Reconstruction of the interior of a dual-cable cableway station for transporting materials at high altitude.

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

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The Cableways of the First World War​

During World War I, cableways played a key role in transporting materials and supplies to the mountain fronts. In the summer of 1916, the Engineer Corps established the new profession of cableway operator. By the end of the year, as many as 12 platoons of these specialists had been formed.

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The Italian-Austrian Front

The difficulties of transport in mountainous areas made the use of cableways indispensable. More than 2,000 systems were built, with a total length of about 2,300 km, which transported 3,800 tons of material. To ensure a continuous supply, numerous cableways were built from the railway stations to the advance positions of the valley floor depots and from there to the highest positions.

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The Austrian Cableway

One of the most important cableways was built by the Austrians. It started from the Trento railway station and reached Breguzzo, covering a distance of 40 km. It was a continuous system with a single cable that was always in motion and supported by poles, similar to today’s ski lifts.

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Types of Cableways

The Italian systems were generally “dual-cable” with a combustion engine that ensured the “back-and-forth” motion of the two carriages. Another type of cableway used a counterweight system, where the descending carriage was loaded with stones and rocks, causing the carriage with the food and materials to rise.