest of the belts were decommissioned. SOMEONE appreciates this machine and has taken very good care of it! Let's hope that they teach new generation how to care for it! Those belts won't last forever.. =( Thx for sharing!
looks like it was steam powered. Many old factories, in early 1900 last 1800 used belts to deliver power to different machines All the machinery was powered from a steam motor or probably those old hit&miss ones. So a belt going to the elevator was "normal". also, is clutch operated allowing the supply belt to run all the time, like on those factories.
I remember riding a few pull rope elevators as a little kid in the 80s. I didn't think about it as unsafe, just old. Looking back, it's amazing how long these elevators hung on and stayed in service.
Yeah I used to work for Otis in NYC, I had a service route in midtown with elevators similar to this one, not quite as antiquated as this though, however when I moved to North Carolina, there was this elevator in little Washington that actually looked older than this one with wooden rails, a shipper rope and wooden timbers the machine rested on overhead. Pretty awesome that this equipment is still an integral part of the building it's in and is still used daily.
Do you know if the elevator in North Carolina is still there? What building is/was it in? Were the elevators in NYC shipper rope (pull rope) operated like this one, or not?
When I was a little boy in the 50's there was an elevator at the Rick's furniture store on Jefferson that was very much like this. The operator pulled a cable & the car would ascend or descend as needed.
There is a park in Stockholm where they moved a bunch of old buildings. In one of the buildings there is an elevator, everything in it is made of wood - I want to say it's the oldest elevator in Sweden, or the first elevator in Sweden. It traveled one story and took about 30s to one minute. I rode it once when I was visit when I was about 12.
Wow, I thought my experience as an elevator operator in 1955 was bad! Had to MANUALLY line up the elevator to the floors which took some practice. And if there were passengers that wanted to go DOWN to the basement, I had to adjust for the weight, otherwise the elevator would OVERSHOOT the floor and people would have to either step up or down. Those belts remind me of a farm machine called a thresher! A belt would connect the thresher to a tractor for power. They were a little wider but looked just like them!
Where is this one? There's one in the old Standard Manufacturing in the Lansingburgh section of Troy, NY, a full block long industrial building from the 1880's. I have ridden in it and used it, and it a belt-shipper type like this one. I seem to remember the motor mounted higher though, and believe it was a repulsion-induction with brushes, or at least a slip-ring type of 3 phase motor. It had brushes, this one has a 3 phase Diehl induction motor that looks to be from the 19-teens. It was also an open car like this one. You have to be very careful with open cars not to get too close to the passing shaft, for obvious reasons--you could be easily killed or badly injured! Also, cargo on the elevator has to be kept at least even with the edge of the platform floor, or better yet a couple of inches inside from the edge, and long things like pipes, fluorescent fixtures, timber, etc, have to be VERY carefully loaded, and if so long that it has to sit vertical or near vertical, must be carefully secured like a load ion a truck, because of it shifts and falls over, and ends up sticking out one or both sides, not only can the cargo be ruined, but at the very least it can get jammed between the car and hoistway (shaft) and damage the shaft and elevator, or worse, it can violently flip up and hit you! Also, of the cargo breaks in the center, it can cause severe injury of death! Therefore, great care is needed when using this type of open car elevator! The one on Troy runs great, and to the best of my knowledge is still there and still in use. rope control was common--this one doesn't use a drum switch at all, it only ships either belt from the 'loose' (has a bearing in the hub, turns freely on the shaft and transmits no power to said shaft) pulley to the 'live' pulley, which is locked to the shaft and therefore transmits power to it and henceforth to the double reduction gears and finally the elevator winch drum. The motor turns a "jackshaft"constantly while running, which has 2 pulleys for the "up" belt and the "down" belt---in the clip, the belt on the right near the flyball governor is the "down belt", and has a half-twist in it so at the loose/live pulley shaft end, the rotation is reversed by the twist, opposite motor rotation direction. The "up belt" is the one on the left hand side, and does not have a half twist, so it turns the shaft it drives when on the 'live' pulley, in the same direction as the motor runs. Thus, a simple "forward and reverse" transmission. I noticed that the "up" belt does not ship completely onto the 'live' pulley, and in fact is half on the 'loose' pulley and the 'live' pulley when engaged to go up. This may be a mis-adjustment of the belt shipper yoke, the mechanism associated with it, ir intentional so that if overloaded, the belt will slip to prevent damage to the winch and gears. The "down" (half-twist reverse) belt seems to ship fully onto the 'live' pulley and totally off of the 'loose' pulley, and the belt shipper yoke, with a (added later) nylon idler roller under the belt, probably with sealed ball bearings in it, is clearly visible doing it's job. The "up" shipper yoke is not visible. Seems to be further back on the belt? Either way, it all works smooth and nice! The small silver chains you see to the left in the belt shipper part are the control chains that work the shipper, which go to a drum pulley for the rope (cable) control you see being used in the car itself. They merely transmit motion like a linkage. You can also see the drum-cam in the canter of the belt shipper unit, that converts the rotary motion of the belt shipper selector shaft to the linear motion of the belt shipper yokes. There is no drum switch because the motor doesn't reverse---it stays running in one direction, and the 2 belts are selected for up and down, purely mechanical. The only electrical stuff involved is shown in the beginning of the clip, the start/stop station in the car, which operates the motor starter contactor you see just after you see the start stop station (red and green buttons), the contacts of which turn the power on and off to the motor, and the in-car start/stop station allowing easy and instant 'killing' of the motor in an emergency in the car. The original installation definitely did NOT have this start/stop station--there was either an open knife switch near the motor for on/off, or a contactor with a start/stop station near the motor.I'd go with the first one here. The contactor has the cover removed to show it pulling-in and dropping-out, and the armature to the left is rusty, as is the pole piece of the coil, which is why it buzzes so loud when pulled-in (on). Also, where is the COVER? Was it removed for this shoot, or is it missing? If missing it is a hazard from both a shock and fire standpoint--as it has live terminals and contact assemblies, as well as makes sparks and arcs that can ignite cobwebs and dust---I hope it was replaced after this clip! Another reason for a stop/start station in the car is to allow shutting off the motor during periods of rest when the elevator is not being used, to save power, wear and tear on the motor and all the bearings in the belt shipper unit, and to prevent unauthorized operation, as well as prevent someone being hurt by rotating parts in the motor room. Cheers! Rick Delair.
+ricksbulbs, I've seen this clip years ago and have recently watched it again. Thank you for commenting and explaining what is going here; and not spouting internet babble.
I have serviced one just like this one in Sydney Australia going back about 15 years ago. It was located in a county council store warehouse. It was used only a few times in a day or week. It used to work well. I still wonder to this day if that old elevator still runs.
reminds Me a bit of one I worked on in San Francisco, was from the early 1900's. Motor was original and DC powered from streetcar power lines. No automatic control, just the original switch lever. Was kept locked from public use,but could lift over 2500 pounds if I remember correctly. Neat and scary sounding old machine, had fun running it and checking it out.
The building was a Public Storage near the waterfront south of Market street, was at least 4 stories,too. It had relatively modern elevators, this one was in a far corner. I'm sure the building itself predated the '06 quake, if not made just after. I was had that job from 98 to 2000, so it's been a while even though I know the city well enough. But it was a Public Storage somewhere around 3rd street maybe, so look around and You'll probably find it. Good luck in the search!
If truly this is the oldest operating lift on the planet, why is the address (or for that matter even the country [presumably a 60 Hz country somewhere in the Americas] kept secret? If I found an old lift that can be verified as the oldest operating lift, I would buy or rent the building and register such as a national treasure and turn the place into a museum for lifts... (and other elevating contrivances), and of course keep this well maintained. Plus I naturally would offer free rides to the public! I would NOT hoard this and be selfish with it! That would really be a shame! There are after all other of us 'wall trolley' enthusiasts in this world! Thank you!
Danilo, interesting how your question was acknowledged, but never answered. I guess we know how prijesi rolls. It's been a year, you'd think a location could be obtained by now.
@@upanddownadventures Do you even know where it is in New York bud? I was just in Manhattan and well... The amount of buildings I would have to wade through (and probably get thrown out of...) would be... like a decade long journey.
In the small town I grew up in (in central Massachusetts) both a furniture store and a factory had these. I'm sure there were others I never got to use in other buildings. Pretty common back then.
This elevator is a very old design, but I don't think it is quite the oldest in the world. I believe the oldest in the world would not actually have a motor used in its construction. This is likely close to the oldest, but the oldest may use a stationary engine or a steam engine running at low revs to drive it. Thank you for posting this.
There is an older one in NYC Located at 110 Franklin Street NYC This was used in our former family business to move freight cargo. We owned a steel rule die company there.
Was it an electric elevator that is belt driven (like the one in this video)? Do you know if that elevator (at 110 Franklin St) is still there today, or has it since been modernized or replaced?
This elevator... Flappy flat drive bests, chain drives & a centrifugual governor. If this was in a old factory they often had a system of lineshafts running the length of every floor all powered off one steam engine. Logically the elevator could also be driven from the same power source. The pull-rope engages the clutch above the winch drum?
The oldest elevator in the world is probably a bucket and a rope, that can be the oldest steam powered and closed cabin elevator in the world but i really do want an elevator like this in my house, way cooler than a normal elevator that opens the door itself
its a slip clutch elevator, ive worked on one at santus sweet factory uncle joes wigan uk they was desigbed for cotton mills when a steam or waterwheel powered the whole mill ,there a nightmare
I have found this piece of text at elevation wikia: In 1743, a counterweighted personal elevator was commissioned by Louis XV in France for his personal chambers in Versailles. So do you believe it? I can't tell by myself.
Bait28 switches and routers fail,power supplies fail,and as soon as I posted this our number 2 elevator fried the main drive motors comutator so yes it does all fail,"stopping"or "breaking" it still means it ain't working! but you are right,you can't fight it,only delay or repair.
ck out the flatiron bldg in ashville nc,I work on 2 old tractions with ALL the original parts except for the mg's still have and use the manual doors and car controls,adds a bit of personality to your ride to the skybar
Look very interesting classic oldest elevator riding like this. Probably is like I guess oldest elevator is 1970s or1950's I think is very old fashion in the 21st century in the U.S. Some place of use the hotel with elevator, elevator man service to use hand gear of elevator go and down each floors. Now see this while riding very oldest motoring like electric or petrol for active elevator. Nice while oldest elevator isn't. Excellent to find!
Huge belts and governor scream water or steam engine powered. Don't know how a steam engine would fit up there though... Clearly the electric motor is not original.
I think the governor is actually a safety device that applies safety breaks mounted to the car if the elevator overspeeds in the down direction (either if all cables snapped or if the elevator overspeeds for a different reason). Modern elevators also has such a device, though the way it works is a little different. I think some steam engines use a flyball governor that looks similar to this one to regulate their speed, but I am not sure if that is what the governor here was for. It is certainly possible this elevator was original steam powered, but it is hard to know for sure. I think some steam elevators used a similar mechanism.
I've been looking for a certain type of lift on the internet for awhile...but can't find any evidence of it. I don't know what they were called...but they weren't elevators. The one here in town was in a parking garage attached to a large bank. When we would go downtown I would ride this thing and the parking attendants would always catch me and throw me out of the place. This was about a 4 story parking garage. There were holes in each floor...like a manhole cover and there was this conveyor thing coming up out of the floor. It had a small platform you would stand on...and hold onto the chain and it would take you vertically b/t floors. You would just jump off when you got to the floor you wanted. When the little foot platform got to the top, it would come down the other side. So you would see the foot rest move down through the floors upside down on the back side...and then back up (this time right side up) on the front side for you to step on.
@@upanddownadventures notchet. I took a while away from that home so I gotta try to get ahold of them again. But Jason found one in Saint Louis and does a video on how it works.
I was in Lissabon this summer, had a ride in the Santa Justa elevator from eiffel Nice! It's a street level elevator from 1902 From which year is this than?
am sure there is a machine shop that would need to fabricate everything that gets worn out over time as your typical otis or shindler isnt gonna stock this classic stuff
02:08 What does this do? This device looks electric. Does it prevent the motor from being turned off when the elevator is moving? Or does it have a different function? It looks like this elevator does have hoistway door locks. Does this elevator have a safety circuit, or will it run with hoistway doors open? If it does have a safety circuit, does it simply cut off power to the motor when broken?
@@prijesi I'm NOT in the elevator industry (so if anything I say seems wrong/doesn't make sense, that could be why) but I'm curious... 1. Does this elevator have a safety circuit of some kind? Very old elevators like this one sometimes don't (although some jurisdictions likely require one to be retrofitted) 2. If it does have one, what does the safety circuit actually do to bring the elevator to a safe stop? I can't say for 100% sure about this specific elevator, but I know these types of elevators typically have a MECHANICAL brake that can NOT be applied electrically. The safety circuit could cut off power to the motor, but that seems like it would lead to a dangerous situation where the elevator can move uncontrolled due to gravity. I'm very curious, have you returned to this building since filming this video? I'm really curious if this elevator is still in operation today. This is most likely one of the last elevators of this kind in NYC.
@@upanddownadventures this is what I think At the time of the installation of this elevator…….””””electric circuitry was in the very beginning , the very first steps“””” …..but mechanical circuitry was very advanced…..
I can top that. I tested one in Masachusetts that was hand over hand. No motor ,no switches. Two ropes.One for hoisting,the other for braking. You pulled the big rope and when you let it go ,you had better darn well pull the brake ropa or you would wind up down in the basement.
A friend of mine is renovating an old building in the French Quarter, and they discovered an elevator much like this one. Actually, it looks almost identical. The elevator has to be removed from the building.....they don't know what to do with it. Does anyone know of any organizations that deal with antique elevators?
+Kristina Calin There is a website called elevatorpreservation.com You could ask them about how the old elevator can be preserved as much as possible. I love old elevators, and I hate when they get modernized, or removed.
In the late 1940s as a kid I operated a freight elevator with the rope and ball controls. It was used to move autos from the street to the 2nd and 3rd floors of an auto dealer in Washington DC. It was located on 14th street in NW Washington. Not sure how it was powered but I definitely remember the rope and the balls.
woooww
that’s actually awesome. Sad to face reality that soon history will really be history. Hope you’re still doing well Jay.
I have seen older elevators, but that is pretty old, and very unsafe. Sounds like a nice ride though. It must be hell to maintain.
Bob Keahey it does have a GOV. And also a brake(just in case ropes brake)
Bob Keahey
What is the oldest elevator you have seen?
Why would it be unsafe
i worked as an elevator operator in the past.... the job had its ups and downs...
Like in real life
I do like " Fur Elise Jam" by Gerry
ha! ... i forgot about my little music project... thanks.... i'm working on some vocal projects that should begin to appear in a few weeks
But it can be a very up 'lifting' job!
You could have got to the top if you stayed with the job!
This is really amazing. This elevator was probably steam driven originally, off of a line shaft.
I know of one that is older. I saw it many years ago in an antique store in Washington. DC. It was an exact replica of the platform that Elisha Otis used to demonstrate his safety brake at the Crystal Palace in 1854. Non- electric. Operator had to pull on one rope outside of the elevator to move it.
+Ray Fridley
What antique store was it at?
So this elevator is around 1860 then?
@@upanddownadventures Recently, I was in DC trying to find that store. It has been replaced by a newer, larger building. This was on Indiana Ave NW between 6th and 7th streets, near Pennsylvania Ave.
I remember going to a Popeye’s in DC as a kid that had an absolutely ANCIENT elevator right next to a new one. Interesting, and it was where my mom first told me elevators used to straight up kill people
I can't get over the windows movie maker intro.
2011 was a different time..
I used to work in the mill buildings in Manchester, NH. Water powered the shafts and belts which ran all of the looms in the mills. It does appear that the electric motor was added at a later date when the rest of the belts were decommissioned. SOMEONE appreciates this machine and has taken very good care of it! Let's hope that they teach new generation how to care for it! Those belts won't last forever.. =( Thx for sharing!
That motor room seriously scares the crap out of me
That was probably an old steam hoist, and was modernized by making it electric power instead of steam.
That's not a freight elevator... it's a FRIGHT elevator!
Frank Maynard lololol
Frank Maynard lol but IT is not. I promise
Pri**** lolol
looks like it was steam powered. Many old factories, in early 1900 last 1800 used belts to deliver power to different machines All the machinery was powered from a steam motor or probably those old hit&miss ones. So a belt going to the elevator was "normal". also, is clutch operated allowing the supply belt to run all the time, like on those factories.
38911bytefree this is not an early 1900 elevator. It has a GOV
Interesting, I would love to see one with steam powered instead of electric one.
I remember riding a few pull rope elevators as a little kid in the 80s. I didn't think about it as unsafe, just old. Looking back, it's amazing how long these elevators hung on and stayed in service.
I've been on one that is very similar to this. The one I saw was manufactured by Miller elevator in St. Louis, MO.
STL Elevators interesting
Is it the one you uploaded a video of, or a different one?
Glad to see someone kept this in good shape. You don't see too many things entirely mechanical like this anymore...
That looks pretty safe
Clorox Bleach why do I see you everywhere? 😂
Yeah I used to work for Otis in NYC, I had a service route in midtown with elevators similar to this one, not quite as antiquated as this though, however when I moved to North Carolina, there was this elevator in little Washington that actually looked older than this one with wooden rails, a shipper rope and wooden timbers the machine rested on overhead. Pretty awesome that this equipment is still an integral part of the building it's in and is still used daily.
Do you know if the elevator in North Carolina is still there? What building is/was it in?
Were the elevators in NYC shipper rope (pull rope) operated like this one, or not?
When I was a little boy in the 50's there was an elevator at the Rick's furniture store on Jefferson that was very much like this. The operator pulled a cable & the car would ascend or descend as needed.
What city?
There is a park in Stockholm where they moved a bunch of old buildings. In one of the buildings there is an elevator, everything in it is made of wood - I want to say it's the oldest elevator in Sweden, or the first elevator in Sweden. It traveled one story and took about 30s to one minute. I rode it once when I was visit when I was about 12.
This too has wooden rails
It is said that Evil Owl came to modernise it, but left straight away and has had nightmares ever since.
Why?
prijesi I doubt it would be easy to modify to modern standards. Besides, he will never beat Princess Powell lifts.
+Emily Powell what do you know about elevators?
prijesi You don't get the joke.
+Emily Powell No
I've always been scared of elevators, seriously, I currently now use the stairs to and from
Wow, I thought my experience as an elevator operator in 1955 was bad! Had to MANUALLY line up the elevator to the floors which took some practice. And if there were passengers that wanted to go DOWN to the basement, I had to adjust for the weight, otherwise the elevator would OVERSHOOT the floor and people would have to either step up or down. Those belts remind me of a farm machine called a thresher! A belt would connect the thresher to a tractor for power. They were a little wider but looked just like them!
How old are you...
Elevator engineer had also built a self leveling elevator for you guys
Great surviving example from the industrial revolution!
couldn't agree more.
Evan Popchock couldn’t agree more
Where is this one? There's one in the old Standard Manufacturing in the Lansingburgh section of Troy, NY, a full block long industrial building from the 1880's. I have ridden in it and used it, and it a belt-shipper type like this one. I seem to remember the motor mounted higher though, and believe it was a repulsion-induction with brushes, or at least a slip-ring type of 3 phase motor. It had brushes, this one has a 3 phase Diehl induction motor that looks to be from the 19-teens. It was also an open car like this one. You have to be very careful with open cars not to get too close to the passing shaft, for obvious reasons--you could be easily killed or badly injured! Also, cargo on the elevator has to be kept at least even with the edge of the platform floor, or better yet a couple of inches inside from the edge, and long things like pipes, fluorescent fixtures, timber, etc, have to be VERY carefully loaded, and if so long that it has to sit vertical or near vertical, must be carefully secured like a load ion a truck, because of it shifts and falls over, and ends up sticking out one or both sides, not only can the cargo be ruined, but at the very least it can get jammed between the car and hoistway (shaft) and damage the shaft and elevator, or worse, it can violently flip up and hit you! Also, of the cargo breaks in the center, it can cause severe injury of death! Therefore, great care is needed when using this type of open car elevator! The one on Troy runs great, and to the best of my knowledge is still there and still in use. rope control was common--this one doesn't use a drum switch at all, it only ships either belt from the 'loose' (has a bearing in the hub, turns freely on the shaft and transmits no power to said shaft) pulley to the 'live' pulley, which is locked to the shaft and therefore transmits power to it and henceforth to the double reduction gears and finally the elevator winch drum. The motor turns a "jackshaft"constantly while running, which has 2 pulleys for the "up" belt and the "down" belt---in the clip, the belt on the right near the flyball governor is the "down belt", and has a half-twist in it so at the loose/live pulley shaft end, the rotation is reversed by the twist, opposite motor rotation direction. The "up belt" is the one on the left hand side, and does not have a half twist, so it turns the shaft it drives when on the 'live' pulley, in the same direction as the motor runs. Thus, a simple "forward and reverse" transmission. I noticed that the "up" belt does not ship completely onto the 'live' pulley, and in fact is half on the 'loose' pulley and the 'live' pulley when engaged to go up. This may be a mis-adjustment of the belt shipper yoke, the mechanism associated with it, ir intentional so that if overloaded, the belt will slip to prevent damage to the winch and gears. The "down" (half-twist reverse) belt seems to ship fully onto the 'live' pulley and totally off of the 'loose' pulley, and the belt shipper yoke, with a (added later) nylon idler roller under the belt, probably with sealed ball bearings in it, is clearly visible doing it's job. The "up" shipper yoke is not visible. Seems to be further back on the belt? Either way, it all works smooth and nice! The small silver chains you see to the left in the belt shipper part are the control chains that work the shipper, which go to a drum pulley for the rope (cable) control you see being used in the car itself. They merely transmit motion like a linkage. You can also see the drum-cam in the canter of the belt shipper unit, that converts the rotary motion of the belt shipper selector shaft to the linear motion of the belt shipper yokes. There is no drum switch because the motor doesn't reverse---it stays running in one direction, and the 2 belts are selected for up and down, purely mechanical. The only electrical stuff involved is shown in the beginning of the clip, the start/stop station in the car, which operates the motor starter contactor you see just after you see the start stop station (red and green buttons), the contacts of which turn the power on and off to the motor, and the in-car start/stop station allowing easy and instant 'killing' of the motor in an emergency in the car. The original installation definitely did NOT have this start/stop station--there was either an open knife switch near the motor for on/off, or a contactor with a start/stop station near the motor.I'd go with the first one here. The contactor has the cover removed to show it pulling-in and dropping-out, and the armature to the left is rusty, as is the pole piece of the coil, which is why it buzzes so loud when pulled-in (on). Also, where is the COVER? Was it removed for this shoot, or is it missing? If missing it is a hazard from both a shock and fire standpoint--as it has live terminals and contact assemblies, as well as makes sparks and arcs that can ignite cobwebs and dust---I hope it was replaced after this clip! Another reason for a stop/start station in the car is to allow shutting off the motor during periods of rest when the elevator is not being used, to save power, wear and tear on the motor and all the bearings in the belt shipper unit, and to prevent unauthorized operation, as well as prevent someone being hurt by rotating parts in the motor room. Cheers! Rick Delair.
ricksbulbs Wow. Rad!!!! Did you get a video of the one you recorded? Oe even this one?
+ricksbulbs, I've seen this clip years ago and have recently watched it again. Thank you for commenting and explaining what is going here; and not spouting internet babble.
+ricksbulbs So did the one you've been on move the brush gear for forward and reverse?
Nice explanation how it works. I believe the 'up' shipper yoke is above the pulleys, as it would have to be on the 'slack' side of the belt.
Love it Rick
I have serviced one just like this one in Sydney Australia going back about 15 years ago.
It was located in a county council store warehouse. It was used only a few times in a day or week. It used to work well. I still wonder to this day if that old elevator still runs.
reminds Me a bit of one I worked on in San Francisco, was from the early 1900's. Motor was original and DC powered from streetcar power lines. No automatic control, just the original switch lever. Was kept locked from public use,but could lift over 2500 pounds if I remember correctly. Neat and scary sounding old machine, had fun running it and checking it out.
What building is it in? Does it predate the 1906 fire?
Is it still there?
The building was a Public Storage near the waterfront south of Market street, was at least 4 stories,too. It had relatively modern elevators, this one was in a far corner. I'm sure the building itself predated the '06 quake, if not made just after. I was had that job from 98 to 2000, so it's been a while even though I know the city well enough. But it was a Public Storage somewhere around 3rd street maybe, so look around and You'll probably find it. Good luck in the search!
Very interesting drive mechanism.
RODALCO2007 it is
The GOV is really a piece of art
If truly this is the oldest operating lift on the planet, why is the address (or for that matter even the country [presumably a 60 Hz country somewhere in the Americas] kept secret? If I found an old lift that can be verified as the oldest operating lift, I would buy or rent the building and register such as a national treasure and turn the place into a museum for lifts... (and other elevating contrivances), and of course keep this well maintained. Plus I naturally would offer free rides to the public! I would NOT hoard this and be selfish with it! That would really be a shame! There are after all other of us 'wall trolley' enthusiasts in this world! Thank you!
Thank you for your comment. That's a good idea actually.....
If I ever go back to New York, I would REALLY want to ride this elevator.
Danilo, interesting how your question was acknowledged, but never answered. I guess we know how prijesi rolls. It's been a year, you'd think a location could be obtained by now.
@@upanddownadventures Do you even know where it is in New York bud? I was just in Manhattan and well... The amount of buildings I would have to wade through (and probably get thrown out of...) would be... like a decade long journey.
@@N617A
No I don't.
In the small town I grew up in (in central Massachusetts) both a furniture store and a factory had these. I'm sure there were others I never got to use in other buildings. Pretty common back then.
How many years ago was this? Do you know if such elevators could still exist?
Would have been nice to get some establishing shots of the Elevator car and Machine room.
This elevator is a very old design, but I don't think it is quite the oldest in the world. I believe the oldest in the world would not actually have a motor used in its construction. This is likely close to the oldest, but the oldest may use a stationary engine or a steam engine running at low revs to drive it. Thank you for posting this.
the moter is not origanal
The oldest elevator known is the Flying Chair. It was not very popular due to many deaths.
This is amazing to see this still working
There is an older one in NYC Located at 110 Franklin Street NYC This was used in our former family business to move freight cargo. We owned a steel rule die company there.
No I think this one is older at 1902
Was it an electric elevator that is belt driven (like the one in this video)?
Do you know if that elevator (at 110 Franklin St) is still there today, or has it since been modernized or replaced?
This elevator... Flappy flat drive bests, chain drives & a centrifugual governor. If this was in a old factory they often had a system of lineshafts running the length of every floor all powered off one steam engine.
Logically the elevator could also be driven from the same power source.
The pull-rope engages the clutch above the winch drum?
Is that where they got the term "balls to the wall"?
That's actually from submarines or older generating gear governed by that same flyweight governor design. It pops up in WWII and sub training films.
Looks like a steam powered, or water powered contraption with those huge belts. Looks like the electric motor was retrofitted.
It’s been modernized with an electric motor and GAL door contacts
Wait, since when did that happen?
This is one of the oldest elevators for sure
Makes me think of something you would see in silent hill :-)
The oldest elevator in the world is probably a bucket and a rope, that can be the oldest steam powered and closed cabin elevator in the world but i really do want an elevator like this in my house, way cooler than a normal elevator that opens the door itself
1:20 i love the old contractor a new one would do the job but great to see the original still in use
Working Timestamp = 1:20
Looks spooky but i like that clicking sounds
its a slip clutch elevator, ive worked on one at santus sweet factory uncle joes wigan uk they was desigbed for cotton mills when a steam or waterwheel powered the whole mill ,there a nightmare
+Tony Baines
Is that one still there?
yes
I have found this piece of text at elevation wikia:
In 1743, a counterweighted personal elevator was commissioned by Louis XV in France for his personal chambers in Versailles. So do you believe it? I can't tell by myself.
oneduality Well the Titanic had elevators, and that was 1912, so I'm very certain they had elevators long before that.
Would you believe 1857?!? www.wired.com/2010/03/0323otis-elevator-first/
Location is defiantly New York City, correct me if I'm wrong MR prijesi
Oh my, this is BEAUTIFUL.
This still works because it's all mechanical, no electronics like the new elevators. U can watch the clutch engage to move the elevator.
Mechanical parts wear out significantly faster than solid state electronic parts.
Bait28 ummm, no,have a 1926 otis in our bldg takes less care than our internet
chris ort ummm yes, i don't think your internet "breaks" it stops working but it doesn't "break". You can't fight physics.
Bait28 switches and routers fail,power supplies fail,and as soon as I posted this our number 2 elevator fried the main drive motors comutator so yes it does all fail,"stopping"or "breaking" it still means it ain't working! but you are right,you can't fight it,only delay or repair.
There is a truth in that. If power fails you can run this elevator
Prijesi what building is this elevator in? I find myself in NY a decent amount these days and I SUPER want to see it if it is still around...
I used to have nightmares of elevators like this lol. Like I walk in and have to pull a rope.
This is like a Modern Day Otis Gen2
William Scoufaras yes
One of the oldest is located in Smithfield VA
What type of elevator is it? Is it hand powered (non electric), or is it an electric elevator?
Yes, it's definitely older
Before sony vegas, camtasia studio... There was windows movie maker :(
And I love it!
bpmagruder THIS IS SPARTA!!!!
bpmagruder it glitches
Danger Man for me it does w/ the music
+Miniwa the adventurer before internet... there was library
Belt-drives are cool; and mechanical governors too.
I used to see these dreams/ nightmares, but u can at least get out
ck out the flatiron bldg in ashville nc,I work on 2 old tractions with ALL the original parts except for the mg's still have and use the manual doors and car controls,adds a bit of personality to your ride to the skybar
ps the "newest" numbers I could find on the motors was 1926,and it still runs on the old otis relay board
not gonna lie for a very old elevator. Everything sounds good.
Thank you
The owner of this channel still here? I loved this video for some reason when I was much younger
Thank You for your comment
I don’t even know HOW a child would feel safe on this thing in the past.
i'm really scared
sounds like an escalator
Hotdog Girl 😂 a good one
There was always lifts but Otis made it safe 😉🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you for your comment
Look very interesting classic oldest elevator riding like this. Probably is like I guess oldest elevator is 1970s or1950's I think is very old fashion in the 21st century in the U.S. Some place of use the hotel with elevator, elevator man service to use hand gear of elevator go and down each floors. Now see this while riding very oldest motoring like electric or petrol for active elevator. Nice while oldest elevator isn't. Excellent to find!
Pi-ta-go-ra switch!!! I love the mechanical automation.
how do the ropes work?
Belt manlifts are still in production. And you can still find human powered lifts in some places.
Do you know where any hand powered elevators are located?
Very nice old machine!
Huge belts and governor scream water or steam engine powered. Don't know how a steam engine would fit up there though...
Clearly the electric motor is not original.
I think the governor is actually a safety device that applies safety breaks mounted to the car if the elevator overspeeds in the down direction (either if all cables snapped or if the elevator overspeeds for a different reason). Modern elevators also has such a device, though the way it works is a little different.
I think some steam engines use a flyball governor that looks similar to this one to regulate their speed, but I am not sure if that is what the governor here was for.
It is certainly possible this elevator was original steam powered, but it is hard to know for sure. I think some steam elevators used a similar mechanism.
when is this built? In 1890 or so?
Yes ….approximately… maybe earlier the that
Anyone know exactly what building this is in?
Nope
I've been looking for a certain type of lift on the internet for awhile...but can't find any evidence of it. I don't know what they were called...but they weren't elevators. The one here in town was in a parking garage attached to a large bank. When we would go downtown I would ride this thing and the parking attendants would always catch me and throw me out of the place. This was about a 4 story parking garage. There were holes in each floor...like a manhole cover and there was this conveyor thing coming up out of the floor. It had a small platform you would stand on...and hold onto the chain and it would take you vertically b/t floors. You would just jump off when you got to the floor you wanted. When the little foot platform got to the top, it would come down the other side. So you would see the foot rest move down through the floors upside down on the back side...and then back up (this time right side up) on the front side for you to step on.
You are likely thinking of what is called a "Belt Manlift".
Is that a forward , neutral , backward belt gear ?
Yes 🙌
That’s exactly what it is
How did you guess
Are you in elevator industry!
@@prijesi No , i really have no idea about anything shown in the video, i just had some thoughts about what it could be.
Amazing design! Not so sure about all the metal particles all over the moving parts though..
That motor was installed June 23thrd of October 1929 😂
June 23 of 1888 …I would guess
Now I know how to use one of these if I run into it. Lol
I may have just found one of these near where I live...
Any further information so far on it?
@@upanddownadventures notchet. I took a while away from that home so I gotta try to get ahold of them again. But Jason found one in Saint Louis and does a video on how it works.
I was in Lissabon this summer, had a ride in the Santa Justa elevator from eiffel
Nice! It's a street level elevator from 1902
From which year is this than?
am sure there is a machine shop that would need to fabricate everything that gets worn out over time as your typical otis or shindler isnt gonna stock this classic stuff
That elevator belongs in a museum, not for public use! It's a lawsuit waiting to happen!
Looks like something they'd have in NYC lol
5:45i ts looks like a animatronic inside
It would be even scarier if it had the floor selector and was enclosed. Should've just been a hydrolift
I don’t know. Maybe.
SAW vibes
02:08 What does this do? This device looks electric. Does it prevent the motor from being turned off when the elevator is moving? Or does it have a different function?
It looks like this elevator does have hoistway door locks. Does this elevator have a safety circuit, or will it run with hoistway doors open? If it does have a safety circuit, does it simply cut off power to the motor when broken?
What do you know about safety circuit in elevator!
@@prijesi I'm NOT in the elevator industry (so if anything I say seems wrong/doesn't make sense, that could be why) but I'm curious...
1. Does this elevator have a safety circuit of some kind? Very old elevators like this one sometimes don't (although some jurisdictions likely require one to be retrofitted)
2. If it does have one, what does the safety circuit actually do to bring the elevator to a safe stop?
I can't say for 100% sure about this specific elevator, but I know these types of elevators typically have a MECHANICAL brake that can NOT be applied electrically. The safety circuit could cut off power to the motor, but that seems like it would lead to a dangerous situation where the elevator can move uncontrolled due to gravity.
I'm very curious, have you returned to this building since filming this video? I'm really curious if this elevator is still in operation today. This is most likely one of the last elevators of this kind in NYC.
Ok 👍 let me go back to the 02.08 of the video and look at it
@@upanddownadventures
1) this is not a passenger elevator….this is a freight elevator. Therefore “codes and upgrades “ do not apply….
@@upanddownadventures this is what I think
At the time of the installation of this elevator…….””””electric circuitry was in the very beginning , the very first steps“””” …..but mechanical circuitry was very advanced…..
i would rather take the stairs
Is the belt supposed to move from side to side?
Yes
What year was this elevator made about ??? Thanks for sharing !
This is scary
SSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOO unsafe.
I've added this to my likes, because the video's brilliant!
Awesome elevator!!
It is awesome
i work on elevators in upstate new york just like that one, watertown .
Are they shipper rope (pull rope) operated like this one? What buildings are they in?
Amazing, I would like to see them modernise that!
no modernization
Uh... no...
NOBODY WANTS THIS MODDED
WOW!!! Also this is a Otis elevator.
I think too this is an Otis elevator
Was this in NYC?
5:55 this left rope looks like it's gonna slip off soon 🙈
This would be cooler than a newer elivator I'd go with this one even those it might not be as safe
I can top that. I tested one in Masachusetts that was hand over hand. No motor ,no switches. Two ropes.One for hoisting,the other for braking. You pulled the big rope and when you let it go ,you had better darn well pull the brake ropa or you would wind up down in the basement.
What building is the elevator in?
I am planning to make kids and grow them up to be 24/7 who lift my personal lift with their strenght :)
Title's wrong, video is awesome. Nice elevator
Very cool!
Did people used to use these for underground mines?
May be
A friend of mine is renovating an old building in the French Quarter, and they discovered an elevator much like this one. Actually, it looks almost identical.
The elevator has to be removed from the building.....they don't know what to do with it. Does anyone know of any organizations that deal with antique elevators?
+Kristina Calin
There is a website called elevatorpreservation.com
You could ask them about how the old elevator can be preserved as much as possible. I love old elevators, and I hate when they get modernized, or removed.
Where was it located