September 12, 2018

Mike Gath
EEA Consulting Engineers
6615 Vaught Ranch Rd. #100
Austin, TX 78730

RE: Wyler Aerial Tramway

Site Review and Analysis

Dear Mike:

The site visit to the Wyler Tram was interesting. The assembled group shared a lot of
information about their experiences. This letter report summarizes the information
about the tram.

Description of Tram:

The Wyler Tram is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The
2600’ long tram has a vertical rise of 940’. The tram is classified as an “Aerial Tramway”
per the ANSI B77.1 Standard. The two, 10 person cabins reciprocate between
terminals. Each cabin is supported by a stationary track cable that is suspended
between the terminals in a single span. The carrier is attached to and propelled by a
haul rope operated through drive and tensioning systems.

Background:

The tram was built in 1959 to provide construction and maintenance access for
personnel and equipment for the KTSM television transmission tower. The tram was
named after Karl Wyler who was the project’s construction manager. It was designed
by Robert Heron, a well-respected tramway engineer of that period. The design used
technology that was current at that time. Mr. Heron built several aerial tramways during
his career but almost all have been removed.

The tram was opened to the public between 1960 and 1986. In 1986n the owner
supposedly closed the tram to public operation due to high maintenance and insurance
costs. The tram was donated to the TPWD in 1997, with the agreement that the tram
would continue to be available to transport personnel and material for the maintenance
of the communications towers. After renovations that included a new drive, the tram
was reopened to the public in 2001. The TPWD has continued to operate the tram for
public use since that time.

TPWD solicited proposals to review the existing tram and recommend possible
improvements to increase public safety. EEA Consulting Engineer was selected for this
review. Tramway Engineering was retained by EEA to assist.

P.O. Box 398  Glenwood Springs, CO 81602  (970) 945-5138  FAX (970) 945-5138
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Executive Summary

The tram has reached the end of its usable life for safely transporting public.
Continuing to operate the tram exposes the State of Texas to high liability. The
following were considered in reaching this conclusion:

1. The aerial tram was not designed for 59 years of continual use The structural
members have experienced a significant number of fatigue cycles that weaken
the steel strength and can lead to cracking at high stress locations. It would be
very difficult to conduct non-destructive testing of each member. The single
point failure of one major structural component could result in significant
incident.

2. The tram design is unique and was not constructed by a major lift manufacturer.
As such, there is no source of technical support or replacement parts from an
existing manufacturer. The existing lift manufacturers are not willing to provide
technical support for the tram for liability reasons.

3. The maintenance for the tram is being performed by personnel from the TPWD.
The personnel have limited technical experience and lack the skills needed for
the safe operation and maintenance of the tram. The tram is currently not being
operated or maintained according to standards established by ANSI B77.1.

4. The track cable rope brakes are not functional. The left track cable brake is too
weak to prevent a loaded carrier from sliding down the track rope after it has
been applied. If applied, the right track brake will stop the carrier from sliding, but
cannot be released except by personnel standing on the top of the carrier which
may be hundreds of feet above ground.

5. Currently there are no lift controls at the upper terminal or in the carrier as
required by the Standard. The control panel at the upper terminal is not
functional. The haul rope counterweight travel is not monitored. Operating a lift
without the required control is hazardous.

Technical Issues:

1. National Standard. In the United States, aerial lifts are designed, maintained and
operated to ANSI B77.1 Standard. The Standard has been adopted and codified
by jurisdictions where aerial lifts are used. When there is an incident that
involves aerial lifts, the Standard is commonly used by the plaintiff in court. The
Wyler tram does not comply with many of the requirements in the Standard. The

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State of Texas has liability for operating a tram that is not in conformance with
the National Standard.

2. Drive. The drive is the device that controls the flow of power to the electric
motor. The drive was installed in 2001 as part
of the upgrades prior to resuming public
operation. The controlling software for the
drive was designed and the installation
supervised by Jenlynn.

The drive was manufactured by Fincor. The

company was bought by Safetronics in 2003.
The drive is no longer manufactured, but a
limited number of replacement parts are
available on the secondary market.

The drive has a good history of reliability although there have been occasional
unexplained drive faults. The drive, which is the newest component in the lift
system, remains functional and is not the primary safety issue for continued safe
public operations.

3. Capacity. The tram was built to build and maintain

the TV transmission towers. The original cabins
had a standup capacity of 6 workers. The original
cabins are on display at the lower terminal parking
lot. When the tram was up graded in 2001, the
original cabin was replaced with a standard 8
passenger sit-down CWA cabin. The TPWD
removed the seats and increased the cabin
capacity to 9 guests and one cabin attendant. The
cabin hanger and track cable brakes were not
replaced. The upgrade increased the load in the
cabin by 166% without upgrading the rest of the
tram.

The tram is occasionally used to transport material to the upper terminal. In

some cases, the material is placed in the cabin. In other cases a special carrier
is installed on the tram for heavier loads. There is no established criteria for
determining the maximum allowable loads or the actual weight of the loads
placed on the tram.

The Wyler tram was not designed to be used for public operation with a 10
passenger cabin. Under current conditions it is being overloaded on a daily
basis.

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4. Track Brakes. On a bicable tram, the track cable brakes are designed to keep
the carrier from falling to the ground if the haul rope breaks. The brakes are
mounted on the carrier hanger and surround the track rope. The track cable
brake can only be intentionally applied by the tram attendant. If activated,
compressed springs are released and brake shoes close around the cable to
prevent the carrier from sliding uncontrollably down the track cable.

The left track cable brake was not capable of stopping and holding a loaded
carrier when it was applied during recent testing. The right track cable brake has
been successfully tested and will hold the carrier. However, the brake is locate
at the top of the hanger and is nearly inaccessible. To release the brake, a
mechanic must climb to the top of the carrier and use a large wrench to
compress the springs to release the brake. This is difficult and dangerous when
the carrier is suspended hundreds of feet above the valley floor. In their current
condition, the brakes are a hazard to public safety.

The track cable brake can only be

activated by the cabin attendant by
pulling down a knob mounted on the
ceiling of the cabin. If the brake is
applied when the haul rope is being
driven, the carrier will swing violently
upwards towards and perhaps into
the track cable. In this scenario, the
cabin would continue to be pulled
along by the haul rope while the
cabin hanger is clamped to the track
rope. The result would be a major
incident with possible casualties. To prevent this hazard, the current Standard
requires an automatic emergency shutdown when the brake is applied.

The track cable brakes need to be replaced if the Wyler tram is to continue public
operation. The original track cable brake manufacturer is no longer in business
and parts are not available. The replacement of the brake would require a new
hanger assembly on the both carriers. It is unlikely that any qualified company is
available to design, manufacturer and install a new track cable brakes on the
Wyler tram.

5. Evacuation Engine. The tram is equipped

with a secondary engine that is used to
evacuate stranded passengers in the
event of a power loss or other emergency.
The gas engine was recently installed due
to performance issues with the old engine.
The size of the secondary engine is
controlled by a gearbox between the

P.O. Box 398  Glenwood Springs, CO 81602  (970) 945-5138  FAX (970) 945-5138
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engine and the drive shaft. The gear box is now operating at the nameplate
rated capacity. The gearbox manufacturer is no longer in business. The size of
the secondary engine cannot be increased due to these limitations.

There are two haul ropes on the Wyler tram. Each rope is dead ended on the
hanger above each carrier. Unfortunately, the length of the two ropes are not
equal. As a result, the carriers do not arrive at the two terminals platforms
simultaneously. When one carrier docks, the other carrier has not reached the
platform at the other terminal. The drive provides additional power to pull the
carrier into the terminal. This additional force raises the haul rope counterweight
to effectively lengthen the usable rope length to dock the second cabin.

The newly installed evacuation engine does not have enough power to pull the
cabin to the loading platform. During an evacuation, one of the cabins would
stop before the lower platform. In this scenario, the carrier is close enough to the
ground for a rope evacuation or by using a man lift stationed at the terminal for
this purpose.

6. Communications. There is no functioning tram control system communications

between terminals. The upper terminal stop switches are not functional. The haul
rope counterweight travel limit switches are not functional. The tram will not stop
if the counterweight reaches the end of its travel.

A small communications cable was once laid on the ground between the
terminals. The installation was poor and the cable is not functional. After the
communication cable failed, a microwave signal was installed for tram control.
This system was not reliable and was abandoned.

7. Cabin Position Control. The cabins reciprocate

between terminals under the control of a
mechanical device invented in the early 1900’s for
controlling mine hoists. The device sends a signal
to the control system to slow down the tram as the
cabins approach the terminal. The tram is
stopped when the cabin contacts a positioning
switch when the carriers are at the platforms. The
Lilly controller detects overspeed and
automatically sets the emergency brake by
releasing the elevated yellow striped weight in the
image. The mechanical controller has a very
reliable safety history and is still in use in many
older mines. The device is no longer
manufactured and parts must be custom made.

The correct monitoring of the cabin positions is critical to the safe operation of an
aerial tramway. The cabins must be slowed down as they approach the terminal

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or they will collide with the terminal. With few exceptions, cabin position
monitoring uses a proximity pulse sensor that is mounted on a driven sheave to
measure distance. The tram is slowed when the pulse count on the sheave
reaches the desired number. In addition, there are proximity sensors that
confirm that the tram has been slowed and finally there is an overtravel switch
that activates the emergency stop if the tram travels past the loading platform.
The Wyler tram does not have any of these safety features.

There have been two incidents where a carrier was driven past the platform and
collided with the terminal structure resulting in damage. It is not known if the Lilly
controller, the carrier position switch or the drive software contributed to the
incident. There are indications of wear in the mechanical parts of the controller
that may result in less reliability.

8. Evacuation. The tram travels over

treacherous terrain. The cabins can
be several hundred feet above the
steep, rocky, cactus studded ground
with roaming poisonous snakes.
The evacuation of up to 20 people
under any weather condition would
be very difficult. There is an
evacuation plan. It requires a team
of highly trained professionals to get
to the carriers and lower the
passengers to the ground. The
primary safety plan is for the cabin
attendant to lower a rope to the ground and somehow escort people to a safe
haven. Direct access using the track cable for transport on a rescue bike is not
possible because the tails of the haul rope prevent a rescuer from reaching the
top of the cabin.

An aerial evacuation of a loaded ski lift is very rare and primarily caused by a
mechanical failure. Carriers are close to the ground and there are trained
employees to lower passengers to the ground where they can ski back to the
base. The 59 year old Wyler tram does not meet the design, maintenance or
operational requirements in the legally enforceable ANSI B77.1 Standard. There
is a higher risk that the Wyler tram will have to be evacuated. The evacuation of
this tram would gain negative national attention in addition to the liability.

9. Operations and Maintenance. The Wyler tram is maintained and operated by

employees of the TPWD. The department maintains a large number of
recreational sites across Texas. However, it is a unique challenge for the
department to properly maintain and operate this historic equipment. The staff
that we met during the site visit were knowledgeable within their limited
experience and are motivated to operate a safe lift. The staff had no prior

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experience in operating and maintaining a complicated and unique piece of

mechanical equipment.

The tram is open for public operation on a limited schedule to reduce operating
costs. The tram is operated without an upper attendant. Electrical issues must
be resolved by a staff that has little electrical training. It is reported that it has
sometimes been necessary to bypass certain safety circuits in order to operate
the tram. There appears to be no record of these modifications or if they were
ever removed after the fault was identified and corrected.

The Wyler tram has retained Jamie Bunch to assist in resolving electrical and
mechanical issues. Jamie was the software design engineer for the drive. He
has conducted the annual inspection of the tram as required by the National
Standard. He was present during the site visit and was very helpful and
knowledgeable of the recent history of the tram. There are no local electrical
engineers or contractors who are knowledgeable in lift electronics.

Non-routine maintenance that requires special experience and equipment has

recently been performed by John Lafferty owner of Alpine Cable. John is very
experienced in lift maintenance. Recently he replaced many of the primary
bearings and bushings on the line equipment. He has done some structural
modifications to the tram under the direction of Jamie Bunch.

There are a very limited number of qualified professionals in the tramway

industry that are not employed by the two lift manufacturer. Many of these
professionals are approaching retirement with few young engineers taking their
place. There will be an ongoing need for these professionals by the TPWD if
they continue to operate the tram. This lack of professional assistance will make
it difficult to safely operate this unique machine.

10. Personnel Safety. The tram terminals are open frame steel structures. There
are no ladders or adequate work platforms for inspection and maintenance by
personnel. The only access for the inspection and maintenance of the

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track cable brake is on a small wooden platform in the lower terminal. The
platform does not meet the required safety standards.

Discussion of Options:

Currently the Wyler tram does not meet the National Standard for the safe operation of
an aerial ropeway. If the tram is to be open for public use, the TPWD should consider
increasing the funding for the operation and maintenance of the tram.

I am unaware of any serious incidents with the Wyler tram caused by electrical or
mechanic failure. This is a testament to the original design engineer. However, the risk
of a major failure is very high when compared to other aerial installations. It may be the
decision of the TPWD to continue to operate the tram with the identified issues.

It appears that the state of Texas is committed to operate the Wyler tram for access to
the communications towers at the upper terminal. The life of the tram may be extended
by closing the tram for public operation and only operating the tram as required for
maintenance. The State could be reimbursed for the maintence of the tram by
companies that rely upon access to the communication towers.

The following are recommendations for the type of upgrades that could be considered in
if the tram continues to operate for the public. The items are listed in the relative order
of importance.

1. Communications. Communications between the terminals should be established

as soon as possible. The terrain makes it difficult to use surface cables. The
existing microwave system could be upgraded for reliability. The use of Wi-Fi for
lift control should be considered on an interim basis. Once system control
communications has been established, the upper tram controls systems can be
functional. The Standard requires a permanently installed two way voice
communications system be installed between the terminals. This type of system
requires a hard wired connection.

2. Personnel Safety. There are inadequate ladders and platforms for proper
maintenance of the carrier’s hanger and
track cable brakes. It would be advisable
for a TPWD personnel responsible for
worker safety to review the terminal and to
recommend changes to create a safer work
environment.

3. Upgrade carrier positioning controls. The

control system must detect a cabin over
travel in the terminals. Over travel by a
cabin has been blamed on two incidents

P.O. Box 398  Glenwood Springs, CO 81602  (970) 945-5138  FAX (970) 945-5138
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that resulted in damage to the terminals. The device that detects over travel is
now mounted directly to the front of the lower terminal structure. It is advisable to
redesign the detection system with current technology.

4. Track cable brakes. The track cable brakes may represent the most significant
safety hazard for the Wyler tram. The brakes and the entire hanger assembly
should be replaced in the near future.

5. Upgrade Drive. Although the current motor and drive have been reliable, there
have been recent incidents of drive faults that need to be investigated. To bring
the tram electronics to current standards, the DC motor should be replaced with
an AC motor with new drive and drive controls.

6. Replace Wyler Tram. The tram has been operating well past its planned
obsolescence. The tram can be replaced with a new compact aerial tram. The
estimated cost for a compact aerial tram is above $7,000,000. The tram could
have a much higher capacity. However, there is very limited space at the upper
terminal for the expansion of any activity other than viewing the city.

Conclusions:

The Wyler tram should not be operated for the public in its current condition. The
installation does not meet the current National Standards for either design, operation or
maintenance. The tram is being operated by personnel with minimal mechanical
training and experience. If an incident occurred on the tram, it would receive national
coverage. The state of Texas would be liable for the operation of an unsafe installation.

Thank you for requesting our review of this unique installation. Please feel free to
contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Charles R. Peterson
Professional Engineer

P.O. Box 398  Glenwood Springs, CO 81602  (970) 945-5138  FAX (970) 945-5138