One drive of the Zugspitze cable car weighs almost five tons.
For the first time since the new building in 2017, employees changed one of them - which means that the cabin in the valley station had to be removed.
A highly complex project.
Grainau
- As soon as the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn had posted the photo, the comment columns on social media were already filling.
“Did it really have to be swapped?” Many asked.
They were all amazed why the BZB has already announced that the drive of a cabin in the valley station of the new cable car has to be replaced.
But that is a completely normal procedure, explains Martin Hurm.
The operations manager monitors the work.
The change is scheduled every six years.
“Like the TÜV for the car.” Actually, it would not have been necessary until next year.
But due to the corona-related standstill, the BZB has brought the work forward.
However, changing the almost five-tonne device above the cab is not routine.
Because there are no empirical values yet.
There are three drives - one of them always on reserve
Almost the entire technology of the cable car is tailor-made, almost every part is unique.
So far, the workers only had to go to the drive once: when a 2.5-ton recovery vehicle rushed into the right-hand cabin in September 2018.
The suspension has warped due to the force of the impact.
It had to be removed and disposed of.
Immediately afterwards, a new drive for the cable car was built.
There are three in total, one for each cabin, and “always one on reserve,” says Hurm.
Because with the revision every six years, the work must not take more than three to four days, so the goal.
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The heart of the cable car: BZB employees check the clamping head.
© Josef Hornsteiner
For the first exercise, the technicians benefit from the corona-related standstill: There is no pressure.
“We now have enough time to do everything in peace.” Which is why the four cable car technician trainees are closely following the expansion.
“We can just explain everything to you exactly.
Such an exchange doesn't happen every day. "
The drive is removed from the rope with a special crane that was installed in the valley station during the new construction.
The employees encapsulate it beforehand, eight of which are necessary for this, from the rope.
The cabin with its 4.4 tons is meanwhile attached to a special anchorage.
Drive is dismantled and upgraded in the valley station
The device is stored in the rear area of the valley station.
There the technicians break it down into its individual parts.
They clean each one by hand and check for cracks or other damage.
Then it is accepted by the expert.
The centerpiece is the clamping head.
The highest demands are placed on him.
To ensure uninterrupted operation, the suspensions of the two cabins are checked every three years.
This means that both lanes are always ready for use.
The employees successfully completed the exchange on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, the railway stands still, even if it is in top shape: since the forced closure in October 2020, all revisions have been made.
Employees also exchanged a rope on the Alpspitzbahn and an engine on the Wankbahn.
As soon as the lockdown is over, at least the Zugspitz cable car could quickly go back into operation.
Only two to three days of start-up time are necessary.
Perhaps you can take a few more weeks of the winter season with you, which on the Zugspitzplatt normally goes into May.
