I had no idea the components of an elevator lasted this long. That’s a testament to the manufacturing of that era!

@stevemorales

Жыл бұрын

The beauty of old mechanical systems vs electronic systems right now. I’m pretty sure fridges from that same year still run perfectly.

These older elevators truly are works of art! I'm glad that there are people out there who are documenting them in this much detail.

@DieselDucy

5 жыл бұрын

Yes. That is my purpose. It is a shame i am facing such negative feedback from some in the elevator industry. There is nothing illegal about what was done in this video. If somebody owns an elevator and wants to let me see behind the scenes it is no different that a friend letting me look under the hood of his car. If you own something, you can do as you please with it.

@UpgradedinfectedKalebeggyman

Жыл бұрын

😭😒 👈😂😂😂

"And please do not try this at home". Don't worry. I don't happen to have a 1954 Otis elevator at home.

@norfolkelevators8477

3 жыл бұрын

I happen to have a *1955* Otis elevator at my house, so I should be able to try this, ya know, since it’s not a *1954* elevator. This was a joke btw, I don’t have a 1955 Otis elevator at my house. Wish I did though.

@radanju3

2 жыл бұрын

1954.9

I work at Otis Brasil and do maintenance in a building that has this model of elevator .... It works very well

@Potew

3 жыл бұрын

Qual cidade/estado?

I was born in 1954, I remember elevator rides when I was a kid. Many had rich wood panelling, gave the car a distinct smell.

I had no idea this was a hobby that existed. This is the coolest thing EVER. I mean, I have a severe phobia of heights so this terrifies me to the core, but I love watching it. Thanks for sharing, this is awesome!

@1dabut1

6 жыл бұрын

it use to be a great job until the guys f--ked it up

@markcantemail8018

6 жыл бұрын

effluviah , Please do not worry it is not a Hobby . I was paid to ride on the top of elevators and have training ( decades ago ) . Fear of heights , Hoist ways are really dark so you can not see down . He did a good video and used a lot of light for good images . Most of the ones I rode on had car top control . I have had a ride on top of a fast express Car at Normal fast speed , It is not as fun as it sounds . The Hoist way is a dark ,very dusty place with a lot of moving things Whipping past . Yes it is a dangerous place and DieselDucy gave us a nice look and I thank him . It is not like it is shown in the action movies . And yes Dave my co worker was missing a finger .

@edhagerty6810

6 жыл бұрын

Elevators are a lot safer than people imagine. Escalators are much more dangerous. Elevators hurt elevator mechanics. Escalators hurt everyone. An elevator can turn into an alligator in a tenth f a second. So be careful. But generally speaking they are harmless outside of getting stuck with people inside.

@quarans08

5 жыл бұрын

Ed Hagerty please stop I’m going to a mall with a lot of escalators 😭😭

That controller room with all those relays simply amazes me it's so old, but still working fine

That electromechanical relay logic is awesome, just coils and contacts.

Nice! Depending on where this is, my Grandpa very well could have installed it new back in 1954. Cool to see some of the same type of stuff he would’ve seen.

Old American iron. So when the thing finally breaks they will repair it with Chinese parts that will break within the first 5 minutes.

@user-yh5lv1wz5n

4 жыл бұрын

Да . Это немного менее прочно чем АК47. Очень очень немного. )))

@sar1138-

3 жыл бұрын

??

@smrt78345.

9 ай бұрын

This is very true

I did not try anything I saw in this video, which means not taking an elevator normally. So I took the stairs to the 40th floor instead....

@loganad325

5 жыл бұрын

Well, That was probably hard but at least you made it? Wait... Did you make it????

@ericbowen5829

5 жыл бұрын

That must've been tiring but in the end I guess it was worth it

With the lights off in the control room it looks like the fourth of July with the contactors opening and closing when in operation on the older units.

When I had to move out of my Loft in Brooklyn NY in 1984 I had 2 floors of sculptures and more on the top 2 floors of the 6 story building, at least 25 tons total, the electric had been cut off and I HAD to have the elevator, so I figured out a way to run the elevator up and down without power, but to get to the motor room on the roof it meant climbing up 7 flights of stairs... I remembered reading in a 1901 building codes book that the elevators were to be counterweighted to 60% of the load, so, the motor was working harder with an empty car than one with about 1200 pounds in it! I forget the capacity, it was an open roof freight elevator so it might have been 3500 pounds, so I loaded the car up with a little more than about 60% of that- about 2500 pounds so it wasnt balanced and would move down, and took the brakes off the drum with a pry bar and the car SLOWLY decended down the shaft. The big problem was looking down 7 floors thru a grating and trying to tell when the car was about even with the ground floor in the dark shaft, I tried a flashlight laid on the floor etc but I could be several inches off and that eliminated being able to just roll the load out on the platform truck I had, so I wound up double loading/unloading everything. With the empty car the counter weight brought the car up. I dont remember how many cycles I had to do with the 7 flights of stairs too, it may have been as many as 20 loads, but it was a real pain in the ass and I was exhausted, but that little bit of knowlege i n that 1901 book was what made it all possible!

This was a wonderful trip... Thank you for this video. And I agree that this unit is beautiful. Even at 60+ years old, it seems very well designed and built. Sturdy. I remember ones like this in hospitals back in the day. It always bugged me when the indicators were burnt out.

That was some awesome relay action bruh

@robertking3130

5 жыл бұрын

I did my apprenticeship as a fitter/machinist at Otis in their Bankstown factory (1964-1969). Those relays were not so awesome after you had machined thousands of component parts for what seemed an eternity. It was interesting to to see some of the other machinery that was involved in the working of the lift. Sadly Otis no longer manufacture lifts in Australia anymore.

I work maintenance in an old hospital built in 1928 that's had buildings added to it over the years. It has some *really* old cars and motors that have been since cut grounded and walled off on floors but I still see lights on from the motor room looking down. Someone is still paying that electric bill 😂

@kd5nrh

5 жыл бұрын

Ultimately, the patients are paying it.

@buffya8012

5 жыл бұрын

There is an old hospital where I live (and i work at it sometimes) that was built in the era of “let’s put an elevator wherever so they can wall it off in 50 years” (about 1940’s)and they still run...don’t know who is riding them or paying for the power to an elevator thats not accessible to anyone but those who know it’s behind a brick wall or in a locked room but someone is moving them(they are crazy noisy,the whole building shakes when they move,staff are the only ones who know and say” someone’s playing in the old elevators again”) crazy but true...😳

@andrewzapar2585

5 жыл бұрын

NikkiAmelia RS wow 😯

@buffya8012

4 жыл бұрын

- given the age of the building definitely creepy...one of them is behind a wall in our med room and we constantly hear it moving...you can actually still access that one in the basement (behind a locked door mind you)but it doesn’t go anywhere(walled off on other floors) so idk the ghosts are joyriding it I guess

'do not do this at home' because everyone has an elevator in their house 😂

@williamscoufaras7045

6 жыл бұрын

PotatoLift1 I wish I had one in my house 😂

@PAelevators

6 жыл бұрын

my aunt has an elevator in her home

@blueauraretriever

6 жыл бұрын

PAelevators lucky :) 😁 😂 FRIRND

@PL1Lifts

6 жыл бұрын

PAelevators apartment?

@PAelevators

6 жыл бұрын

PotatoLift1 No my cousin is in a wheelchair it’s in her house

I’ve worked on hundreds of elevators, including under slung. But this is a very unique elevator. Changing the cables would be very difficult.

"An undisclosed location." Sure. We all know MIT's elevator shafts, dude.

@breezetix

3 жыл бұрын

uh I dont.

@madera648

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah me neither lol

@shaddowbladegaming5655

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah me either

@thecarwashchannel9781

2 жыл бұрын

Me too

@k80theshade

2 жыл бұрын

Well so far that makes four! Four smart asses! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

How long! This elevator has been for 82 years! Otis made A great Job in making this elevator working for 82 years!

@DieselDucy

2 жыл бұрын

It is amazing.

Solid, rugged, reliable; interesting. KZread will now add this to my interests and for the next few weeks I will be bombarded with elevator videos. Next month's 'fascinating insights' will probably be the underside workings of an airport travelator :-)

Your intro + home theatre + dolby digital surround = paradise

They really didn't change the technology much, year by year. A 1970 one I was familiar with looked nearly identical, all relays, no electronics.

Thanks for the video! Oldest elevator I think I have been in was at the old VA hospital in Houston back in the 80s as a kid, the hospital was built in the 30s. The elevators were creepy and rough to ride in. They tore the building down in the early 90s after a new building was built.

I used to love looking after the old Otis 2 speed AC's and the UMV's. Still have enough selector parts in my shed to rebuild one :-)

Merry Christmas! Wow, it’s awesome to be able to see on top of a old Otis elevator!

Thank you for taking me to a place that I would never be. Love it!

I saw the counter weight inside during your car top ride. Therefore Dieselducy, I know the law of not attempting to enter an elevator shaft especially if very dangerous! I appreciate your warnings and keep up the good work with your amazing elevator tours! 😉

dude i really appreciate your love for elevators

That was really cool. I've always wanted to see the workings of an elevator and the shaft! Thanks.

Last year I wouldn't have known what any of that machinery is. I'm an electrician for a shipyard that builds ships for the Navy and I've been working on cargo elevators aboard an LHA. It's really fascinating stuff. You have a pretty cool job

This is the channel we need more of. Keep it up! Been watching since 2004!

“Don’t try this at home” Don’t worry, I have no 1954 OTIS at home.

That thing was sure well maintained. Thanks for the tour.

Awesome! You're quite lucky to have the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at a historical beauty!

Awesome trip around a well preserved relic and it's still working perfectly after all this time 😊 All very interesting but those open relays are something else! Love the light show when they operate and it must look spectacular in the dark! Greetings from the UK!

What a delight to come across your video. I have wondered what such an experience would be like since exploring old buildings in Long Beach as a child. Thank you for answers to so many questions!!!

Remember my, "back when men were men," comment a few years back? It once again applies here. That tiny extra space for a machine room is necessary. I'm watching this in July of 2020 and I'm simply in awe at the smoothness, efficiency, speediness, and reliability of this elevator. Wow! Cheers to Otis in the fifties! Awesome video, Andrew!

@DieselDucy

4 жыл бұрын

Sadly this elevators future is uncertain as the building has been sold and the new owners have not done anything with it. Thanks for watching Alex. So nice to see your comment

You ever make it to Portland and I'll show you a fine pair of 1965 Otis machines.

I manually operated a hotel elevator in 1955 (to subsist in my senior high school year). Never thought about what company manufactured it at the time but I do know now that it allowed the elevator to go beyond the basement floor and shut down automatically. The manager took me up to the roof, entered the shed and pushed a relay or something that allowed the elevator to once again be operable.

Awesome elevator! I love vintage elevators. Especially because of the relays and the build quality being fantastic. Please make more of these videos (if you’re alright to do so)

@DieselDucy

6 жыл бұрын

I was very impressed with the quality of the elevator. A bit unnerving with no car top controls but this elevator is a true piece of American pride and beauty. I love going behind the scenes on elevators and will do so every legit chance I get.

That is the same model (apart from no lift chooser) to my private 60s Otis lifts. The only differences are that this one still has its doors and buttons. My ones had buttons replaced with Dewhurst and the doors replaced with GAL. My private 60s Otis lifts were so fun, until they were murdered by the building owner. The building was abandoned and about to be demolished. When the building owner realised I was going there to play with the lifts he decided to cut the cables and crash them. I really miss my private Otis lifts.

@mareecrawford5672

6 жыл бұрын

He cut the cables?

@peterlomas984

6 жыл бұрын

What the hell is a lift chooser? 48 years in the lift trade and i have never heard this term, can you please enlighten me.

@benolifts

6 жыл бұрын

The dispatcher

@peterlomas984

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you, lets call it the dispatch system in future shall we to save any confusion for the non lift lift fraternity and those people who would like to know about lift relay systems and their complexities.

@mshelton26

6 жыл бұрын

Beno Li

Way cool. The only time I was on top of an elevator car was when I got stuck in one and they had to take me out the top.

I'm pleased you video at 60 frames per second, so much easier on the eyes than 30 or 25 as with most videos here on You Tube.

Beautiful piece of machinery, thanks for sharing!

Very epic relay logic I was not expecting it to be original good video! That's also very risky being on top a lift when you cant control it but you did it!

I've seen a machine room before and a car top! Ive always wanted to do this

Those relays clicking is full on ASMR I could listen to it all day haha

@DieselDucy

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoy it! I love it too :)

When I was the little kids age I was riding car tops with my father :)

"To infinityyyyyyyyy and beyond!" - Buzz Lightyear

EPIC Elevator y'all with EPIC MOTOR And EPIC RELAY'S Y'ALL

Thank you for such a wonderful video! merry christmas

@DieselDucy

6 жыл бұрын

im so glad you enjoyed!!

Nice! Never knew you did this too. I remember this 1.

Beautiful vintage and historic lift. I love your videos

I remember back then there were operators on them ,worked with a wheel also a gate they closed

That was more guts than I've seen in a long time. Wow. Cool video.

Oldest I've worked on was an 1886 Moon. DC motor freight.

Awesome video, great to see the purely mechanical elevators like this. Built to last.

Thank you again for this video Diesel Ducy.

Thanks for the dangers of going into unauthorized places. My friend Don Key from Otis did the nice thing by taking me up to a machine room and there is even a sticker on a ThyssenKrupp elevator pulley system stating what can happen if you put your hands on the cables. Those cables are like saws. In some places, some techs that are really nice can get in trouble for taking a visitor up to a machine room.

Great stuff.. Always wanted to see inside a liftshaft and the control gear. Thanks for sharing 😎👍

Awesome vintage lift (elevator). I love the older stuff for its technical character. Really glad that the elevator industry is facilitating these videos with you. I wonder if they realise that their best engineers have a strong twist of autism. I have a strong belief that there's more than one type of human, and the ones that are classed as autistic are actually just optimised for technical work. Born to design, build and maintain society.

@justanothergirlgamer

2 жыл бұрын

*first reply*

Interesting. Going to attempt it one day. I think its cool going in old buildings that are under remodel or what ever and possibly being the first person in many years to be in side the space being worked on

We had one like this (double door; front and back) in the public library at Kingsport, TN. You could hear the relay switches clacking.

An absolutely stunning video. You seem to have been in good hands with Sebastian on site. ;)

If I owned a high-rise building with a vintage elevator I would do this all the time. Lol

I am a Elevator maintenance technician and have 7 years experience in the installation and maintenance of elevators. At your service, Sir

Very nice elevator works like a dream edit:I’m surprised it’s still working now is a very old elevator

This is very similar to one we have in an old part of the hospital I work at. The floor indicators are mechanical, driven off a chain or a cable of some sort.

been there, done that, many times. odis was my first. have ridden the tops others as well. i remember a up/down control box on top of the car.

Installed when I was 2 years old. Unlike a lot of much newer elevators, this one has been well maintained.

@DieselDucy

Ай бұрын

This was amazing.

Those are similar to the lifts in our centre, ours were originally fitted in the 60's by Otis

Worked on that type of machine many years for Otis service in London England and so did my family alll the way back to the 1930s

Merry Chisrtmas DieselDucy!

Merry Christmas DieselDucy.

Good thing the older elevators are slow for a car top ride at normal operating speed.

Yes. I am authorized. 😂 Love this guy

@ryantrain09

3 жыл бұрын

Me too

Our city elevator inspector took me on a top side ride along....much more modern machine, but still interesting!

5 years later whatcing this and i have so many memories on this video fronm when i was 8

Thank's for the ride!!

a buddy of mine worked at Otis . . . till he got the shaft!

@robozstarrr8930

5 жыл бұрын

. . . job shaft!

@robozstarrr8930

5 жыл бұрын

. . . wasn't funny to him... at the time...

@ihatenuggets

5 жыл бұрын

Hey I just got the shaft from Otis, terrible company to work for 👍

@robozstarrr8930

5 жыл бұрын

@@ihatenuggets ah, the tiny tim award, got that myself couple of times, best of luck

@quarans08

5 жыл бұрын

RIP your friend

Looks cool. Im going to try it for myself tomorrow!

My dads old condominium unit in a building built in 1913 has two elevator mechs from Otis maybe from 1968 mounted in the boiler room. There is also two large coal fired steam boilers still in place.

Seen at 2:11, you can see the cables the way they are made. For anyone wishing to put their hands on them would want to think twice about it. That is because if the elevator moves, those cables will move, And if any of you grabs a hold of them while they are moving, they can cut your fingers off. And that we don't want.

@ruffnut5438

6 жыл бұрын

Streetcar1664 when you try to act smart xD

@scottpark4647

6 жыл бұрын

Streetcar1664 it all depends on the elevator...if the elevator car top has a sheave where the ropes run back up then yes, but a lot of car tops have the ropes go into shackles attached at the top of the crosshead.. The only rotation would happen at the motor on top of the shaft, which you would not be able to get to unless you are in the machine room

@shaunnan146

6 жыл бұрын

thanks for that advice, it was exactly what going thru my mind to see what it feels like to do that, because it just looks so nice and smooth.

Was tempted to pull out a survey form and see what I could catch. We’re working on modding a 1949 Otis it’s a 10UCL in September with a DCVV motor generator. The rotomatic displays are all pooched, but it has only the second O operator I’ve seen still functioning. This video would be the third, pat on the back to the maintenance person, they’re hard to keep running well. Yours looks nice, other than being totally out of date with code compliance. Couple burned contacts in the controller, otherwise it runs about as well as you can expect a 65 year old piece of equipment. Good video.

@DieselDucy

6 жыл бұрын

Hey could u please email me. Elevatorvideos at gmail dot com I would love it if u could save the car panel and the call stations for me.

@peterlomas984

5 жыл бұрын

Burnt out contacts on DSC relay will cause over run on door close cycle. These contacts are used fro injecting DC braking into the O operator windings to give a smooth stop . It was recommended to change these contacts at 12 month intervals.

Merry Christmas Andrew!

I'm impressed by the "logic" of the lift momentarily inverting the direction of the motor when reaching the floors before finally stopping. I wonder what is that for?

@GreenPlanet669

2 жыл бұрын

to level the elevator with the floor 🤦‍♂️

I build and mod elevators for a living ive seen a few otis elevators like this one. Pretty cool to see how the old timers installed equipment.

As a guy who used to work in a hospital, I have seen thousands of patients come in with so many types of injuries it's hard to keep count. For some who were making childish remarks about what I said, safety is not the thing to be making jokes about or playing games with. The cables we see that run the elevator up and down are called wire ropes! Where I worked, those things can be like saws on high-speed elevators. Elevator cleaning is really a two-person job. The job I had was with just the doors, fixtures, and the inside of the elevator cab. The exterior stuff and the area where the machine room is at iss maintained by the elevator company. Sometimes I would go beyond the call of duty and give their safety signs a wash.

@DieselDucy

28 күн бұрын

These elevators are cool.

Great tour, thanks!

There are two elevators of similar vintage (both Otis, as I recall) at the Masonic building where I am a member. The backstage elevator just got some major refurbishing after several breakdowns. I'm happy to say that this elevator is back in business and has been licensed for operation once again after a year (or maybe two) out of commission. The "public" elevator in the front of the building has also had a couple of breakdowns lately, so I'm guessing it's next up to be refurbished.

I was wondering ,looking at the rear wall if there were bricked up old entrances suggesting there was once an older lift here before the one installed in 1954.

@AggiePhil

5 жыл бұрын

I saw this too and wonder about the history.

I've had friends that used to ride on top of the elevator when they were drunk.

"With that being said" ( x 1000 )

Nice original O type door operator, simple operation AC motor with DC injection to electrically stop the motor. When closed the roller on the door close 6098 switch should be in the centre of the operating ramp. If the contacts on DST were burnt up the motor would over run and be out of synchronisation.They sure made them to last in those days not like the crap installed today.

@LiftEnthusiast2020OFFTOPIC

5 жыл бұрын

Peter Lomas True I love old stuff

@firealarmtechguy4444

3 жыл бұрын

GAL's MOVFR II seems to be the best you can get in the modern day. OTIS's AT400 is junk. so is KONE and ThyssenKrupp's AMD linear door operator.

One of our local hospitals here has several of these. Always a fun lift.

i love diesel ducy! :D

cool old otis lift video

Great view of that un-upgraded 2 prong car top receptacle from the year I was born. Can't believe that as strict as the State inspectors are, that the didn't demand and upgrade on this ...

I just got hired as an elevator mechanic apprentice and its truly amazing