Image of Roosevelt Island Tram Gear from itofoto
This will be the first Tramless weekend for Roosevelt Islanders during these current repairs. The MTA reports that there will be regular F train subway service to and from Roosevelt Island this weekend. In addition, RIOC will be providing weekend Red Bus service to and from Manhattan. From RIOC:
Weekend Manhattan-Bound Bus Service:
From 7am to 11pm. Departing on the hour from Gristedes on Roosevelt Island.
Drop-off at Second Avenue and 60th Street.
Departing on the half hour from Second Avenue and 60th Street.
Be aware that the Red Bus service to Manhattan is an experiment. If it is not used, the service may be discontinued.The reason for the Tram shutdown is that the track rope must be slipped. Let’s hope that we do not get a repeat of this incident as reported in the January 2002 Main Street WIRE:
The Tram has been shut down since November 24, when American Tramways began a major repair and maintenance project. The work was nearly finished during the week of December 16 when the companys technicians committed one of the nightmarish mistakes of the aerial Tramway and ski-lift industry: In connecting a new haul rope to the Tram cabin assemblies, they trimmed the excess cable too much, leaving it a little over eight feet short of the length necessary to allow both cabins to dock in their proper places.
The mistake, a human error, as Blomer called it, wasnt noticed until the workers tried to dock the cabins.
Image of downed Roosevelt Island Tram from Main Street WIRE