Old and dangerous 1926 OTIS Traction Elevator @ ... , ... VA, USA.

[@TheCreativeMind]

In Soviet Russia elevator stays still, building moves up and down.

[@dakotashowalter5949]

Mkscorpion79 can you make a video of it

[@Volga2402]

In Soviet Russia capitalists lies in their graves

[@SergeyFallout]

No, in Soviet Russia you moves the elevator yourself. But Russia is not Soviet anymore.

[@user-se8nh3yu1e]

SergeyFallout it’s a joke.

[@simmerthesauce9228]

@@SergeyFallout r/wooosh

[@grahamallen4249]

I suppose been a elevator enthusiast has its ups and downs...

[@keenanjohnson5678]

+Comedy 100

[@user-wr1gh8fv6p]

Lifts my spirits

[@la-ia1404]

1926 followed by "You Got Mail!".

[@dayofthedaleks1524]

Tina and Einstein who still uses AOL

[@ElementofKindness]

Dayofthedaleks152 Ha! That was my instantaneous thought as well!

[@DrFruikenstein]

Yep... 1926 followed by 1996.

[@Galidorquest]

Dayofthedaleks152 My Dad does.

[@christophermorreall3454]

I still use aol

[@realvanman]

That guy was *really* cool for giving you guys such an up close and hands on tour! Thanks for sharing!!

[@minecraftelevatorsltd4552]

realvanman Its Disel ducy

[@5bananas1]

You are now entering "the twilight zone".

[@nicolea2839]

Tower of Terror

[@richardzink6026]

I'm a elevator technician for 40 yrs I have seen these run at over 500ft per minute in NY

[@donkmeister]

Back from the days when there genuinely were "elevator drivers" driving these for a living. The guy showing them is obviously very much aware of the potential dangers of this badboy with the "all clear" and "stand back"!!!! Nearest I've seen to this lift are the more recent three-sided lifts that you still see in Italy, but those are automated(ish).

[@nephetula]

Most all passenger elevators had inner doors, so they weren't as hazardous as the one shown. Every big department store and office building had 2 or more elevators, but from what I remember back in the '50s, they were referred to as "elevator operators", not "elevator drivers". That's also back when truck drivers were usually referred to as "chauffeurs", and a driving license for big rigs was called a "chauffeur's license".

[@netking66]

I have not seen any three sided ones, but some older ones have a hand operated scissors gate instead of an 'inside' door which the attendant or passenger had to work. The elevator would not move until the gate was properly shut and in some cases the gate could be opened while the elevator was moving resulting in it stopping. The control logic was primitive - if you pressed the floor call button (there was only one) the elevator would come to that floor only if free. Similarly there was no logic with the buttons in the car - if you press say level 6 the elevator went there and that was that. You could do an 'unscheduled' stop by pulling the scissors gate open at the appropriate floor and hope there was not too much of a 'step'. So probably a 'driver' was used at busy times especially in a retail setting with ithe elevator being self operated 'after hours' when usage was light.

[@weekendrailroader]

Agreed. It's good to see a competent operator with safety on the brain when working with old equipment and technology.

[@crapcopter]

the guy driving was dieselducy, another elevator filmer, you can hear his voice

[@webleeoz]

Pretty sure the guy driving is modernizing the lift car, you see the car doors in the basement at the start. (the brass coloured ones the camera man knocks with his knuckle) He will have the car door closed switch bridged to make the lift think the car doors are closed. Once he has installed the new car door operator, the car door panels will be installed and it will look like a normal lift again.

[@iorfidaskye]

We have a smaller Otis just like this in a apartment building we maintain, it's got normal push buttons to pick floor and it's got the same exact design around the top of the car. The building was built in the 1920s and the elevator is original. Still has the original inner brass gate that you have to slide over to enter

[@johnnz4375]

Most things only become dangerous when handled by stupid people.

[@Mike1614b]

yes, but there are lots of stupid people. lots

[@adrianh4581]

If you were to experience to be on that elevator in that same year it was built you would obviously be used to that being on those kind of elevators, and people back then were really not sensitive and really were more responsible because they really weren't distracted with phones and such things like that, and they treat things from the pass like they are dangerous because of how old and those things are, today people would exaggerate and make safety procedures and such things like that because bad things would happen, everyone was really used to doing things themselves more, people are not stupid, people are allowing to be spoiled by the government, putting them to sleep overtime as it passes by. We have touchscreen smart phones and everything just with that we have learn to trust the government, so do not blame them for their stupidity, that's because the world is improving as you can see, when you look around when you are outside.

[@user-se8nh3yu1e]

Adrian H thanks for the paragraph I’m not reading.

[@mauer594]

An old elevator like this is probably gonna be dangerous regardless

[@andreaeverywhere7693]

like you hahaha...

[@asleep-cult6877]

who else heard the aol you've got mail

[@lancecombes]

Zavier The Great me lol

[@nelolson7997]

1926 more like 1996

[@StrawTech8]

me

[@crapcopter]

Me

[@fedders4]

I did!

[@cadenschmidt2752]

im here at 11;30 at night watching a video about a weird ass elevator... oh well, i find these weirdly entertaining

[@RandomRandomnessKCMO]

It's 1 am and I'm doing the same .... Apparently I have no life

[@cpufreak101]

It's only 4:40 PM for me

[@V2K.04]

Sameeee except its 3:19 AM

[@johnys2417]

Aesthetic 00:43 for me

[@chado3000]

It had its ups and downs.

[@chado3000]

So back in the day you would ask the elevator operator how he liked his job. He would say, "It has it's ups and downs."

[@charlieluna7237]

It may be old but I bet it's incredibly well built

[@HappyQuailsLC]

Its just like a freight elevator! Except for that controller arm....

[@carolhutchinson7763]

HappyQuails: That was no freight elevator originally; look at the ornate interior and chandelier light. And it opens in the lobby. I wonder if it's still in operation using an elevator operator and these guys are repairing it. Or maybe changing it to automatic.

[@kentworch]

That's was awesome. You don't see an old lift like that very often anymore. Only thing cooler than that would be the engine room. Awesome video of a beautiful antique lift.❤

[@misterwhipple2870]

This is so old you have to gauge where to stop manually, and man, that IS dangerous! (Not to mention there is no interior gate, which I am sure this originally had!) I used to operate one of these in a really old hotel (under VERY close supervision) in Sarasota, Florida in the 1960s. It takes experience to operate one of these without hurting somebody! In the 1930s, they invented Micronizers, which helped you land exactly at the right spot for each floor. In the 1950s, they went automatic, which put elevator operators (remember them?) out of work. Old and beautiful, but scary!

[@chado3000]

I grew up riding an Otis just like this one, except it had a collapsible screen that kept you away from the wall as you went up or down. The fun part was they always had an operator to chauffeur you to your floor.

[@Galidorquest]

I vaguely remember taking an elevator like this in 2006, except it had rusty gates and green padded walls... Creepy as hell.

[@danielgoetz7821]

Now that's what I think of when I hear elevator. You had a lift operator , everything was gorgeous. I was born in the wrong era

[@DrMemory667]

Such a beautiful elevator in such an ugly shaft!

[@isweariwillmurderevilowlso8985]

Apart from glass lift shafts

[@HappyQuailsLC]

Would you show us wooden escalators someday?

[@larryshaver3568]

Amazing invention for even that late. The first came out around 1899

[@willharris4429]

There are two of these at the fox theater in Atlanta both in great condition I loved operating them. They can be a bit moody but it comes with age lol

[@johngriff914]

As an elevator Mechanic I can tell you there’s nothing dangerous about this elevator and they are more common than people think. They are extremely common in many multi device residential buildings in Manhattan. Mostly used as service cars for contractors and building staff. The fact that there is no gate and no interlocks leads me to suspect that they are in the middle of modernizing this elevator and replacing the hall doors. The door fixtures are all new and not consistent with Otis products.

[@brianrandall6615]

Gal hoistway door equipment

[@ep61611]

I concur. The stuff in the basement indicates that there is construction going on somewhere, and this elevator is the likely target. These guys probably removed all kinds of warning signs just to get their 9:36 of KZbin fame. Their attempt at hiding the location was absurd - at the end of the video, they told where it was: the Robert E Lee Hotel and a quick Google search gave its location as Lexington, Virginia. We're dealing with a couple of morons here...

[@ep61611]

@@Liftsaviation - Gee...if I valued your opinion of me, your comment might mean something.

[@coondogtheman]

I'd like to see the motor room of this elevator.

[@TheTheo58]

I would too to check the condition of the traction machine and the controller

[@WaterBottle1401]

TheTheo58 ow

[@InflatablePlane]

Sweet baby Jesus that motor controller is beautiful. I’d love to see the motor room for this beast.

[@piratecandy6310]

I rode a manual elevator like this one recently with my dad at a construction worksite but i think was older than this. It had the gate you had to pull and you saw the walls outside the gate when you move the machine. And when you come out of the elevator you saw the levels and the pointer that looked like a clock's hand pointing to each level the elevator was on at that moment and I fell in love with it. The lady who operated the elevator was so nice. I asked my dad if they are going to get rid of such a beautiful antique elevator and he said yes and I was upset about it. I would pay to ride that elevator again.

[@shelbythibodeau5506]

Oh, it must've been fun to be an elevator operator back in the day!

[@obesefeline]

That music on the first floor echoing up the elevator shaft reminds me of the movie "the Shining", creepy....

[@mottbone]

I thought it was the opening of the Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.'

[@nomebear]

The elevator in my office is powered by water and gravity flow. Its quiet old, was made by the Portland, Oregon, and is smooth operating.

[@JTRedstone]

wow...no inner doors

[@ElevatingEurope]

There used to be a gate in place and I guess it got ripped out.

[@chado3000]

Elevating Europe exactly

[@fieldaj2011]

First scene....i was waiting for a river of blood to get off that elevator. The Overlook!

[@Debbiebabe69]

Nothing dangerous about this elevator, apart from the missing car door and interlock which is the fault of whoever took them out, not the elevator. And for those who say 'modernise the elevators', its not that simple. For example, even though the standard preferred way to deliver electricity has been AC since the late 1800's, New York provided mains DC right up until 2007 - because some older buildings still had DC powered elevators.

[@johngriff914]

They do not have DC mainline power. AC is delivered to the building and converted by either a generator or a rectifier to DC power to operate the motor. The reason for DC motor is that prior to the late 1980’s AC motors only had two speeds, on and off. DC allowed taller buildings to elevator motors whose speed could be changed by altering the voltage to the motor via acceleration relays and resistors. This changed with the perfection of VVVF controllers using AC frequency drives

[@brianrandall6615]

Or a Drive

[@cindytepper8878]

City Hall in Philly still had really old DC elevator machinery the last time I looked at it in 2005ish. The control panels were in scary bad shape, I was afraid to breath too hard near them. There were a couple relays not even mounted and hanging by seriously old wires judging from the cloth insulation. The rest of the equipment didn't look much better. The emergency generator transfer switch for the South East corner elevator had problems too I don't even want to go into the problems with water/algae in the fuel in the generator day tanks that they did nothing about for years

[@stormeagle28]

Not dangerous. It's from a forgotten era where mankind was smart enough to handle such machinery. Today we're all way too dumb and might get killed instantly when trying to operator a lift manually. We can't even change a lightbulb anymore without being electrocuted. That's why we need computers which make the thinking for us and let us get stuck in an elevator when they fail.

[@EWPA14]

It would be much more safe if it had an inner gate like it used to. I get the outer door replacement to blend w/ the other elevator, but I don’t get @ all why they got rid of the inner gate, & the basement door.

[@tiascorner8525]

*area

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

Elevating Western PA Productions and removed the interlocks. They made it more unsafe.

[@BrapBrapDorito]

Jeez

[@tannawannavannabittannawan7138]

Amen to that!!!

[@ct92404]

That's pretty cool. The operator is almost like a motorman on a trolley car.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

I’ve come across train anoraks, bus anoraks, Classic Car anoraks, plane anoraks. I never imagined the day I would experience elavator anoraks!

[@pietersleght8235]

i rode these when i was young .. also the cage elevators were the scariest.

[@williamevans7932]

Riding on top of the car all the way to the top of the shaft is fun too.

[@HobbyOrganist]

Oh shit, did that as a kid on the 2 passenger elevators in our 22 story apartment building, and those elevators were pretty fast and I used to go from one top to the other or to an I beam between them on an upper floor. I found I could reset the floor selector by tripping the contact on the shaft doors, one poor sap wanted to get to the 21st floor and as the car started to level I tripped the contact and it would send the car all the way back to the lobby again, he tried 3 times before giving up and walking, LOL But it was scary when someone went to the top floor and you see that grating coming fast at you and it's like you are going to hit it but then the car slows and stops. I don't remember exactly how long it took to travel the 22 floors, it was probably about 30-35 seconds, a little slower than a floor per second

[@colinantink9094]

That sounds awsome. Howd you get in the shaft?

[@ForceDoG]

"Find Otis Right!" :)

[@konvitalik]

You got Mail! thats what i heard when they were down in the basement

[@michelemedori783]

I hate to say it, but these needed it.

[@bingola45]

Automatic operation was NOT introduced for safety reasons. It was devised so that you could put the Operator out of a job, and keep his pay for yourself!

[@lotsofstuff4792]

I like how at 1:51 it says the old you got mail sound

[@747sooner]

1:51 “You got mail!”

[@Lewis.Channel]

1:51 You got mail 😂

[@fakebruisesandcutetutorial7879]

Looks like a modern basement.

[@747sooner]

This is the Robert E Lee hotel in Lexington, VA.

[@MMBaus]

This is epic! Love that control wheel

[@catsbyondrepair]

Otis is the only elevator company in the world for good reason.

[@SteveCarras]

And sometime in the 1890s of older someone designing drawbridges was influenced by these and invented the vertical-lift bridge! 😎

[@Africanfrogs]

That's pretty cool that guy let you guys do all that

[@dykodesigns]

They must have compromised the safety systems, it should normally not beeing able to move with the shaft doors open.

[@IDontKnow-pf6en]

dykodesigns2yt too old for that

[@gtb81.]

I believe they were working on it at the time

[@brianrandall6615]

That car was being modded

[@jnichols3]

OK, I was going to post a clip of Cheryl Tunt saying, "Who do I look like Elisha Otis", but could not find one.

[@spn3925]

Factory I worked at here in town had 4 of these older than this, I think they had 3 digit serial numbers. Still running them as far as I know.

[@Astinsan]

There is a really old elevator (traction) in Douglas Arizona. The Gadsden Hotel. There isn’t a door on it. Just a gate.

[@DOLRED]

Nice younger guys. They reach the private residence floor and whisper!

[@coinmandanm9380]

I remember when the department stores and hotels used to have them. My mom ran one in a hotel in the 1940s and 50s.

[@MegaGeorge1948]

This elevator reminds me of the same elevator that I had to ride in at the hotel that I was staying at in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1974. The elevator operator worked off of tips operating the elevator.

[@mspenrice]

I believe the category that needs to be filed under is "dicey as fuck". Though the motion sure is smooth and silent... that's probably exactly what you DON'T want with a machine that has absolutely zero proper safety features. You WANT to be able to hear it coming.

[@raraszek]

Back then everything was built to last

[@irt3rdavenueel172]

Same elevator as in the Hollywood Tower Hotel from back in 1939

[@whorton4]

From back in the days, when "Elevator operator" was a valid job. . .

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

Occupation: 'Elevator operator (colored)'.

[@beta_fishh529]

1:50 You got mail!

[@VascoRoblox-yp5rw]

he is perfect in manually controlled elevators

[@MillerMeteor74]

Very interesting, but why is there no inner door? I loved this. Thanks.

[@LAVDELUXE]

The old elevators were the safest

[@billmoran3812]

That’s what elevators were like when I was a child. Every elevator had a man who ran it all day.

[@HobbyOrganist]

I ran a manual freight elevator back around 1980 in NYC in a 9 story building, but also one in our 22 story apartment building the handiman let me mess with when I was a teen :) The 9 story building also had an 1892 water powered hydraulic freight elevator that only went from the ground floor to the basement, it had a large water tank and a pump in the basement, it was real slow and started/stopped by a thru the car cable in the corner of the car, it was still there in 1981 but that space was later rented to a theater and they made changes, it's probably gone.

[@rupe53]

If you've ever been in Radio City Music Hall in NYC their stage has movable sections and that are still water powered. It's used for raising and lowering props and the orchestra section out of the basement to the stage level. The main reason it's still in use is because it's dead quiet and there are no pumps / motors to fail. It runs on the public water mains pressure.There's a very interesting Wiki page on it.

[@buddyclem7328]

Why did you remove the location in the description?

[@itz_maya1223]

Oml if I had a 20s house I would soooooo have that elevator in it

[@stoopid2168]

YOU GOT MAIL! 1:50

[@kieubasiarz]

There is still a 1916 elevator in one hospital..

[@fruitnap2416]

😲😵😲😵 I would never!!!!!

[@leodorego2629]

Nice old elevator without gate elevator

[@drussell_]

Why is this *old and dangerous* ? Any elevator will act essentially the same way as this when it is in service mode with the door locked open. It seems to be operating exactly as designed, despite being *old* it seems to function just fine! What is somehow excessively dangerous about this?!

[@GaryCameron780]

You mean aside from no inner doors and no outer doors on the bottom floor?

[@mauer594]

It doesn't have the same modern safety design as a new elevator.

[@ainorambuenave]

when say old and dangerous i think in a paternoster

[@thegamerplayshd5866]

Actually these are defunct but they use as a freight elevator I think.

[@phillipmoise7978]

Obviously it's being modernized. The inside car gate has been removed and the gate switch jumped out along with the hoistway door interlocks. The first door you see is a new door with a new door closer. Would like to see the finished modernization.

[@thefrenchelevatorchannel]

Bring the crank in Sweden :) and create the European elevator museum !

[@thefrenchelevatorchannel]

***** Je crois que je vais voler ceux des galeries lafayette de Paris :) les ascenseurs ont été moddés par des Gen2 mais les manivelles y sont toujours juste pour la déco

[@inferno]

On the third, look out for Otis Wright. Until then, keep your head up.

[@MrJameswund]

Brand new GAL door equipment, would love to mod that thing out

[@lyriox9783]

1:51 you got mail

[@EdgyShooter]

Far less fun than a Paternoster!

[@avinashsinghsingh7237]

Are great America

[@cbayer5012]

I think ill take the stairs

[@BrapBrapDorito]

@ 1:51 YOU'VE GOT MAIL

[@gghhrdghjr6777]

Smack those lips! Smack those lips, Lippy!

[@tonygamerrblx0]

Creepy OTIS Lift!

[@itepk0522]

DiodeGoneWild would be happy

[@ulissessantos1189]

Muito bien, me gosta muito trabajo em elevadores gostaria trabalha no usa

[@BrokebackBob]

So very cool! It must have passed inspection or they couldn't show it off!

[@mizukicalayag3068]

You are saying that this elevator is dangerous. But as what i can see is that altered the safety. It should not be working when the door is open.

[@louisbarningham]

Wow its so cool!

[@danieldmyers]

Uhh.. where’s the secondary gate to keep passengers clear of the open/moving shaft wall? That’s definitely dangerous without it lol

[@ywnm]

Looks safer then most Chinese elevators.

[@Txdcblues]

Wow that floor is paper thin!!

[@quarans08]

I feel that this was safer. Edit: Nevermind I thought you had to crank it.

[@perfanjambi6378]

GOOD ON OTIIIIIIIIIIS ELEVATOR

[@kbhasi]

My guess is that there used to be another door on the inside, but that was probably removed as part of the attempted modernisation.

[@hermanjohnsen3653]

GOT stuck in a elevator for 3 minutes today

[@dragonmaid1360]

I'm pretty sure they had these in the old Bones buildings in Perth when I was a kid. Not the turn handle though but they looked like that