(6-1-18) Today, we check out this beautiful, historic hand operated elevator! Please note that this is in a PRIVATE building and this tour was arranged.
I think this solves a mystery for me. Sometime around 1972, when I was about 4 years old, my mother took me to a furniture store in Steubenville, Ohio. She was looking for something specific (I have no memory of what it was), and they didn't have what she wanted. The salesman (presumably working on commission), said, "We just might have something in the warehouse upstairs." He took us over to an elevator and we got in. There was a rope running right through the middle of the elevator. He gave the rope a jerk and the elevator moved on its own up to the second floor (with the rope moving rapidly downward through the elevator). I was amazed by the whole thing, but I didn't mention this to anyone due to the fact that at 4 years old I was still encountering new and amazing things often and the adults could be quite condescending whenever I mentioned wonder or astonishment.. This is the one thing I encountered as a small child that I have never seen again, and I have wondered for the last 47 years (or so) how the thing worked. Even at 4 years old I could tell this thing looked old and didn't seem to involve electricity because he just gave the rope a jerk and didn't flip a switch or push a button. This video probably explains it: Because it was a freight elevator, the counterweight was heavier than the weight of the salesman, my mom, and me. This caused us to be raised without any effort. The jerk on the rope probably released the brake. I think we came down the stairs and not on the elevator. This would be because the elevator was now stuck at the top and would need to be lowered again with effort (or maybe by loading a bunch of heavy furniture that needed to come down anyway). I still have no idea why it was designed with the rope running right through the middle of the elevator, and there was only the one rope not 2, so, it couldn't have been the same exact design as this and I will continue looking for a better example.
I'm installing a dumbwaiter version of this system in my new house build. They actually still make these for dumbwaiters and commercial cargo lifts. I plan to use an open mount at the top so the beautiful pulley system is exposed in the room. House has an industrial farmhouse design so it will look great and it's a split level design with 3 levels so really needs a dumbwaiter.
@@stlelevators I let one of my tenants use it, and now it's very difficult to move and it won't brake effectively. I've gone up and checked the brake, but it's fine. I suspect the counter weight is not attached.
Thats funny even though this is meant to be kind of a gravity powered elevator the counterweight only barely does half of the work the weight of whatever you load it with and whatever muscles the operator has does the other half
