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Barrakka Lift
The Barrakka Lift is a lift in Valletta, Malta which was constructed in 2012, on the site of a previous lift which had operated from 1905 to 1973 and which was demolished in 1983. It is located inside the ditch of the fortifications of Valletta, and links Lascaris Wharf to St. Peter and Paul Bastion and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It therefore allows access from the Grand Harbour to the city.
In 1901, Sacco Albanese, a former employee of the Edison Manufacturing Company, proposed the construction of a tramway in Malta. The tender was won by Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd, which apart from the tramway also planned to construct two lifts in Valletta, one near Marsamxett Harbour and another near the Grand Harbour. Eventually it was decided to only construct the lift on the Grand Harbour side, and the contract was signed on 24 December 1903.
Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd hired the London-based subcontractors Joseph Richmond & Co. Ltd. The construction costing £5,000 was completed in September 1905. The official opening took place on 18 December 1905.
The lift was constructed out of steel, and it was 60 m (200 ft) high while it had a weight of 75 tonnes (74 long tons; 83 short tons). Part of the sloping bastion wall was cut out so as to make way for the lift's tower, while steel girders were attached to the top of the lift to ensure stability.
The lift had two cabins that could hold 12 passengers and were suspended on four ropes. Two 500 V motors were located in the booth at the top of the tower, allowing a maximum speed of 1.3 m/s. Hydraulic buffers designed to brake the elevator were located at the bottom of the lift shafts.
Tickets for the lift initially cost ½d for military personnel and 1d for other clients. Daily profits were around £10 on weekdays and £14 on Sundays.
In World War I, problems arose regarding the supply of spare parts and coal which was used to power the lift. In October 1917, the company was forced to suspend the lift due to a lack of spare parts, and operation resumed only in June 1919 after the war had ended.
The Malta Tramways were abolished in 1929, and the power plant which supplied the lift stopped functioning in 1931, when the government granted the company a plot near the elevator so as to allow them to build a new power station on it. This allowed the lift to be powered by electricity from the power grid, and the new building also had a waiting room.
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Barrakka Lift
The Barrakka Lift is a lift in Valletta, Malta which was constructed in 2012, on the site of a previous lift which had operated from 1905 to 1973 and which was demolished in 1983. It is located inside the ditch of the fortifications of Valletta, and links Lascaris Wharf to St. Peter and Paul Bastion and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It therefore allows access from the Grand Harbour to the city.
In 1901, Sacco Albanese, a former employee of the Edison Manufacturing Company, proposed the construction of a tramway in Malta. The tender was won by Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd, which apart from the tramway also planned to construct two lifts in Valletta, one near Marsamxett Harbour and another near the Grand Harbour. Eventually it was decided to only construct the lift on the Grand Harbour side, and the contract was signed on 24 December 1903.
Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd hired the London-based subcontractors Joseph Richmond & Co. Ltd. The construction costing £5,000 was completed in September 1905. The official opening took place on 18 December 1905.
The lift was constructed out of steel, and it was 60 m (200 ft) high while it had a weight of 75 tonnes (74 long tons; 83 short tons). Part of the sloping bastion wall was cut out so as to make way for the lift's tower, while steel girders were attached to the top of the lift to ensure stability.
The lift had two cabins that could hold 12 passengers and were suspended on four ropes. Two 500 V motors were located in the booth at the top of the tower, allowing a maximum speed of 1.3 m/s. Hydraulic buffers designed to brake the elevator were located at the bottom of the lift shafts.
Tickets for the lift initially cost ½d for military personnel and 1d for other clients. Daily profits were around £10 on weekdays and £14 on Sundays.
In World War I, problems arose regarding the supply of spare parts and coal which was used to power the lift. In October 1917, the company was forced to suspend the lift due to a lack of spare parts, and operation resumed only in June 1919 after the war had ended.
The Malta Tramways were abolished in 1929, and the power plant which supplied the lift stopped functioning in 1931, when the government granted the company a plot near the elevator so as to allow them to build a new power station on it. This allowed the lift to be powered by electricity from the power grid, and the new building also had a waiting room.