Gondola Ropeway System

This post talks about a different kind of flying. Since 2019, the Disney Skyliner has transported thousands of guests over and around Walt Disney World parks and resorts. The ride system has gained quite a following. After my first ride, I was hooked. Skyliner is, by far, my favorite transportation around Disney World. So much so, that I decided to build a miniature, motorized Skyliner ropeway system in our basement.

Our basement ropeway generated a lot of interest after I posted a video on social media. I had several inquiries about how I constructed the system and if I’m willing to share the files. This post details how to print the parts and assemble my ropeway system compatible with Disney’s Skyliner models.

Background

Disney began selling collectible Skyliner models when the transportation system debuted. The models are surprisingly close in scale to the actual Doppelmayr Omega IV gondolas used by Disney. Each model features graphics of selected operating gondolas. When I discovered the collectibles at a resort gift shop, I was already building a ceiling mounted monorail in our basement. I immediately purchased one (the Stitch gondola for $17.99) to see if I could convert it to “fly” on a miniature ropeway system.

I spent several months experimenting until I was satisfied that a model ropeway could work. As I continued fine tuning my designs, I purchased available Skyliner models from Disney resort gift shops. I found older models for sale on Ebay, Mercari, and Poshmark. My Skyliner fleet now incudes 11 gondolas. I’m only missing two; the Toy Story and Star Wars themed models.

Prime Directive: Do No Harm

My Prime Directive was to not alter or damage the Skyliner gondola models. If the system didn’t work, or if I decide to dismantle it, I want them in good condition for resale.

I had to create a way to attach the models to the ropeway. Real gondolas use a spring loaded rope grip to attach and detach from the rope. Due to the small scale, this wasn’t practical.

I designed a 3D printed rope grip that attaches to the ropeway; the hook on the top of the gondola snaps into the grip and can be easily removed. The shape of my grip fits into the grooves on the two bull wheels and interfaces nicely with the tower design.

Build Your Own

If you’re interested in building a ropeway for your Skyliner models, here are the prerequisites:

• Have access to (and know how to operate) a 3D printer. The largest parts (station shells) are 275 x 184 x 45mm. My printer has a 300 x 300 build plate and they’re a tight fit.
• Be familiar with configuring a slicer. I’ll provide the print settings I used, but I won’t be able to help you beyond that.
• Have basic understanding of DC battery power (5v, positive, negative, etc).
• Have basic soldering skills.
• If you choose to include the audio feature, be comfortable soldering wires to a circuit board.
• The graphics on my stations are adhesive vinyl cut with a Cricut (or similar craft cutting machine). The SVG cut files are included with the STLs. You can also paint the stations, hand cut vinyl windows, or decorate any way you like.

The system can be built with or without audio that plays in-cabin announcements.

Here’s the shopping list. I may receive a really small commission from Amazon when you buy using these links. You pay the same price, I get a few cents to help pay for website hosting – win/win 🙂 .

PLA Filament

Polymaker PLA (Studios Teal)	https://amzn.to/4ibAiV0
3DHoJor PLA (Hourglass Blue)	https://amzn.to/41AWVv0
Geeetech Silk PLA Metallic Silver	https://amzn.to/3DqQaEg
ELEGOO PLA+ White	https://amzn.to/41pSHWY
ELEGOO PLA+ Red	https://amzn.to/4bya78C
ELEGOO PLA+ Yellow	https://amzn.to/3QSaSQh
ELEGOO PLA+ Gray	https://amzn.to/43y0815
ELEGOO PLA+ Black	https://amzn.to/3FfB5Gc

Hardware

370WG 6v DC 10rpm Motor	https://amzn.to/3XywGnQ
6mm Flange Coupling	https://amzn.to/3FejwWO
1.5mm Black Nylon Cord	https://amzn.to/41Kdead
608 Steel Spinner Bearing	https://amzn.to/3DmMu6o
6x10x3mm Flanged Bearing	https://amzn.to/3DmNass
SP 9658 Extension Spring	https://amzn.to/3FgIXqU
USB Power Bank (optional)	https://amzn.to/4j6A2qY
Super Glue Gel (any cyanoacrylate-based gel)
M3-.50 x 16 machine screws & hex nuts (4)
M2.5 x 10mm nylon screws & hex nuts (2)	https://www.adafruit.com/product/3299
#4 x 3/8″ Sheet metal screws (2)
Assorted Drywall Screws

Electronics

I bought some of the electronics from Adafruit; a wonderful place to purchase your electronics gear. It’s an American, minority owned small business. US production facility is in Brooklyn. The AdaFruit “Learn” section has dozens of amazing, fun projects you can build yourself.

Items with the speaker emoji 🔈are required for the audio option.

2-pin JST Cable Set 1 required (4 for 🔈)	https://www.adafruit.com/product/2880
16mm Green Pushbutton 🔈 yellow & red available	https://www.adafruit.com/product/1504
Audio FX Sound Board 🔈	https://www.adafruit.com/product/2217
Mini Oval Speaker 🔈	https://www.adafruit.com/product/3923
Speaker wire for button 🔈

Files

All project files, including 3D STLs, audio tracks, and SVG vinyl cut files are available at Printables and Thingiverse.

Download from Printables
Download from Thingiverse

File Naming Conventions

Most STL file names begin with the name of the major component followed by the name of the sub component, and my version number. ie: DriveStation-Bullwheel-v25.stl

Sections of this Guide

This guide is divided into seven sections for assembling components, installation, and fine tuning:

1. Drive Station: has a motor driven bull wheel and optional Audio FX Soundboard, mini speaker, and speaker horn.
2. Return Station: also known as a tensioning station. The free-spinning bull wheel is mounted to a slider platform. A spring connected to the station shell and slider maintain ropeway tension.
3. Tower Assemblies: support the ropeway and gondolas between stations.
4. Rope Grips: attaches gondolas to the ropeway.
5. Control Box: holds a USB power bank to supply power to the motor and optional sound board. If sound option is used, a push button is mounted to the control box.
6. Installation: Putting it all together
7. Fine Tuning: Making the ropeway run smoothly.

Print Settings

I used the following general print settings. Most slicer default settings should work fine. I’ll mention any changes for individual files when necessary.

• Filament: PLA
• Resolution/Quality: 0.20 mm layer height
• Infill: 20%
• Walls/perimeters: 2
• Supports: None
• Brim: as necessary for build plate adhesion

Drive Station

Let’s get building! The drive station is the most complicated, so we’ll start there.

Printing The Parts

There are seven 3d printed parts needed for the drive station; a speaker horn is also needed for the audio option.

1. DriveStation-Shell
   • Orient the shell on the print bed laying on its top (upside down). I printed my shell with Hourglass Blue to match the color of the Pop Century/Art of Animation Hourglass Lake station. I picked some fun colors for the interior components. Choose whatever colors you like. Default print settings listed above should work fine.
2. DriveStation-Bullwheel (print two)
   • Print two drive station bull wheel halves oriented with the flat side down on the print bed. Default print settings. The two halves are glued together with super glue gel. If the printed halves are slightly warped, it’s ok for now.
3. DriveStation-MotorMount
   • Print the motor mount flat-side down with default print settings.
4. RopeGuide (print two)
   • Print the rope guide flat-side down with default print settings. Both stations use the same rope guide, so print two.
5. DriveStation-RopeGuideMast
   • Print the mast with large, flat-side down with default print settings. No supports needed.
6. DriveStation-SpeakerHorn
   • Print the speaker horn if adding the sound option. The horn should stand up on the print bed with the wide, sound-output end on the print bed. Default print settings. No supports.
7. AdjustmentHolePlug (print two)
   • Each station has a small hole in the front to allow a screwdriver to adjust the rope guide. The plug pressure fits into the hole to hide it after installation and adjustment. Print a plug to match the station color. Default print settings.

Drive Station Assembly

Motor & Audio Wiring Harness

I made a wiring harness to power the motor and sound board to make testing, assembly, disassembly a little easier. When wiring things up, pay close attention to male and female connector ends so you don’t end up having two connectors that don’t connect!

Be sure to protect the solder joints with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. If you’re not going to have sound, you don’t need this harness.

I recommend 2-pin JST SM connectors. I used 3-pin connectors because I had a bunch in my parts drawer. Decide which pins will be positive and negative and solder the positive wires to positive; negative to negative.

Power Cable

Both the motor and audio board (if used) are powered by 5v USB. This means you can plug a USB charge block into a wall receptacle or use a power bank mounted in the control box. Either way, a power cable is needed. Purchase a USB cable that will reach from the top of the Drive station to the control box or wall receptacle. I used a 6 foot USB-A to USB-C cable and used the USB-A end to plug into my power bank. A USB-C connector will also work.

Use a cheap cable with plastic coating. The braided fabric cables are more difficult to work with.

Cut the cable a few inches longer than you need. On the cut end, use a razor to carefully cut away a couple inches of plastic insulation to expose the 4 inner wires. Standard USB wiring includes:

• 🟥 Red: +5V
• ⬛️ Black: GND
• ⬜️ White: Data –
• 🟩 Green: Data +

Only the red (+5V) and black (ground) wire are needed. Strip the red and black wires, then solder them to the positive and negative leads on the JST connector. Be sure to cover the solder joints with heat shrink tubing.

Drive Station Bull Wheel

Glue the two bull wheel halves together. They can only fit together one way. Apply a small amount of super glue gel to the tabs, slots, and on the flat areas to be joined. Avoid gluing close to the edges to avoid oozing out. Press the two halves together hard to make sure all the tabs are seated in the slots. Lay on a flat surface and place heavy weights on it (I put a few paint cans on top). Let dry several hours.

If your completed bull wheel is a little warped, pour a few inches of 190°F/88°C water in a pan. Swirl the bull wheel in the water for a 5-10 seconds to soften the PLA. Remove the wheel and place on a countertop. Place a flat, heavy weight (like a can of paint) on top and let cool for an hour or so. The wheel should be nearly flat; a slight warp is ok.

Attach the 6mm flange coupling to the bull wheel with 4 M3-.50 x 16 machine screws and hex nuts.

Motor Mount

Press 6x10x3mm Flanged Bearing into top of shaft pass-through hole. The bearing should seat with firm pressure. It doesn’t need to be very tight to do its job. If it’s too tight to go in smoothly, sand the hole with 220 grit sandpaper. If the bearing is loose enough to risk falling out, apply a touch of superglue gel on the edge. Do not allow glue to go inside the bearing. My bearings went in smoothly without sanding or glue.

Slide the drive shaft through the bearing and secure motor with four M3-.50 x 6 machine screws. 

Solder the positive and negative wires of a 160mm (6.3″) 2-pin JST connector onto the motor contacts. The motor has a red dot on the positive contact. Reversing the positive/negative wires will turn the motor in the opposite direction. The system will work with in either direction. The Hourglass Lake and Hollywood Studios Skyliner routes have the gondolas on the right-hand side moving forward; the Riviera – Epcot line runs with forward moving cars on the left.

Motor Assembly to Station Shell

Attach motor mount assembly to station shell with 4x M3-.50 x 20 machine screws and M3-.50 hex nuts. Screw heads should be inside the shell on the motor mount; hex nuts on top of the shell. Don’t over tighten the nuts to avoid damaging the shell; snug is fine.

Optional Audio FX Board and Speaker

I’ll include the minimum detail necessary to get the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board working. If you want (or need) detailed instructions for the board, check out the in-depth tutorial on the Adafruit site. Unfortunately, I can’t provide any support for the board.

The audio system includes announcements from the eight Skyliner routes; plus two extra routes edited to represent my basement Pop Century to Hollywood Studios route.

When the audio button is pressed, a randomly selected “route” will play in its entirety.

Increasing Audio FX Gain

The Audio FX board ships with the gain reduced to protect the built-in amp. My audio was too quiet, so I increased the gain by severing the small bridge on the G1 pad with a razor blade. This doubles the gain and fills a small room with glorious Skyliner announcements.

If you’re interested, the schematic for the FX Sound Board can be found here. The gain chart on the right side of the schematic details the dB increases by severing pads G0 & G1. Severing only the G1 bridge is plenty. Increasing gain further could damage the board.

If the audio is too loud after cutting G1, you can repair the G1 bridge with a small drop of solder.

Wiring the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board

The power, speaker, and button wires can be soldered directly to the FX board. However, I used JST cable connectors and a speaker terminal block (included with the Audio FX board) to make testing and assembly easier. Solder the terminal block to the left speaker channel pinouts. To connect the speaker, slide the stripped speaker wires into the holes and tighten the set screws. Black is negative, red is positive. The speaker wires are really thin; it’s a challenge to get them adequately pinched with the set screws. Give the wires a slight tug to make sure they are secure.

Solder the power connector wires to the Vin and Gnd pinouts. Solder the button wires to the #3 and Gnd pins. Below is a diagram showing pinout details.

Transferring Audio Files to the Board

The Audio FX Board has a standard micro B USB jack on the end. Connect the board to your computer with a micro B USB cable. Be sure to use a known good data+power USB cable. Cheap cables that come with power banks often don’t support data transfer.

The audio board file transfer is compatible with most any computer. I successfully tested it with my Mac, an old PC, and my Linux laptop.

Once plugged into a computer, the FX board will appear as a removable USB drive in your Windows directory or Mac Finder. If there is a file already on your new FX Sound Board, it’s a test file from the factory; you can leave it or delete it.

The Skyliner audio files are in a zip file at Thingiverse and Printables. Make sure to unzip the files; there should be 10 ogg files. Drag and drop one audio file at a time to the board and be patient. File transfer to the board is slow (especially with an aging Win10 PC).

After the last file is transferred, eject the drive to assure the transfers are complete. Unplug the board and you’re ready to test and install.

It’s a good idea to temporarily plug in the push button, wire up the speaker, and attach and power wires to test the board. The micro USB jack on the board is only for transferring files; you can’t power the board and speaker with the micro USB jack. For audio playback, the board is powered by the Vin & Gnd pins.

A green LED light will illuminate on the board when properly powered. Momentarily pressing and releasing the button should illuminate a red LED and play a randomly selected audio file. The volume of the speaker will be very low unless it’s attached to the printed speaker horn.

If you have trouble with the Audio FX Sound Board, I can’t help you. Refer to the documents on Adafruit:

• Audio FX Sound Board Tutorial
• Sound Board Schematic

Install the Audio Components

Attach the audio board to the shell with two M2.5 x 10mm nylon screws and nuts. Do not use metal screws due to the risk of shorting out board components. Push the power and push-button wires through the square hole in the top of the shell.

Peel off the oval sticker backing paper from the speaker and press the speaker onto the back of the speaker horn. Attach speaker horn to the shell with two small sheet metal screws through the top of the shell. I think I used #4 x 3/8″ screws; find a couple of small screws that look like they’ll fit.

Attach Drive Bull Wheel To Shaft

Slide the bull wheel flange coupling over the motor drive shaft, leaving a 1mm space between the coupling and motor housing. Align the flat side of the shaft with the set screw on the flange. Use an allen wrench to tighten the set screw in the flange.

Rope Guide Prep

For each Rope Guide (you should have two, one for each station), cut two pieces of clear packing tape about 9mm x 90mm. Wrap the tape around the ramps on each guide. The tape provides a smooth surface for the rope grips to glide over.

Press the tape down firmly on the bottom of the ramp.

Attach Rope Guide & Mast

Connect a rope guide to the rope guide mast with one M3 x 10mm machine screw and nut.

Assemble the rope guide and mast with the screw hole centered in the slot. Tighten just enough to be snug. Later, when fine tuning, this screw is loosened to adjust the height of the Rope Guide so the gondola rope grip smoothly transitions onto the bull wheel.

If the nut won’t fit into the hexagonal hole, apply gentle pressure with pliers to pop the nut into the hole. If hole is still too tight for the nut, try enlarging with a razor blade.

Attach rope guide assembly to station shell with two M3-.50 x 10 machine screws and M3-.50 hex nuts.

Drive station assembly is now complete! The station should look something like this:

Return Station

The return station is sometimes called the tensioning station because it’s designed to maintain tension on the cable (or “rope”) that carries the gondolas. Our return station maintains rope tension with a small spring.

Printing The Parts

There are six printed parts needed for the return station.

1. ReturnStation-Shell
   • Orient the shell on the print bed laying on its top (upside down).
   • I printed my return shell with teal filament and added a 4mm layer of red mid-print to resemble the Hollywood Studios station. Choose whatever colors you like.
   • The interior of the shell has four sets of rails to hold the sliding tensioner. Enable supports in the slicer software to properly print the rails. The supports are removed after printing (a small screwdriver is helpful for prying the supports out of the slots). The small access hole on the front wall of the station shell does not need supports.
2. ReturnStation-Bullwheel (print two)
   • Print two return station bull wheel halves oriented with the flat side down on the print bed. Default print settings. The two halves are glued together with super glue gel. If the printed halves are slightly warped, it’s ok for now.
3. ReturnStation-Tensioner
   • The tensioner holds the bull wheel & rope guide, and slides fore and aft to maintain ropeway tension. Use default print settings.
4. RopeGuide
   • You may have already printed this when printing the Drive Station parts.
5. AdjustmentHolePlug
   • Each station has a small hole in the front to adjust the rope guide. The plug pressure fits into the hole to hide it after installation and adjustment. Print a plug to match the station color. Default print settings.

Test Fit Tension Slider

Test fit tension slider in the station shell. Slider should slide freely and smoothly fore and aft. Sand rails and/or slider as necessary. If tension slider is warped, dip into 190°F/88°C water for a few seconds, and hold flat on a countertop until cool. It took me a few tries at de-warping and sanding to achieve smooth, action with no binding. After testing, remove tension slider from station shell.

Return Station Bull Wheel

The return station bull wheel halves assemble in the same manner as the drive station wheel. Apply a small amount of super glue gel to the tabs, slots, and on the flat areas to be joined. Avoid gluing close to the edges to avoid oozing out. Let dry several hours on a flat surface with weights on top. After dry, remove any warp using the instructions above for the drive wheel.

Attach Rope Guide to Tensioner

Attach Rope Guide to the mast on the Tension Slider with a M3 x 10mm machine screw and nut. Tighten screw until just snug. Like the drive station rope guide, position the screw hole mid-slot.

Attach Bull Wheel to Tensioner

Insert a 608 spinner bearing into the wheel. Lightly sand if necessary to pressure fit the bearing. Bearing should be flush with top edge of bull wheel. If the bearing is really tight, use 220 sandpaper to remove defects in the hole so the bearing fits firmly in the bull wheel.

Secure bull wheel to slider with a #8 flat washer and #4 x 1/2” wood screw. Tighten screw just until firm. Do not over tighten. Wheel should spin freely. 

Install Tensioning Spring

Slide the tensioner in position before screwing in the hooks; the tensioner can not be installed with the hooks in position.

The tensioning spring is attached with two small cup hooks. I used two screw eyes bent with pliers into hooks. The two hooks screw into the holes on the tensioner and back of the station shell.

The provided holes may be too small; use a drill bit to enlarge them.

I had several springs in my junk drawer. The spring I used needed modification to work. I cut it a little shorter and used pliers to create hooks on the ends. The spring will likely be too tight; it should be kind of “springy” to maintain string tension. We don’t want the nylon cord to be tight, just firm. The spring should give and take as the gondolas move around the bull wheels. It’ll take some experimenting to get it right.

To loosen the spring force, I slightly over extended the spring until I was happy with it.

Once the spring is installed, it may be easier to remove the spring, screw hooks, and tensioner assembly to install the station on the ceiling.

Ceiling Spacers

Each station needs 3 ceiling spacers. The spacers keep the station tops 3 cm below the ceiling to provide room for the motor and wires. It also gives the stations a nice, finished look when installed. I printed my spacers in black. Default print settings should be fine.

Tower Assemblies

The towers support the ropeway and gondolas between stations. Each tower mounts to the ceiling with a small drywall screw.

How Many Towers?

The first towers should be about 8 inches (20 cm) from the front of each station.

After the first towers, I spaced my towers every 18 inches (46 cm), give or take an inch or two. Feel free to experiment with the spacing. I like how 18″ looks and it seems to support the rope and gondolas well. After you figure out how many towers you need, it’s time to start printing components.

Printing The Parts

There are five printed parts needed for each tower assembly.

1. Tower
   • Orient the tower on the print bed with the ceiling mounting tap sticking up.
   • Default print settings should work. No supports needed.
2. Tower-GuideMount (2 needed)
   • The guide mounts snap onto the tabs on each side of the tower.
   • Print with the single slot facing up
   • Default print settings should work. Avoid using a brim unless necessary.
   • Try to assure z-seam is on the bottom of the guide.
3. Tower-GuideSlider (2 needed)
   • The guide slider has two tabs that snap into the mount. The top surface of the slider is what the ropeway and gondola rope grips slide over.
   • Print with the two tabs facing up.
   • Default print settings should work. Avoid using a brim unless necessary.
   • Try to assure z-seam is on the bottom of the guide.

Below is a fresh batch of tower guides. Notice the z-seam is on the bottom of each guide. If you print with the seam on top of the guide slider, you may want to sand the seam smooth. A seam on the bottom won’t hurt and won’t be noticeable.

Assemble the Guides

Apply a bit of super glue gel to the two tabs and slots on the mount and slider. Add a dab of gel on each side of the slots, but not enough to ooze out. Firmly squeeze the mount and slider together. Wrap a rubberband several times around each slider/mount and let dry for a few hours.

Warping the Guide Fins

The four fins protruding from each tower guide need to be warped. The fins assure the rope grip is properly aligned for its journey over the guide.

Fill a Mickey coffee cup with 190°F/88°C water. Dip one end of the guide in the water and submerge the two fins for about 5 seconds. Gently bend the fins slightly outward as pictured. Be gentle; the fins will be soft from the hot water. It doesn’t take much effort to bend them. Repeat with the other two fins.

Attach Guides to Tower

You may be able to snap the guides onto the towers without glue. About half of my guides snapped on tight; I used a bit of super glue gel for the rest of them.

Take a close look at the alignment of the guides and tower. The guides need to be as close to 90° to the tower as possible. Gently bend the guides to align them. If the guides are stubborn, warm water can be used to soften the tab before attaching the guide, then hold in position while it cools.

Rope Grips

The rope grip provides a means to connect the gondola to the ropeway (nylon cord).

Print the rope grips with default settings. I printed most of my grips with a .20 layer height, but also had good results printing a few at .16 (dynamic quality). No supports needed.

Lightly sand the bottoms of the grips with 120 sandpaper to smooth out the sharp layer edges. The photo above shows my sanded grip bottom. It’s not necessary for the bottoms to be perfectly smooth.

Control Box

The control box holds the USB power bank and push button (for the sound option). If you plan on powering the Skyliner with a wall outlet, and without sound, you don’t need the control box.

Printing the Parts

The box consists of the box back that screws into the wall, and 2 versions of the front; one with a hole for a sound button and the other without a hole.

1. Box
   • Orient the box on the print bed laying on its back.
   • Default print settings. No supports needed.
2. Box-Front
   • Orient the box front on the print bed laying on its face.
   • Default print settings. No supports needed.
3. Box-Front-NoSound
   • Same settings as Box-Front

Control Box Assembly

Sound option: Attach the button to the hole in the box front and solder the button wires to the button posts. For my button wire, I used some thin speaker wire I had in my junk box. Any sort of 2 conductor wire will work.

Route the wire up the left or right side of the box in the slots as shown below.

The box is designed to attach to the wall with a #6 x 1 ¼” drywall screw. Screw the box into the wall then press on the front. If the front fit isn’t snug, add a small drop of hot glue to the outside of each tab on the sides of the front and press into position. Permanently gluing the box together will make removal from the wall difficult.

Most pocket-size USB power banks will slide into the box.

Decorating the Parts

The stations, towers, and control box can be decorated with cut vinyl, paint, or stickers. I included my Cricut SVG cut files if you want to use them. The files should be compatible with most vinyl cutting machines.

Detailed cutting instructions are beyond the scope of this article.

Ropeway Installation

Project the Route with a Laser

Use a laser level to project the Skyliner route on the ceiling. I thought about snapping a chalk line, but this would be messy and likely stain the ceiling. The laser allows you to experiment with different options. Use small pieces of blue painter’s tape to mark the ends of the route so you can reposition the laser if it gets bumped.

Align the Stations

Temporarily disassemble the return station. Hold the station shell in position and use a pencil to mark the three mounting holes on the ceiling. Use the return station shell to mark holes for both stations.

Make sure the station is aligned with the laser as closely as possible.

Prep the Drive Station

Prepare the drive station for installation by connecting the USB power cable and button wires. Plug the USB cable into a USB power source and make sure the motor runs and bull wheel rotates. Press and release the audio button to make sure the audio works.

Use duct tape and zip-ties to secure the wires to the top of the station

Install the Stations

Screw each station and spacers into the ceiling with three #6 x 2 inch drywall screws. Slide the screws into the mounting holes on the shell, through the ceiling spacers, and screw into the ceiling. Hit the pencil marks on the ceiling as accurately as possible. Tighten until just snug. Over tightening will strip the drywall. Screw holes on the shell will allow for slight adjustment to assure alignment with laser.

Mark and Install the Towers

Mark the tower positions with blue painter’s tape. My first towers are positioned 8 inches from the front of each station, then about 18 inches apart.

Install each tower with a #6 x 1 ¼” drywall screw. Screw slot will allow for small adjustments of the towers. Don’t over-tighten the screws; just snug.

Install the Ropeway (Nylon Cord)

Use the 1.5mm nylon cord to make a large loop. Here’s a formula to get the cord circumference (length):

Measure the distance between the front edges of the stations and multiply by 2. Then add 873mm (or 34 3/8”). On my installation, the distance between the front edges of the stations is about 134″. 134(2)+34.375=302.375

The formula will get you in the ballpark. Actual length will vary due to spring length/tension and cord tension. It took me a couple tries to get the length just right.

Cut the string a few inches longer to allow for tying a knot. I marked my string with pieces of painters tape so I knew where to make the knot. I used a square knot. Don’t trim the excess string until you are happy with the length. You will likely need to loosen and adjust it a few times.

Test fit the ropeway by looping it around the drive station bull wheel, then the return station bull wheel while gently pulling the bull wheel away from the spring to provide some slack. When the bull wheel is released, the loop should pull and hold the tensioning assembly about a 1/4″ to 1/2″ or so forward of its neutral (no tension) position. As more gondolas are added, there were be more tension on the spring.

The image below shows my spring and tension slider assembly in the neutral (no-tension) position on the left and with the cord and 11 gondolas installed on the right.

When you’re happy with the loop length, make sure the knot is tight and trim the loose ends close to the knot. Use a match or lighter to heat the knot just enough to soften the cord fibers (quickly pass the knot through the flame so the cord doesn’t burn through). When the knot cools, it will be secure. The knot will break if over heated.

Make sure the cord is positioned above all the tower guides and rope guides inside the stations. The cord will not touch all of the tower guides, especially near the stations. This is normal. The weight of the gondolas will pull the cord down onto the guides.

Attach the Skyliner Gondolas

Rope Grip Installation

Install the rope grip by gently snapping into place on the gondola hanger arm. Be careful! The hanger section of the model is fragile; it wasn’t designed for this. It may be necessary to lightly sand areas on the grip to get a good fit. My grips snap onto the arm without any alteration.

Attaching Grip to Ropeway

The narrow channel along the bottom of the grip pinches the string tightly. I use a fingernail to force the nylon cord into the channel.

Placing a gondola’s rope grip directly in front of the cord knot will help ensure the knot doesn’t get snagged on a tower slider.

Space the gondolas around the ropeway evenly. When I had 7 or 8 gondolas on my system, I noticed the ropeway would bog down and slip on the bull wheels due to a balance issue. Once I spread out the gondolas evenly, the ropeway worked smoothly. I also had better luck with an odd number of gondolas; so only one gondola goes around a bull wheel at a time.

Fine Tuning

Station Rope Guides

Power up the system and pay close attention to the how the rope grip transitions from the station rope guide onto the bull wheel. The rope grip should slide smoothly off the guide and into the bull wheel groove. If the guide is too high or low, you’ll hear/see a click as rope grip hits the top or bottom edge of the wheel and snaps into the groove.

Adjust the rope guide height by inserting a small screw driver into the front access hole and loosen the screw. Wiggle the rope guide a bit to raise or lower as needed. Watch the gondola again to check for smooth operation. When finished, tighten the screw.

The video below shows the grip smoothly sliding off the guide and into the bull wheel groove.

Repeat the adjustment on the other station.

Adjust Towers

Watch the gondolas as they slide across the tower guides. Towers may need to be moved left/right or slightly rotated so the grip slides smoothly over the guides. It may also be necessary to bend a guide or two if they are out of square.

Failure *IS* an Option (for me & Edison)

When discussing the challenges of creating a light bulb, Thomas Edison said: “I have not failed 10,000 times – I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

I didn’t make it to 10,000, but I definitely discovered a lot of ropeway designs that didn’t work!

Good Luck!

If you have questions and/or decide to take on this project, let me know in the comments!