A material ropeway, ropeway conveyor (or aerial tramway in the US)[1] is a subtype of gondola lift, from which containers for goods rather than passenger cars are suspended.
Material ropeways are typically found around large mining concerns, and can be of considerable length. The COMILOG Cableway, which ran from Moanda in Gabon to Mbinda in the Republic of the Congo, was over in length. The Kristineberg-Boliden ropeway in Sweden had a length of .
Conveyors can be powered by a wide variety of forms of energy, such as electricity, engines, or gravity (particularly in mountainous mining concerns, or where running water is available).[2] Gravity-driven conveyors may qualify as zip-lines, as no electricity is used to operate them, instead relying on the weight of carts going down providing propulsion for empty carts going up.
Double-rope (bi-cable) ropeways, have a stationary carrying rope and a separate hauling rope that controls their movement. Single-rope (mono-cable) ropeways use one carrying-hauling rope.[3] [4]
The first recorded mechanical ropeway was by Croatian Fausto Veranzio who designed a bicable passenger ropeway in 1616.The world's first cable car on multiple supports was built by Adam Wybe in Gdańsk, Poland in 1644. It was powered by horses and used to move soil over the river to build defences.[5]
In Eritrea, the Italians built the Asmara-Massawa Cableway in 1936, which was long. The Manizales - Mariquita Cableway (1922) in Colombia was long.
Amongst the first material ropeways in India was the Amarkantak Ropeway[6] in Chaktipani, Korba, Chhattisgarh, which was long with capacity of 150 TPH constructed by Damodar Ropeways & Infra Ltd. (DRIL) (formerly known as (Damodar Enterprises Ltd. (DEL). It was made for Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco) in collaboration with Nikex, Hungary.
In the United Kingdom, aerial ropeways used for conveying mining goods and materials were historically common; however, just one remains in existence and operation, in Claughton, Lancashire, constructed in 1924 and used for quarrying shale to make bricks. It is scheduled to be demolished in 2036, once the last of the shale has been quarried.[7] [8]
| Ropeway line / Company | System | Type | Support type | Length | Fall/Rise | City/State | Country | In operation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Agricultural Chemical Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Searsport, Maine | ||||||
| Maine Insane Hospital | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 1,050 feet | 150 feet | Augusta, Maine | 1899 - | |||
| Plymouth Cordage Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Steel | 1,150 feet | Plymouth, Massachusetts | |||||
| Farnam-Chesire Lime Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Chesire, Massachusetts | ||||||
| Cayuga Lake Cement Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 2,340 feet | Ithaca, New York | 1901 - | |||||
| Magnetic Iron Ore Company | Trenton-Bleichert | 290 feet | 25 rise | Benson Mines, New York | ||||||
| Solvay Process Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 16,500 feet | 239 feet | Syracuse, New York | ||||
| Warner's Portland Cement Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,056 feet | 48 feet | Syracuse, New York | |||||
| Catskill Cement Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 4,170 feet | Smith's Landing, New York | ||||||
| Witherbees, Sherman & Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 3,668 feet | 406 feet | Port Henry, New York | |||||
| United States Military Academy | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Iron | 1,640 feet | West Point, New York | 1901 - | ||||
| Edgewater Lime Works | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 360 feet | 20 feet | Edgewater, New Jersey | 1901 - | ||||
| Vermont Marble Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,600 feet | Proctor, Vermont | 1894 - | |||||
| New England Talc Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 2,400 feet | Stockbridge, Vermont | |||||
| Pottsville Iron and Steel Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,100 feet | 70 feet | Pottsville, Pennsylvania | |||||
| Cambria Steel Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Steel | 3,260 feet | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | |||||
| Curwensville Fire Brick Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 2,337 feet | Bolivar, Pennsylvania | 1903 - | |||||
| Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Single cable reversible | West Shenandoah Colliery, Pennsylvania | |||||||
| Keystone Plaster Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,500 feet | Chester, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Keystone Plaster Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,400 feet | 200 feet | East Brady, Pennsylvania | |||||
| St. Bernard Coal Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Single cable reversible | Wood | 600 feet | Earlington, Kentucky | |||||
| East Shore Terminal Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 700 feet | level | Charleston, South Carolina | ||||
| East Shore Terminal Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 650 feet | level | Charleston, South Carolina | ||||
| Pulaski Iron Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 960 feet | 494 feet | Buchanan, Virginia | |||||
| Royal Coal and Coke Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 2,800 feet | 820 feet | Prince, West Virginia | |||||
| Bagdad Chase Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Atlanta, Idaho | 1903 - 1931 | |||||
| Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining and Concentrating Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 9,000 feet | 713 feet | Wardner, Idaho | 1891 - | ||||
| Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining and Concentrating Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,200 feet | 370 feet | Wardner, Idaho | |||||
| Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 320 feet | level | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |||||
| St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Koehler, New Mexico | ||||||
| United States Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Bingham, Utah | ||||||
| Highland Boy Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 12,700 feet | Bingham, Utah | |||||
| Highland Boy Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 20,975 feet | Bingham Canyon, Utah |  United States | 1910 - | ||||
| Utah Consolidated Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Bingham Canyon, Utah | ||||||
| Yampa Smelting Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Bingham, Utah | ||||||
| Vallejo Tunnel and Mine Company | Hallidie | Single-rope | Wood | 2,400 feet | 600 feet | Little Cottonwood, Utah | 1872 - 1874 | |||
| North American Copper Company | Leschen | Double-rope | Wood | 16 miles | Grand Encampment, Wyoming | 1904 - | ||||
| Nevada Gypsum Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Mound House, Nevada | ||||||
| Gold Prince Mine Tramway | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | Animas Forks, Colorado | 1906 - | |||||
| Compromise Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 3,200 feet | 920 feet | Aspen, Colorado | |||||
| Aspen Public Tramway Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 9,850 feet | 2,409 feet | Aspen, Colorado | 1890 - 1893 | |||
| Carbon Coal and Coke Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Steel | Trinidad, Colorado | ||||||
| Old Hundred Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 1,850 feet | 1,050 feet | Howardsville, Colorado | ||||
| Victor Fuel Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,850 feet | 57 feet | Hastings, Colorado | |||||
| St. Bernard Coal Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Single cable reversible | 2,370 feet | Denver, Colorado | ||||||
| Old Hundred Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 760 feet | 515 feet | Howardsville, Colorado | ||||
| Old Hundred Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 1,610 feet | Howardsville, Colorado | |||||
| Silver Age Mining and Milling Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 6,240 feet | 989 feet | Idaho Springs, Colorado | |||||
| Sunnyside Extension Mine | Huson | Single-rope | 2,279 feet | Silverton, Colorado | 1891 - | |||||
| Ross Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double cable reversible | Wood | 1,400 feet | 524 feet | Silverton, Colorado | ||||
| Iowa Gold Mining and Milling Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double cable reversible | Wood | 8,625 feet | Silverton, Colorado | |||||
| Shendandoah-Dives Mining Company | Double-rope | Wood | 10,000 feet | Silverton, Colorado | 1929 - 1960 | |||||
| Pay Rock Mine | Huson | Single-rope | Wood | Silver Plume, Colorado | ||||||
| Smuggler Union Mine | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 3,150 feet | Creede, Colorado | ||||||
| Bachelor Commodore Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 3,310 feet | Creede, Colorado | ||||||
| Bachelor Commodore Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Single cable reversible | Wood | 850 feet | 400 feet | Creede, Colorado | ||||
| Smuggler Union Mine | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 400 feet | Telluride, Colorado | ||||||
| San Juan Mining Company | Leschen and Sons | Double-rope | Wood | Telluride, Colorado | ||||||
| Colorado Fuel & Iron Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 2,370 feet | Denver, Colorado | ||||||
| Double-rope | Wood | Death Valley, California | ||||||||
| Four Metals Mining Company | Montgomery | Double-rope | Wood | 5,5 miles | Keeler, California | 1909 - 1914 | ||||
| Inyo Cerro Gordo Mining and Power Company | Leschen | Double-rope | Wood | 5,6 miles | Keeler, California | 1914 - 1959 | ||||
| Morning Star Mine Tram | Double-rope | Wood | Keeler, California | |||||||
| Mountain Ledge Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 5,800 feet | 1,600 feet | Sierra City, California | |||||
| Saline Valley Salt Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 13,5 miles | 3,000 feet | Swansea, California | 1913 - 1936 | |||
| Eureka Slate Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 13,300 feet | Slatington, California | ||||||
| United Concentration Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 6,600 feet | 1,820 feet | Monte Cristo, Washington | |||||
| Oregon Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 5,000 feet | 2,000 feet | Cornucopia, Oregon | |||||
| Old Dominion Copper Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,250 feet | Globe, Arizona | 1892 - | |||||
| Keeler, Holcombe & Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 7,500 feet | 1,850 feet | Kelly Switch, New Mexico | |||||
| Consolidated Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 2,500 feet | El Paso, Texas | ||||||
| Bi-Metallic Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 9,750 feet | 1,225 feet | Granite, Montana | |||||
| Granite Mountain Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 8,750 feet | 1,207 feet | Granite, Montana | |||||
| Chilkoot Trail tramways | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 8,250 feet/7 miles | 1,070 feet | Chillkoot Pass, Alaska | 1898 - | |||
| Nowell Gold Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 11,600 feet | 2,297 feet | Juneau, Alaska | |||||
| Mond Nickel Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 11,400 feet | Victoria Mines, Ontario | ||||||
| Laurentide Pulp Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,500 feet | 15 feet | Montreal | |||||
| Compania Metalurgica de Torreon | Trenton-Bleichert | Single cable reversible | Wood | 1,453 feet | 730 feet | Coahuila, Mexico | ||||
| La Gran Fundicion National Mexicana | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Wood | 8,650 feet | Santa Catarina, Mexico | |||||
| San Toy Mining Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Steel | Chihuahua | ||||||
| Thomas & Spillane | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 825 feet | 425 feet | San Luis Potosí | |||||
| Cia. Manufacturera de Ladrillos Areniscos | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | 1,950 feet | Coah | ||||||
| Trinidad Asphalt Company | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Iron | 5,100 feet | 80 feet | La Brea, Trinidad | ||||
| Compagnie Heitienne | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Iron | 12 miles | Port de Paix, Haiti | |||||
| Vivero Iron Ore Company- Mina de la Silvarosa | Trenton-Bleichert | Double-rope | Iron | 625 feet | Vivero, Spain | 1899 - | ||||
| Bleichert | Double-rope | Steel | 3.5 miles | 500 feet | Murrurundi, New South Wales, | 1911-1915 | Carried oil shale[9] | |||
| Single-rope | Steel | 0.75 miles | 1918-1928 | Carried iron ore[10] [11] | ||||||
| Kandos Cement Company | No.1 | Single-rope | Steel | 3 miles | 1915- | Carried limestone[12] | ||||
| No.2 | Single-rope | Steel | 3.25 miles | 1920- | ||||||
| No.3 | Double-rope | Steel | 1989-2011 | |||||||
| (Construction phase) | Single-rope | Steel | 22 km | Near Penrith to Warragamba Dam construction site, New South Wales | c.1952-c.1960 | Carried gravel and sand[13] |