Wyler Aerial Tramway is an aerial tramway

Aerial tramway

An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...

 in El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The tramway is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...

 and is located in Franklin Mountains State Park

Franklin Mountains State Park

Franklin Mountains State Park is a Texas state park in El Paso, Texas in the United States. It is at an elevation of . It is the largest urban park in the nation lying completely within city limits, covering...

. The tramway complex covers 196 acre (0.79318456 km²) on the east side of the Franklin Mountains. The gondola

Gondola

The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...

s travel along two 2600 foot 1 3/8" diameter steel cables to Ranger Peak, 5632 feet (1,716.6 m) above sea level. The trip takes about four minutes and lifts riders up 940 vertical feet above the boarding area.

History

The tramway was built in 1959 by KTSM radio to aid in the construction of a transmitter tower. Karl O. Wyler managed the project. First opening to the public as the El Paso Aerial Tramway, the facility provided rides from 1960 to 1986, when high liability insurance costs forced the tram to shut public operations. The tram was only used to service the transmitter towers. Wyler donated the tramway for public use in his will. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department accepted the donation in 1997 and renovated and re-opened the tramway to the public in 2001.

External links

• Wyler Aerial Tramway