Talk:Escalator/Archive 2

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Archive 1 Archive 2

30,000 ???

The article states that there are 30,000 escalators in the US. This simply can't be true. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shopping_malls_in_the_United_States, there are some 900 "notable shopping malls" in the US. Figuring at least a dozen escalators in each of those, that alone would account for more than 10,000 escalators. Then add in all the federal, local government, civic, public buildings (city halls, museums, stores not in malls, etc.) Whatever the number is, common sense should tell you that there is way more than 30k escalators in the US. I'm wondering if the cited source's count of 30k actually restricts itself to just federal buildings. --87.63.224.78 (talk) 14:07, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Standing and walking

I believe that in Hong Kong one stands on the right side and walks on the left, as in the UK. In Australia, we stand on the left and walk on the right, and I remember that in Hong Kong everybody stood on the other side of the escalator to Australia.

It would be great if someone could help to settle this matter once and for all...

What you need is a list of all countries that stand right and walk left, and another list that stand left and walk right.
Also interesting is the relationship between which side cars are driven and which side people walk. My own sense is that in all countries where cars are driven on right, people stand on right. But for countries where cars are driven on left, people can stand either right or left.
An interesting case is Japan, where cars drive on left and people stand on left. However, in Narita Airport, most arriving passengers come from places that have cars driven on right and people stand on right. They have huge graphics and signage in English, and voice reminder in Japanese and English, to tell people to stand on left and walk on right. Yet arriving passsengers still get confused.LoopTel (talk) 02:01, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Another interesting topic is why do people stand or walk.LoopTel (talk) 18:27, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Wooden steps versus metal steps

Apart from a few incidental mentions, there is no discussion in the article on the prevalence of various step materials - wood, steel, aluminium - over the years. Does anyone have any information about this? 217.155.20.163 17:00, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

An excellent suggestion! I have lots of information about it, the when the changes happened, who the designers were, etc. Do you recommend it be in a separate section titled something like "Materials used over time?" Thanks!--BFDhD 17:21, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Step demarcation lines (in the UK, if not elsewhere)

I have a question about the use of step demarcation lines. I appreciate that this may vary from country to country (I live in the UK).

When I was a child in the late 1970s and early 1980s, most escalators had prominent, bright yellow demarcation lines painted on each step, and the phrase "STAND INSIDE YELLOW LINES" (or similar) was printed on the vertical face of every third or fourth step.

Nowadays (since the 1999, at least), it's quite rare to see demarcation lines on escalators at all; most UK escalators now look like the main picture at the top of the article.

This may mean that (a) safety regulations are less stringent than they were back then, or (b) the safety features on modern escalators mean that it's no longer necessary to keep your feet away from step edges. Does anyone know if this is the case? 217.155.20.163 17:34, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Safety regulations are now far more restrictive than they were in the 1970s and even 1980s, as the ASME and EN115 regulations are updated regularly. However, the demarcation lines are now an "option" on several escalator models, referred to as "K edges" (at least for Schindler escalator steps). See [[1]]. Basically, it is at the discretion of the escalator operator (i.e., the facility management) to emphasize the safe way to ride. It's possible that the over-emphasis of the safe riding methods might have been a knee-jerk reaction to anxiety about getting sucked into the side of an escalator (a somewhat misguided sentiment that has simmered over time). --BFDhD (talk) 14:59, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Working Diagrams

Enough with the pictures. There needs to be a diagram showing how the tracks cause the rise and fall action of the moving steps. MMetro (talk) 17:14, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

and tadaaa:

Workings of an escalator

Perhaps give it trough to the guys at wikipedia's image lab first, then upload the finished schematic to the article. 91.182.131.89 (talk) 18:32, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

Escalators and wheelchairs

Are wheelchairs allowed to ride on an escalator? --88.77.247.141 (talk) 09:47, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

No, at least not in the United States. See Escalator, specifically section 3.2.1. You may also want to see ADA, Title II. --BFDhD (talk) 14:34, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Etymology

NOTE: This section has been restored from edits in order to address question at hand.

I've always believed that the word "escalator" was derived from the word "escalate". 169.233.58.87 (talk) 20:12, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
No, the reverse is true: there are no known uses of "escalate" before 1922, and escalators came into public use as early as 1895-1896. See section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalator#Name_development_and_original_intentions. --BFDhD (talk) 20:50, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Longest in Western Europe

This article states that London Undergrounds Angel Station has the longest escalator in Western Europe at 200ft. The Angel Station article has them at 197ft which makes them 3ft shorter than those of the Tyne pedestrian and cycle tunnels http://www.tynetunnel.info/wps/wcm/connect/Tunnel/Pedestrian+and+Cycle+Tunnels/History/

Angel Station has the highest vertical rise but this article clearly talks about the longest. Can anyone clarify this? At the very least I think the Tyne escalators deserve a mention as the longest wooden escalators in the world http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=325 82.39.188.161 (talk) 22:33, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Angel Station leads in rise (vertical distance between floors) at 90 feet in western Europe, but not in the world. In regard to length (overall distance from entrance newel to exit newel in a straight line), Tyne Tunnel is the longest in the United Kingdom, but also not in the world. However, Tyne Tunnel's escalators may be the longest wooden escalators in use worldwide. Changes made. Hope this clarifies . . . thanks for the suggestion!--BFDhD (talk) 01:47, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Safe Riding section

I have removed the entire section on "Safe Riding". After five years of editing Wikipedia I know that this sort of "How to Behave" stuff is not OK in the encyclopedia. Apologies to whoever spent the time preparing it but it really does look very strange - Adrian Pingstone (talk) 15:39, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

I'd have to disagree with you, at least in part. While the list of recommended safe riding techniques may be overkill, it does merit inclusion to note that there is an association concerned with safe riding, and that there are recommended guidelines issued by them on an annual basis, particularly considering that so many people would like to have escalators banned from public use altogether. (Incidentally, I think you've been editing for almost 7 years!)--BFDhD (talk) 00:35, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Longest in North America

The article states that the Washington DC Metro escalator at Rosslyn station is the third longest continuous escalator in the world, yet the Washington post lists it as the fifth longest within the DC Metro system. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/custom/2005/06/03/CU2005060301365.html. Perhaps the original reference distinguishes that elevator as "continuous" vice some other configuration; if this is the case, it is not made clear in the article.Herk2001 (talk) 00:52, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

The Washington Post Graphic you cite is misleading. DC Metro still states that the Wheaton station escalators are 230 feet, yet the graphic shows them as much longer, with no description. The list of superlatives has been adjusted to reflect information from Rosslyn Station's Wiki entry.--BFDhD (talk) 20:25, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


The problem is that most people seem to be using the Z axis length or ascent for the Washington metro escalator lengths. Wheaton in 508ft long, ascending 230 feet. Rosslyn ascends 205'8", with a length of 437 ft. All the pages on wiki references for Metro use ascent instead of length.Miglewis (talk) 20:05, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Logical quoting

This article needs to be copyedited to use logical quoting, per the Wikipedia Manual of Style. Kaldari (talk) 02:58, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, Kaldari! Changes made!--BFDhD (talk) 21:01, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Spiral escalators

For gods' sakes, can't you people get your act together so this page is editable?!

Anyway, the section relating to the Holloway Road spiral escalator is incorrect; it is a well-known example of hubris, in that throughout the construction period everyone scoffed and said it could never be made to work. 'How would you link it up at the top, such that the two, counter-rotating helices could meet,' they cried. (Quoted verbatim, naturally). Turned out that the designer had been putting that problem off, and he had no brilliant idea in mind to solve the problem. He bodged something up that worked for a day, and, typical London Transport, they said it had to be closed 'for safety reasons' -- we've never heard that before.

Shall I go and gen up a page to link to? I believe that's what passes for 'sources' on Wikipedia these days, right?

Failing that, I've dug up a couple of likely-sounding pages from Google for you, so this must be true, right? I mean, if I call myself an amateur historian and post that on a page, that would be a source, so all these other people doing the same are also accredited professionals...

http://www.glias.org.uk/news/146news.html http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:jTVxKsuLnUQJ:www.hidden-london.com/hollowayroad.html+holloway+road+spiral+escalator&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=uk —Preceding unsigned comment added by A12a12a12121212121212121212 (talk • contribs) 23:55, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

Since a) the previous comment was made by an "author" who was soon thereafter blocked indefinitely from editing Wikipedia (User talk:A12a12a12121212121212121212), b) the overwhelming tone of acidity and sarcasm of said author's comment was inappropriate and borderline insulting, c) the material in "question" is actually properly referenced in the article by not only photographic but also printed record (article, book), and d) the "likely-sounding" page does not, in this case, "pass" for a "source, but --in fact-- doesn't even prove A12a12a12121212121212121212's point (i.e., that the escalator article as it stands is incorrect). (Also, the author's promised "couple of likely-sounding pages" fell short, as well, since only one link was provided, but that's splitting hairs.)
That said, we welcome A12a12a12121212121212121212 (or any other contributor) to actually cite (preferably non-Internet, unless that, too is properly sourced) the source of the "Quoted verbatim, naturally" information listed above. Such material would be more than welcome for the escalator article! In the meantime, kindly avoid hurling insults our way and try to contribute in a more constructive fashion. Cheers! (PS--Sign your contributions on the talk page, too!)--BFDhD (talk) 05:50, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Thyssen(Krupp) escalators

Are there any Thyssen(Krupp) escalators? --88.78.13.253 (talk) 20:19, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Are there any Thyssen Krupp escalators where? Kindly elaborate. Thanks--BFDhD (talk) 15:04, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
Yes there is, I know for a fact there are tons of them in Las Vegas out on the strip. 68.8.122.26 (talk) 03:07, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

images of internal mechanisms

I notice that the only image here of internal mechanisms is a schematic. I wanted to point out two that I just uploaded, in case anyone thinks they would be useful to the article. There may be even better ones floating around on Commons if anyone cares to search. - Jmabel | Talk 22:19, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestion! Your pictures are great!--BFDhD (talk) 00:51, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

-- Beautiful Pictures of a Montgomery Escalator you got there, they don't make them like that anymore. 68.8.122.26 (talk) 03:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

may add what types of escalators should be offered for transportation or just used for comerce

this is from taipei,i work for E&M engineerings in elevators and escalatros.in your article,the table metioned about 400,600,800, and 1000mm width steps,but i would like to know if they are used for transportation or just commercial type.it means except 1000mm steps,if the 400,600,and 800mm escalators are used for transportation?if they do, just for some special conditions in the station or for whole station

Trademark

ref: Seeberger, Charles D. "Trade-mark for Passenger-Elevators." U. S. Trade-mark No. 34724. 29 May 1900. Available: http://uspto.gov

date mentioned till Sept. 19, 2009: May 2, 1900. >>filed that date, but issued on May 29, 1900.

CHARLES D. SEEBERGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRADE-MARK FOR PASSENGER-ELEVATORS.

STATEMENT and DECLARATION of Trade-mark No. 34,724, registered May 29, 1900.

Application filed May 2, 1900. ..

Renewed to Otis Elevator Company, a corporation of New Jersey.

Re-renewed, May 29, 1950 to Otis Elevator Company, of New York, N.Y.

http://tmportal.uspto.gov/external/portal/registrationcert (Registration Numbers: 34724)


Wdew (talk) 21:58, 19 September 2009 (UTC)

Wheaton: Longest/tallest Individual Escalator in the World?

The article is unclear on this. It appears to me that the Wheaton Metro escalators (at 155m long / 70m rise) are BOTH the longest/tallest escalator SYSTEMs in the Western Hemisphere, AND the longest/tallest INDIVIDUAL escalators in the world.

If there is a longer single span elsewhere, it should be listed on the page. Otherwise, the qualifier "Western Hemisphere" for Wheaton in the "Longest Individual Escalators" section is unnecessary. (It would seem that that qualifier appears in sources like the Washington Post only because they are lumping all escalators, whether single- or multi-span, into the same category. Thus "Western Hemisphere" is needed to distinguish Wheaton from the longer SYSTEMS in, e.g., Hong Kong. I can't find a source listing a longer single span, however.) 38.118.0.11 (talk) 21:28, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

anti-American bias in in an article about escalators! Amazing! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.72.138.192 (talk) 12:54, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Tesco Extra Trolley Escalator

In Trowbridge, the Tesco Extra there features a special esclator designed for moving trolley carts up and down. It's not a cartvoyor. Something on the wheels of the trollies makes it stick to the escalator and not fall back/forward. It's an escalator, it's marked as one. To explain it, i suposee you could say it looks like a moving walkway that goes up/down in the way of an escalator.--77.99.231.37 (talk) 21:52, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Use metres not feet

This is supposed to be an encyclopaedia and not a history text book. Lengths of escalators in the article should be given foremost in metres not feet. If you really must use 'old' measurements then put those in brackets. The USA may use such measurements but the rest of the world do not. I want to know that the escalator at Angel tube station is 60 metres long and not 190 feet. The same should be true for all measurements used on Wikipedia - metric measurements must be indicated first and imperial measurements used only if the article has some relation to USA/Canada (this article would qualify in this case).--109.228.87.230 (talk) 23:25, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

Last sentence in introduction should probably be deleted

"In 1950, it was estimated that the Lempäälä had 1 escalator, and that people used escalator 90 billion times each year." -Anybody know why this sentence was placed at the end of the introduction? It seems unnecessary (and would need proofreading anyway), and it definitely needs to be moved to another part of the article if not deleted altogether. I'm going to take it out unless someone wants to clean it up and find another place for it; thoughts? Skpearman (talk) 22:17, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

It was vandalism. Always check the most recent edit. :) --Golbez (talk) 22:32, 4 February 2011 (UTC)
No idea how I missed that... and I figured I'd give someone a chance to defend it and move it if it was added with good intentions, but now that I look again, I feel stupid: the "90 billion times" should have been enough to tip me off that it was nonsense, hah. Thanks! Skpearman (talk) 00:13, 6 February 2011 (UTC)

scala

This sentence is a bit confusing:

Similarly, the root word "scala" does not mean "a flight of steps", but is defined by Lewis and Short’s A Latin Dictionary as the singular form of the plural noun "scalae", which denotes any of the following: "a flight of steps or stairs, a staircase; a ladder, [or] a scaling-ladder."

It says, "scala doesn't mean a flight of steps", and then goes on to explain that scala means precisely that, except it's singular. Pburka (talk) 22:56, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Langham place in Hong Kong does not have spiral escalators.

The Langham Place has 2 sets of "Exprescalators" from the 4th to 8th floor and from the 8th to the 12th. Can somebody tell where they got this source or just another vandalism case? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 14.198.181.43 (talk) 14:44, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Escalator ramp

Should there be a section about escalator ramp? (or a pointer to a new page about that)

The only pages where a I was able to find a reference to this thing is the section Inclined moving walkways in the article Moving walkway . There is also a pointer in the (small) article Conveyor transport (the pointer points to Moving walkway with no direct specification to the subsection) and a redirect from ramp to Moving walkway (with no direct specification to the subsection).

Anyway in no points in these articles the term "escalator ramp" is used, nor there is a reference in the escalator article.

At the present there is no page for escalator ramp . Should it be at least a redirect?

I do not know which is the most appropriate term to refer to such a thing (if the description should be under Inclined moving walkways or under escalator ramp or escalator), but I have heard the term escalator ramp being used regularly by native English speakers, so at least a redirect or a note should be present. --AnyFile (talk) 08:56, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

Contradiction

This article states that the fire was: 

allegedly kindled by a discarded unextinguished cigarette

however, the King's Cross fire article states that the fire was: 

probably caused by a traveller discarding a burning match

Could someone resolve this contradiction? Lineslarge (talk) 14:55, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

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