Von Roll Holding
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Von Roll Holding AG is a Swiss industrial group that operates worldwide that was founded in 1803. As one of Switzerland's longest-established industrial companies, Von Roll focuses today on products and systems for electrical applications such as power generation, transmission, and storage as well as e-mobility and industrial applications. It made gondola systems, monorails, and funicular systems at attractions in various countries.


History

Von Roll has its roots in the ''Eisenwerke der Handelsgesellschaft der Gebrüder Dürholz & Co.'' (Ironworks of the commercial firm of the Brothers Dürholz & Co.) which was established in 1803. This firm was then taken over in 1810 by Von Roll & Cie, newly formed by Ludwig Freiherr von Roll (1771–1839) and Jakob von Glutz. In May 1823, Ludwig von Roll founded the ''Gesellschaft der Ludwig von Roll'schen Eisenwerke'' which benefited from industrialization and railroad construction that demanded a lot of iron.Von Roll Holding AG
This History of Von Roll
/ref> Von Roll participated in the construction of the
Wetterhorn Elevator The Wetterhorn Elevator () was an aerial tramway in the valley of Grindelwald. It connected the base of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier to a higher location in the Wetterhorn massif. The tramway was inaugurated in 1908, making it the first of its ...
in 1908. The business developed into one of the most important industrial groups in Switzerland with more than 10,000 employees in the 1970s. Like other Swiss companies, Von Roll suffered during the oil crisis of 1973. The company underwent financial restructuring after financial restructuring, seemingly without end. As recently as 2003, Von Roll had to fight for its survival. At the end of 2002, following the accumulated losses of previous years, Von Roll's equity capital had shrunk to 10.3 million. In 2004 the company initiated a new strategy to focus on the insulation business, beginning its turnaround. The main shareholder is in early 2019 August von Finck Jr. family with above 65% of the quotes. After the conversion of some convertible bonds in December 2018 the composition of shareholders became unclear. In 2019 the company is involved in law case for some salaries paid in euro (€).


Von Roll Seilbahnen AG

Von Roll Seilbahnen AG was the
aerial tramway An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...
and cableway division that was sold to
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n manufacturer Doppelmayr in 1996.


Products

Perhaps Von Roll's best-known product was the type 101 sky ride or simply "VR101" that operated in many amusement parks. A total of over 100 were installed. As of 2008, only ten remained operational. On 30 December 1954
Felseneggbahn The Adliswil-Felsenegg cable car (LAF; or ) is a cable car in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The lower station is located in Adliswil in the Sihl Valley, whilst the upper station is located on the Felsenegg hill on the Albis ridge near ...
was opened. It was built by Von Roll in seven months for one million Swiss francs. It still runs, and on 31 March 2010, it carried its 10 millionth passenger.
Tages-Anzeiger ''Tages-Anzeiger'' (), also abbreviated ''Tagi'' or ''TA'', is a Swiss German-language national daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland. History and profile The paper was first published under the name ''Tages-Anzeiger für Stadt und K ...
online (1 April 2010)
''Der 10-millionste Fahrgast kommt aus Schweden''
/ref> The
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of Cover ...
was Von Roll's first aerial ropeway in the United States. It opened on 23 June 1956 and closed on 9 November 1994. The first Von Roll VR101 was built in Flims, in 1944, and replaced in 1986.


Operating Von Roll Type 101s


Former Von Roll Type 101s


Monorail

The Mk II and Mk III
monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...
automated people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small-scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks ...
(APM) systems were installed in a variety of locations before the technology was sold to
Adtranz Adtranz was a multi-national rail transportation equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the US. The company, legally known as ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation, was created in 1996 as a joint venture between ABB and Daim ...
(later Bombardier), which continues to supply the parts for the monorail systems.
AirTrain Newark AirTrain Newark is a monorail people mover system connecting the terminals and various parking facilities at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and trains at Newark Liberty International Airport Station on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), ...
opened in 1996 and is a Von Roll system. The AirTrain Newark system was extended to connect with Amtrak and NJ Transit in 2001. The monorail cars at
Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton, Staffordshire, Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, Merlin Entertainments Group a ...
theme park in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
were built for
Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a world's fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. Von Roll also manufactured the old
Sentosa Monorail The Sentosa Monorail was a monorail system which served as the main means of transportation on the island of Sentosa in Singapore, and has been replaced by the new monorail system, the Sentosa Express. The system was constructed at a cost of S ...
in
Sentosa Sentosa Island ( ), known mononymously as Sentosa, is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the Keppel Harbour, and is adjacent to ...
Island, Singapore, in 1982, which closed down in March 2005. The
Jurong Bird Park Panorail The Jurong Bird Park Panorail was a loop monorail system which ran within the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore. The system was constructed by Vonroll Transport Systems of Switzerland, which also built the Sentosa Monorail and Singapore Cable Car. ...
in
Jurong Bird Park Jurong Bird Park was an aviary and tourist attraction in Jurong, Singapore between 1971 and 2023. The largest such bird park in Asia, it covered an area of on the western slope of Jurong Hill, the highest point in the Jurong region. It was one ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
is a four-car straddle-beam monorail that began operation in 1991 and ceased operations in 2012.
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
has had a total of four Von Roll Monorail systems, all of which are now retired. For example, a Von Roll MkII system at Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast (first monorail in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
which opened in 1986). A MkIII Monorail system in nearby Broadbeach linking Oasis Shopping Centre to Jupiter's Hotel & Casino opened in 1989, but closed on 29 January 2017 due to life-expired equipment and declining patronage. Another MkIII Monorail system, the
Sydney Monorail The Sydney Monorail (originally TNT Harbourlink and later Metro Monorail) was a single-loop monorail in Sydney, that connected Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Sydney, Chinatown and the Sydney central business district, Sydney central business and s ...
, operated in Australia linking the City Centre to
Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...
, began operation on 21 July 1988 and due to a lack of spare parts it ceased operation on 30 June 2013. A MkII Monorail system was also in operation during
World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo w ...
held in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, Australia, with a loop around the expo site at Southbank. After Expo it was dismantled and three of the four trains were sold back to Von Roll for use at
Europa-Park Europa-Park is a theme park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Covering a total area of 95 hectares, twenty themed areas offer around a hundred attractions, including shows and fourteen roller coasters. The park also includes six hotels, a c ...
in Germany; the fourth train and some of the track was sold to Sea World.


Space Towers

Cedar Point's Space Spiral, Astro World's Astro needle and Coney's Space Tower were built by Willy Bühler Space Towers Company of Berne, Switzerland, with cabins by Von Roll. In 1971 Intamin started marketing these towers and contracted these same companies to build them. Willy Bühler Space Towers was eventually acquired by Von Roll.


Funicular systems

*
Falls Incline Railway The Falls Incline Railway, originally known as the Horseshoe Falls Incline is a type of funicular railway (an inclined elevator) in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It is located beside Niagara Falls at the Horseshoe Falls. The line w ...
,
Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, 1966


See also

* Von Roll rack system *
List of aerial lift manufacturers This is a list of the current and former aerial lift manufacturers. This list includes surface lift manufacturers. Current M & M Ropeways- Leading manufacturers of Aerial Ropeways, Cable Cranes, Conveyors and Winches *Aarconinfra Ropeways & ...


References


External links

* http://www.vonroll.com/ {{Authority control Energy companies of Switzerland Companies based in the canton of Solothurn Companies established in 1803 Energy companies established in 1803 Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange Aerial lift manufacturers Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group