Cable grip

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Detachable chairlift grip. (Chair is on a sidetrack).

A cable grip is a device for propelling a vehicle by attaching to a wire cable (also called wire rope) running at a (relatively) constant speed. The vehicle may be suspended from the cable, as in the case of aerial lifts such as a gondola lift (télécabine), may be guided by rails, as in a cable traction railway, or may be self-guiding, as in a button lift. Typically, multiple vehicles will use the same cable; where just one or two vehicles are in use they will tend to be attached to the cable permanently (e.g. funiculars).

While the cable grips used in the original cable railways were manually operated, requiring considerable skill and strength, modern cable grips tend to be automatic. Given that the cable runs at a relatively constant speed, accelerating the vehicle to match the speed of the cable presents a technical difficulty; possible methods are to apply the grip gradually, to accelerate the vehicle (e.g. by guiding wheels) prior to applying the grip, or to use a sprung linkage between the grip and the vehicle. Also, the cable needs to be able to handle friction from the grip and increased load while the vehicle is accelerating.