Twenty-five years, two public cars, one binder

I started working on elevators in Calgary in 1989, first on low-rise hydraulic freight lifts in the Manchester industrial yards, then on high-rise traction gear along 5th Avenue. In 1996 a spot opened on the maintenance contract that covered the Calgary Tower shaft, and I took it because a sixty-two-second uninterrupted run with no intermediate floor stops is the cleanest hoistway in town.

For twenty-five years my routine was simple: check the machine-room temperature, inspect the hoist ropes and governor cable, ride the top of the car with a grease rag and a flashlight, and keep the door interlocks clean of winter salt tracked in off 9th Avenue. I was there for the June 2005 glass-floor crane lifts, the LED exterior lighting refit, and the 2019 drive modernization.

Retired 2023 · Still Checking the Rails

I hung up my meter three years ago when my knees decided they had climbed the pit ladder enough times. I still go up once a month on a Tuesday morning, buy a coffee, listen to the counterweight pass mid-shaft, and tell my daughter Carla whether they are keeping the guide shoes quiet.

Carla built the PHP template for this site in February 2024 so I would stop writing four-page emails every time a cousin visited Alberta. There are no affiliate links, no ticket widgets, and no sponsors.