Cable Grip - The Eppelsheimer Bottom Grip

The Eppelsheimer Bottom Grip

This is the type of grip used in the cable cars of San Francisco. The grip is attached to the lead truck of the car (or both trucks, in the case of double-ended cars), and is a field-replaceable unit. While there have also been side grips and even top grips, the sheer number of rope changes, crossings, and "let-go" curves make a bottom grip, i.e., one in which the jaws open directly downward, the most practical type of grip.

The operating lever raises and lowers the center plate of the grip, which in turn operates the jaws. With the lever fully forward, the grip is open, and the cable is free to fall out (necessary when the cable crosses under another line, as well as at the ends of lines, and at "let-go" curves). With the cable lifted into the jaws, the operating lever is pulled back, forcing the jaws between two fixed rollers, and capturing the cable between the grip's replaceable mild-steel dies (but without applying pressure). To start moving the car, the operating lever is pulled back further, squeezing the cable between the dies.