 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
You'd have thought that an asset like that with £50m+ invested in it, visible and of national importance would be inspected by someone, no matter how competent, who wasn't a sole trader albeit with a Ltd company.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Excellent article. Thanks @Alastair Pink.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
A statement on the Cairngorm Mountain website says the funicular “looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year”. - it doesnt say which December or which new year.
But seems to be another pitch to get the foolish to buy a season pass and for them to keep your money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I’m still confident this carbuncle will not run again and I say that with no joy. They’ll keep kicking the can down the road all season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@orange, I take it that any skiers naive enough to have bought a season ticket on the strength of HIE's assurances that the funicular would be back in service by the New Year won't be getting any refunds.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eh no, nobody did last year and in fact didn’t get any incentive or recompense for the fact the whole top section of the hill was inaccessible to families all season. Debacle frankly and someone should take them to court.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
@orange, ^+1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Alastair Pink, I would imagine not. The operators sold season tickets last season when the funicular wasn't running due to necessary repairs being required. If there wasn't enough snow for the lower mountain surface lifts to run folks had to walk up to the mid station to access the skiing and running/open surface lifts from mid station upwards. It's a total shambles. I used to purchase a season ticket for Cairngorm for years although haven't the last 3 or so years mainly because HIE and the current operators are a total disgrace and I really do not wish to give them my money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
And the most galling thing about that by the way was the £1m govt gave CML for snow cannons, 60% of which sat doing f all for the whole season while they could quite easily have completed the link to the mid station and run a tow. But that would be a) work and b) encourage people to ski which is exactly what they don’t want any more. Total Rort, if they gave even 10% of that funding to the other areas they would be flourishing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
Note that at Winterpark they have just suffered a complete Sheve assembly failure……and then fixed it within 31 hours 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It seems unfortunate that so much investment has gone into a project that has been harmful to Scottish Snowsports and its reputation.
It seems that investment would have been better spent on other initiatives. Especially on access and snowmaking at the She and the Coe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| MAthert wrote: |
| It seems that investment would have been better spent on other initiatives. |
Helicopters? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Peter S wrote: |
| Note that at Winterpark they have just suffered a complete Sheve assembly failure……and then fixed it within 31 hours |
Time taken to repair a cracked lift.
* US = 1 day
* Scotland = 2 decades
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
The gods must really hate the funicular , especially Zeus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
from facebook -
"This morning, the Cairngorm Ops team are delighted to be starting their series of maintenance activities, checks and inspection requirements on the Funicular electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems. These are carried out prior to a site visit from an engineer from Garaventa, who will be onsite later in the week to carry out scheduled annual inspections of the mechanical systems. We will update later in the week with our progress. This series of activities will involve frequent movements of the carriages up and down funicular viaduct between the base station and top station.
Cheers
Ops 1"
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Needs this for its operating license as its a test of the control systems, which incidentally had to be upgraded last time of which no mention or budget was ever disclosed. Is done every single year, doen't actually need the train to travel the whole track either just not be in the station (I am reliably informed). Still no update on when DfT will be inspecting the track work though, nothing like a nice juicy bit of wordsoup to distract everyone from the actual problem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
“Start”? Surely more useful would be a planned end date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wonder how many "season tickets" they actually sold in advance?
Maybe they should all turn up tomorrow, just in case it closed again..... 
Just out of curiosity (it doesn't state in that link), what is it's capacity?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
@brianatab, according to Wikipedia "Up to 120 standing passengers can be carried in each of the system's two carriages."
Also it says "The maximum operating speed is 10 m/s (36 km/h; 22 mph) during the ski season and 5 m/s (18 km/h; 11 mph) the rest of the year. At these speeds, the trip takes about four minutes in winter and nine minutes during the summer (calculated without middle station stops)." However it remains to be seen whether following the repair work the funicular will be operating at those quoted speeds or if the speeds have now been reduced for safety reasons.
Although the winter travel time is quoted as 4 minutes, once you allow say 2 minutes boarding time and safety briefing announcement before departure, and another 2 minutes for unloading at the top I can't see them running it more than 7 times per hour (at most). So 7 x 120=840 persons per hour max. Obviously if the carriage contains fewer than 120 people or if the speed is reduced then the upload capacity is correspondingly less.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the same as the M1 Poma 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Alastair Pink wrote: |
At these speeds, the trip takes about four minutes in winter and nine minutes during the summer (calculated without middle station stops)." However it remains to be seen whether following the repair work the funicular will be operating at those quoted speeds or if the speeds have now been reduced for safety reasons.
. |
Article says
“Weather conditions permitting, the 2km funicular railway will again run a regular service throughout the day, seven days a week, taking snowsports enthusiasts and sightseers from the base station to the Ptarmigan building at the top of the slopes in around 5 minutes.”
And exactly what weather conditions would not permit it to run FFS.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
Since reopening in Jan 2023 the limit has been 100 persons (25 in each compartment). This due to the extra dead weight of the steel work and maintenance walkway.
The minimum permissible journey time is 4 minutes, it’s practically impossible to get the turnarounds under 6 minutes - so every 10mins is the best achievable and that usually can’t be sustained for any length of time.
Even at 10mins that is 600 per hour MAX! With the more usual every 15mins it’s 400 an hour maximum. Middle stopping both directions, it’s usually an every 20min schedule, so it’s 300 per hour maximum arrivals at the Ptarmigan.
Divide that equally between both base and middle, it’s 150 per hour from each station going up. One QUARTER of the Carpark and White Lady Chairlifts. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why did they bother!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| ster wrote: |
| Why did they bother! |
A very, very expensive attempt to mitigate loss of face?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| ster wrote: |
| Alastair Pink wrote: |
At these speeds, the trip takes about four minutes in winter and nine minutes during the summer (calculated without middle station stops)." However it remains to be seen whether following the repair work the funicular will be operating at those quoted speeds or if the speeds have now been reduced for safety reasons.
. |
Article says
“Weather conditions permitting, the 2km funicular railway will again run a regular service throughout the day, seven days a week, taking snowsports enthusiasts and sightseers from the base station to the Ptarmigan building at the top of the slopes in around 5 minutes.”
And exactly what weather conditions would not permit it to run FFS. |
When it snows 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Snow&skifan wrote: |
| ster wrote: |
| Why did they bother! |
A very, very expensive attempt to mitigate loss of face? |
Save their face with other people’s money, hard decision I guess.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
The re-opening made R4’s Today this morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I can tell you from experience that it's a pretty slow uplift at the best of times. Generally when I've skied there (which is not for several years due to the lack of snow) I've used it to access the upper slopes and then not used again taking the tows instead.
The problem is for those that do not know the layout, more often than not you can't access the tows without taking the funicular to at least the mid-station, unless you fancy quiet a hike up the hill! It's a real shame while it hasn't been working as the Ptarmigan top station gives access to a lovely plateau which is a great leaner area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Boofont wrote: |
| It's a real shame while it hasn't been working as the Ptarmigan top station gives access to a lovely plateau which is a great leaner area. |
There is no bigger critic of funicular than myself. Wrong lift in wrong place.
The one saving grace is that re-opening does give access to the snow sure slopes in the Ptarmigan basin again. Not the most exciting runs at Cairngorm : but perfect learning terrain for kids / school groups etc
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
If the westward extension into Lurchers Gulley had gone ahead in1980 then the Funicular would never have happened.
Whilst it would have been bad news for the mountain landscape and tranquility in that area, it would at least have been reversible with the simple removal of the proposed chairlift and Tbar and the closure or reinstatement of the access road.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual maintenance and remediation work confirmed for Cairngorm funicular railway
The funicular is due to be out of service from Monday 12 May until Monday 2 June 2025 while the company’s in-house engineering team carries out works including rail grinding, gearbox repairs, undercarriage lubrication, and testing and inspection of the rail welds.
At the same time, Balfour Beatty, working on behalf of estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), will return to complete their programme of remediation works on the railway viaduct.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
Saw that on facebook earlier and they were getting pelters, incredible really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think they’ve brought it upon themselves to be fair. I’ll place a bet the reopening date will be missed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
