According to the report, "a tram cabin" stopped mid-way. So the other one kept going? That *would* be exciting.

I was hoping to see a rope rescue over the I-5 freeway.

The stuck cabin can be seen in a phonecam picture I took, but it's posted over at that weekly's blog that I'm not sure I can mention here. ;)

Also, ignore "one to two" hours on the downtime. After they ran a couple inspection runs, it's been sitting at the station doing nothing. Another 30 minutes and it will be four hours.

My mistake. It's already been four hours.

They're sending people from the Water Bureau billing office out to look at the on-board computer system.

This never would have happened if Vera had had a strong mayor form of government.

"Wind may have caused the haul rope’s indicator to activate and may have stopped the tram cabin, staff said."

Dude! Did I not ask about the wind here before and get blown off (yeah, pun intended)?

Let's see if whatever set off the electrical problem indicator has anything to do with the fact that the southern cabin's cables have been rattling and squeaking for the past several weeks.

Hey! That's only one month after the public opening!

Have we got a pool payoff for anyone, Jack?

Let's start another one -- how long will it be down?

Did anybody think to call these guys? Are they on their way?
Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH
Postfach 20
Rickenbacherstrasse 8-10
6961 Wolfurt
T +43 5574 604
F +43 5574 75590
dm@doppelmayr.com

I think the problem is related to the fluctuations in the swiss franc caused by today's stock market turmoil.

This is what happens when northwoods hicks try to be euro-elites. We should have gone with something we know, like a log flume. And if we can't make water run uphill we can still spend 55 million trying.

Did we ever clarify who is responsible for the Tram? It's continued operation, replacement if neccessary, and all liability?
The city council members?

All we need is a floating bike only bridge across the Willamette. I'll move hoards of more people than the tram at a fraction of the cost.

Whatever happened to "triple redundancies" that would prevent the tram from getting stuck?

Mmmmmmmm. I guess there's just one pull rope.

I can't wait to run into the bike bridge with my tugboat. What? the tram crosses the Willamette now?

Did anybody notice much wind today? I was only outside for 20 minutes, but it was was only gusting to 20 or 25 MPH downtown.

Not to rain on everybody's hit parade here, but the tram didn't break down. It stopped on purpose. It has a thingamabob that makes it stop at 50 mph wind.

That's a good thing, right?

Is the Tram a Kulongski Clone? Why is Kari trotting out to defend the aerial White Elephant?

According to the below National Weather Service Link, the peak wind gust was 39 MPH yesterday, with AVERAGE wind speed of 16 MPH.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/get.php?pil=CLI&sid=PDX&version=0

Maybe it was gusting to 50 MPH in the Swiss Alps, but not in Portland, Oregon.

Swiss Franc? Steel prices? 50 MPH winds?
There is no truth, only bureaucratic malaise and double talk.

Go back to your own business. Sheeples.

It breaks like the wind.

It has a thingamabob that makes it stop at 50 mph wind.

That's a good thing, right?

I guess that depends whether or not you are on it.

Did someone really link to NOAA? Are you trying to imply that weather data from NOAA is exactly correct for every single location in the Portland metro area? I wonder, for example, if it only tells you the weather conditions where the weather station is located.

If I have to pick, I'm going with the locally-located trip mechanism over a remotely located weather station.

Where's StormCenter 9000 when we need it?

I'm going with the locally-located trip mechanism

Too bad they didn't have one of those for the budget for that thing.

Kari is shilling for the Tram now?

No. I'm not really much of a fan of it, either. But don't let that stop the conspiracy theories.

Heh, Jud! ;) The NOAA office is on 122nd. I don't know where all of their instruments are located, but something tells me they don't have anything on the tram. Maybe they should -- that might draw people. C'mon, kids, let's go take a ride on the tram and check the wind velocity and watch the barometric pressure drop! Woo-hoo!

Jud:

If you don't believe that NOAA's statistics are accurate, you should contact them. The fact remains that yesterday wasn't terribly windy.

They tossed out the 50 MPH boogey man because they don't know WHAT WENT WRONG, and they figured nobody would argue the point.

The airspace on the leeward side of ridge is notoriously unpredictable (ask a glider pilot if you know one)...MAYBE BUILDING A TRAM BETWEEN A RIVER BOTTOM AND A 1,000 FOOT HILL WASN'T SUCH A GOOD IDEA?

Maybe a couple of condo towers are creating a venturi effect?

The 50mph maximum wind speed before the tram is into lockdown has been a number given out for over the past 12 months or more to the public. The OHSU representative on the SoWhat URAC has been cited this number many times, plus even the tram concierges give this number out. Well, they were wrong-the tram cars swing like *1!