"Basil Jet" wrote in message

Recliner wrote:

As always, Wikipedia comes to the rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster#United_Kingdom

I hadn't realised that they were (and remain) more popular on the
Continent, despite being a British invention. However, I see that
one remains in operation in a building that's within walking
distance for me, but it's not open to the public, probably like the
rest of the few British survivors.

If it's the Northwick Park one, anyone can get in it. The only
deterrent is a sign.

Yes, that's the one -- I had thought it was in a staff-only area. Is it
easy to find?

Recliner wrote:
"Basil Jet" wrote in message

Recliner wrote:

As always, Wikipedia comes to the rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster#United_Kingdom

I hadn't realised that they were (and remain) more popular on the
Continent, despite being a British invention. However, I see that
one remains in operation in a building that's within walking
distance for me, but it's not open to the public, probably like the
rest of the few British survivors.

If it's the Northwick Park one, anyone can get in it. The only
deterrent is a sign.

Yes, that's the one -- I had thought it was in a staff-only area. Is
it easy to find?

I don't think anything in any hospital is easy to find, but if you go in the
main entrance and head directly eastward it seems about 2/3 of the way to
the back, with the doors facing eastward (look behind you). Looking at a
birds eye view
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=skw...68&lvl=1&sty=b I
guess it's in the big building under the mobile phone antennae.

--
We are the Strasbourg. Referendum is futile.

"Basil Jet" wrote in message

Recliner wrote:
"Basil Jet" wrote in message

Recliner wrote:

As always, Wikipedia comes to the rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster#United_Kingdom

I hadn't realised that they were (and remain) more popular on the
Continent, despite being a British invention. However, I see that
one remains in operation in a building that's within walking
distance for me, but it's not open to the public, probably like the
rest of the few British survivors.

If it's the Northwick Park one, anyone can get in it. The only
deterrent is a sign.

Yes, that's the one -- I had thought it was in a staff-only area. Is
it easy to find?

I don't think anything in any hospital is easy to find, but if you go
in the main entrance and head directly eastward it seems about 2/3 of
the way to the back, with the doors facing eastward (look behind
you). Looking at a birds eye view
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=skw...68&lvl=1&sty=b
I guess it's in the big building under the mobile phone antennae.

Thanks, I'll look out for it next time I have a legitimate need to be
visiting the hospital.

On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:53:47 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

Very small lift in a Paris hotel: only one door, hinged and opening
outwards. The front of the lift is open and allows passengers to "rub
past" the doors and walls on the way up. I've seen similar lifts
elsewhere.

I have as well, including in the UK. There's a not dissimilar one
(where you have to hold the button down to keep it moving up or down,
and if you let go it stops) in my gym.

Set of lifts in a Cairo 5* hotel. Calling the lift is done by pressing a
centrally-located button in the lobby that requests a particular floor.
You are then directed to the relevant lift when it arrives. Once inside
the lift you can't "redirect" it to any additional floors.

I've seen one like that myself - I think it was in the office building
next to the NH hotel in Den Haag.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:46:57 +0000, "
wrote:

Are new paternoster lifts still allowed? They always struck me as
dangerous, though I gather that a few older ones remain in service in
the UK. Are any open to the public?

Safety, safety, safety.

Accessibility. A paternoster is not particularly
wheelchair-accessible, nor accessible to anyone not sure of their
footing. Given that lifts (in smaller buildings, at least) tend to be
provided primarily for such people, a paternoster is a bit useless.

I'm not sure one is all that much more dangerous than an escalator,
though I suppose there is the chance to get squashed on
boarding/alighting that isn't there with an escalator.

But where are they in the UK? I've not come across one for ages.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:39:03 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:

Re Paris: It's possible that the PEDs on line 14 were for both
purposes. But the PEDs now being installed at every station on line 1
have been presented to the public as being necessary for the
introduction of unmanned trains. I can't think of any other reason for
them.

They also provide a benefit (in the case of the semi-outdoor airport
shuttles) in that they mean the station platform can be indoors yet
provide direct access to the train. That said, the approach at
Watford Junction (a longish building with several sets of doors to the
platform itself) can pretty much provide that.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

MIG wrote:
On 6 Dec, 14:13, D7666 wrote:
On Dec 6, 1:11 pm, "Recliner" wrote:

Are new paternoster lifts still allowed? They always struck me as
dangerous, though I gather that a few older ones remain in service in
the UK. Are any open to the public?
No idea about being allowed.

The only places I have encountered them is on academic sites, univ.
Birmingham library (?), one univ. Oxford engineering (?) building.

And eleven-storey one at Leicester University as I remember, if it's
still there.

There used to be one at Aston University, but it was removed in the
1980s and the shafts rebuilt to take lifts.

--
Jeremy Double {real address, include nospam}
Rail and transport photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmdoubl...7603834894248/

In message
(Neil Williams) wrote:

On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:46:57 +0000, "
wrote:

Are new paternoster lifts still allowed? They always struck me as
dangerous, though I gather that a few older ones remain in service in
the UK. Are any open to the public?

Safety, safety, safety.

Accessibility. A paternoster is not particularly
wheelchair-accessible, nor accessible to anyone not sure of their
footing. Given that lifts (in smaller buildings, at least) tend to be
provided primarily for such people, a paternoster is a bit useless.

I'm not sure one is all that much more dangerous than an escalator,
though I suppose there is the chance to get squashed on
boarding/alighting that isn't there with an escalator.

But where are they in the UK? I've not come across one for ages.


Sheffield University has one.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

D7666 wrote on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:13:23 -0800:

On Dec 6, 1:11Â*pm, "Recliner" wrote:

Are new paternoster lifts still allowed? Â*They always struck me as
dangerous, though I gather that a few older ones remain in service in
the UK. Â*Are any open to the public?

No idea about being allowed.

The only places I have encountered them is on academic sites, univ.
Birmingham library (?), one univ. Oxford engineering (?) building.

My late father used to maintain the paternosters at Aston University
(although then it was a CAT).

--
Regards
Alex

http://www.badphorm.co.uk/

On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:01:17 +0000, Neil Williams wrote:


Set of lifts in a Cairo 5* hotel. Calling the lift is done by pressing a
centrally-located button in the lobby that requests a particular floor.
You are then directed to the relevant lift when it arrives. Once inside
the lift you can't "redirect" it to any additional floors.

I've seen one like that myself - I think it was in the office building
next to the NH hotel in Den Haag.

There were a number of buildings in Sydney (Australia) equipped with
such lifts designed by Leo Port, and engineer (and politician, he became
mayor of Sydney).

They were never particularly popular. There are probably non left now.

I worked in a building that had a set, people were always complaining
about them as they would 'run for a lift' and then find they couldn't
select the floor once on board.

In my time there, the lifts were replaced with a modern system.

The Leo Port lift was exceedingly complex and with the control logic
implemented in two large racks of what looked like telephone cross-bar
relays. By the time I worked in the building, the system was suffering
reliability issues due to age. But interestingly, not in the complex Leo
Port relay logic, but the motor contactors were falling apart with old
age, leading to many instances of 'people trapped in the lift' when a
motor contactor fell apart.

However if you step back from the 'non standard user interface' and
think about it, making the riders pre-select their floors means the lift
controller can make better decisions on how to deploy the cars.

It was not uncommon to see, in response to a number of floor calls, to
see two lifts arrive, one would be 'express' to the higher selected
floors and the other would take the lower.