Home Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Pull Rope Elevators in California

I have a question. Are electric pull rope elevators (a very old type of elevator likely called shipper rope/tiller rope elevators in the industry, elevators where you have to pull a rope to start the elevator) prohibited in California (as in, existing installations either had to be decommissioned, or converted to a different type of operation such as constant pressure push buttons), thus meaning electric pull rope elevators are extinct in California (with the unlikely exception of an illegally operating elevator that the state of California doesn't know about or thinks is decommissioned, something I have heard of once in another state)?

I ask because on the state of California website, I found this information:

06-01-70 - "Shipper Rope or Other Types of Rope or Rod Operating Devices Prohibited"
06-04-70 - "Replacement of Hand Rope, Chain, Bar or Other Types of Shipper Operation"

"The proposal will also reformat the regulation text and delete the exception that indicates shipper-rope elevators are not required to have an emergency stop switch. For the last twenty years, the use of shipper-rope elevators have been prohibited in the state of California; therefore, the deletion of the Exception has no regulatory effect."



Does this apply to all existing electric pull rope elevators in California (passenger & freight)?

Does this apply to pull rope elevators that are operated from the car and not the landings, pull rope elevators operated from the landings and not the car, and pull rope elevators operable from both car and landings?

Does this apply to both pull rope elevators where the rope runs through the car, and pull rope elevators where you have to reach into the shaft to pull the rope (which could be considered dangerous)?

I have seen a video of a functional pull rope operated hand powered/non electric elevator in California. Does the rule not apply to hand powered/non electric elevators?

I don't know if any city water hydraulic (early hydraulic elevators connected to sewer) or steam engine powered elevators still exist in California, but would the rule apply in those cases?

I have heard of belt manlifts that have a pull rope (possibly used as an emergency stop switch, though I am not an expert in belt manlifts). Does the rule apply to manlifts, or are they exempt from this rule?



If pull rope elevators are indeed prohibited in California, do some other states also prohibit them? (I am most curious about the codes in the states of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah)

I have heard of electric pull rope elevators still in service in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Colorado, thus I assume those states do not have codes against pull rope elevators remaining in operation (at least freight elevators).



I think the city of LA issues permits for their elevators independently from the rest of the state, but do all state elevator codes still apply?



What would be the reason for such a code? The fact that a pull rope elevator perhaps could be considered dangerous (especially ones where you have to reach into the shaft), and the fact that likely very few were left?



I am an elevator enthusiast interested in historic elevators, and I have been wanting to ride an electric pull rope elevator for a long time, and I don't know of any in California and am curious if this would confirm they are probably extinct.

I don't know about CA but in NY no new ship or sheave can be installed today. However if the car is original and controller original they can stay. These need to be operated by a TRAINED operator.