Open Seasonal
In 1913, a group of Spanish businessmen proposed the building of a cable car across the width of the Whirlpool from Canadian terminus to Canadian terminus. They negotiated an agreement with the Niagara Parks Commission to operate a passenger cable car. The permission of the State of New York and US Government needed to be obtained before construction began because the proposed route momentarily eclipsed the international border in the middle of the Whirlpool crossing. The Spanish Aero Car was built in Bilboa, Spain. It was designed by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torre-Quevedo (1852-1939). The basic design was based upon a similar cable car at Mount Ulia in Spain which carried fourteen passengers at a time. The Spanish Aero Car was designed to travel 1,770 feet (539m) across the Whirlpool from Canadian terminus at Colt's Point (where the ticket office is located and where passengers embark) to near the Canadian terminal at Thompson Point, at a height of 250 feet (76 meters) above the surface of the turbulent waters. The Aero Car has a capacity of 40 persons. It is constructed primarily of light weight aluminum. The Spanish Aero Car operates on a back and forth principal. It is propelled by a single 60 horsepower engine which drives a 7/8 inch (2.23cm) steel looped cable. It is suspended by six - one (1) inch (2.54cm) steel cables. Each cable is attached to an anchorage at one end while tension is maintained by a 10 ton counterweight at the other end.
Question: How did they get the cables across the Whirlpool? Answer: Small ropes were attached in increasing diameter to the cables. The ropes were walked on land around the outer diameter of the Whirlpool from Colts' Point to Thompson Point. Each rope was then hoisted to the level of the winches which in turn pulled the cable to their current locations and height.
the Whirlpool Aero Car crossing the Whirlpool approaching Colt's Point where passengers embark/disembark
Auxiliary power for the Spanish Aero Car for the first forty-five years consisted of a small Buick engine. The Spanish Aero Car began operation on August 8th 1916. The initial installation cost was $120,000. There has never been an accident or injury since the Spanish Aero Car began operations. From 1916 until 1961, the Spanish Aero car was operated under the management of the Booker family.
In 1961, the Spanish Aero Car and all of its assets was leased from the Niagara Parks Commission by A. Blake Robertson. During his ownership, Robertson installed a system of electromagnetic and a hand operated brakes acting upon a fifteen inch diameter brake drum. The new brakes automatically stopped and held the Aero Car at the station or in the event of a power failure. Other improvements included a modern 60 horsepower gasoline engine connected by means of a chain drive and friction clutch replaced the old auxiliary power system.
In 1968, the Niagara Parks Commission did not renew Mr. Robertson's lease to operate the Spanish Aero Car.
A Reminiscence by David R. Wood "I
worked for Blake Robinson on the Aero car for the seasons of 1965,66,67.
(Until Niagara Parks took over the operation) The rights to the land were on
a long term lease. The lease was up! The NPC refused to renew it, but
bought the equipment from Blake. I was quite aware of the circumstances
partly because I lost my summer job as a result of the “takeover”. My father
was a senior manager with the NPC, and because the Park had a “no relatives
as employees” policy at the time, I could not work on the Aero car for my
last summer as a student. Instead I worked for Blake at the “Great Gorge
trip” and the “Age of Flight” restaurant, which was across the street from
the “Great Gorge Trip” (Old Oneida plant building). Another few facts for your notes. When I was there the Buick straight eight backup motor had been replaced with an 45 horse Wisconsin air cooled motor. The controller for the electric motor was a controller from a “Streetcar”. At that time the “capacity” for the car was set at 40 passengers. This worked fine except for the day those 40 persons were “Hamilton Tigercats” football team members. The electric motor was not power enough to finish “docking” the car. The Wisconsin backup motor had to be used to finish bringing the car into the loading/unloading platform. Because of the different gearing it was powerful enough. I
was on the car with one passenger on a day when a thunderstorm came up. THAT
was a great ride."
In 1984, the Niagara Parks Commission conducted an extensive overhaul of the Spanish Aero Car which included replacing the wheels, cables and electrical circuits. The original cables lasted thirty-five years before being replaced. In the early spring of each year, the Aero Car including all mechanics, cables and rescue car are examined and subjected to rigorous testing before this attraction is opened to the public.
In case of any emergencies, a small rescue car is kept inside the cave at the Thompson Point terminus. The rescue car can hold six persons and was installed as a backup unit in 1985. This metal rescue car has never been utilized since it's installation other than yearly training sessions held by the Niagara Parks Police. In the event of a power failure, a diesel generator can safely pull the main car back to the dock at Colt's Point. If the main car becomes inoperative, the rescue car would be utilized to travel along the same cables to the main car to remove any stranded occupants. Four passengers can be transferred from the main car to the rescue car each time. Both the main cable car and the rescue car are propelled by a single 60 horsepower engine which drives a 2.23 centimetre (7/8 inch) steel looped cable. They are suspended by six - 2.54 centimetre (1 inch) steel cables. If for any reason the engine is not functioning the rescue vehicle can be propelled manually using a hand cranking system similar to that used in the operation of a bicycle. The Spanish Aero Car attracts approximately 220,000 people each year. During the Winter of 1999-2000, the Niagara Parks Commission operated the Spanish Aero Car for the first time on a year round basis. The Aero car was specially outfitted for cold and inclement weather with a Plexiglas enclosure to protect riders from the outside elements. This experiment ended the following year because of financial constraints and a lack of substantial number of riders. In 2004, the Niagara Parks Commission changed the name of this attraction from the Spanish Aero Car to the Whirlpool Aero Car. On September 30th 2010, the engineering feat of building a cable car over the Niagara River Whirlpool was recognized when the Whirlpool Aero Car was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Work.
Thompson Point
Date last updated:
February 20, 2012
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