Paternoster lift

Uncommon card · No. 98120

A paternoster (, , or ) or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator, consisting of a chain of open compartments, each usually designed for two people, that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor. The same technique is also used for filing cabinets to store documents or for small spare parts, as well as for carpet and vinyl roll, or tyres, in storage/display/dispensing machines. The smaller belt manlift, consisting of an endless belt with steps and rungs, but no compartments, is also sometimes called a paternoster. The name paternoster ("Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin) was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers. Construction of paternosters was stopped in the mid-1970s out of concern for safety, but many examples remain. By far, most remaining paternosters are in Europe, with...

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