How Rosta tensioning devices help a cable-car company stay charged

The Brändlen cable-car system in Switzerland

For more than three-quarters of a century – including over 30 years through Rosta Inc., its Canadian subsidiary – Rosta has logged success story after success story, providing great technological solutions for many customers. A recent example occurred in Wolfenschiessen, Switzerland, where the company’s SE tensioning devices now act as current collectors for the recharging of batteries in a cable-car system. As always, a Rosta solution proved effective and cost-efficient.

Four decades of transport

Owned by the local Schmitter family, the Seilbahn Brändlen cable car has been transporting passengers, materials, machinery, and animals from Wolfenschiessen to the elevated Brändlen plateau, 1,200 metres high at the foot of the Haldigrat mountain, for four decades. Seilbahn Brändlen owner/operator Ueli Schmitter, who is also the president of the Cable Car Society Nidwalden, was looking for a cost-efficient battery-recharging solution for these cable cars, one that was easy to install, with the aim of sustaining the whole system.

Aware of the manufacturer’s global reputation, Schmitter turned to Rosta.

Rosta recommended its tensioner device type SE. This element is the standard model for the tension of conventional chain and belt drives. Businesses can use the SE device to press something together. Based on highly elastic, dimensionally stable natural rubber, its springs are suitable for ambient temperatures ranging from -40 to 80 degrees Celsius. Its benefits include simple construction, zero maintenance, position-independent contact pressure, safety, and high cost-efficiency.

Seilbahn Brändlen decided to give Rosta’s solution a go. The company installed 16 of these tensioning devices at both cable-car stations, to function as current collectors for the power recharges required by the car. The cabin battery was charged at the terminal station, either in the valley or on the mountain.

Schmitter was impressed with the performance of the tensioning devices. “The Rosta SE elements have provided the perfect solution for the battery-charging station,” he said. “They are not only very simply constructed, but also extremely cost-efficient.”

Great results like this are the norm with Rosta solutions. The company continues to help businesses worldwide save money while performing productively, with powerful elements like the SE.

For more information, contact Rosta.

• Tweet