Going Up the Down Escalator Trivia Quiz

Answer: in the 1890s

The Great Wall and the pyramids were built of stone. Stone is great for durability, but not so good on movability! So those structures never had escalators. Aircraft? I can find no proof of escalators on aircraft at any time.

Answer: alternating current motors

Plain and simple, folks - AC motors. Any of the other choices would be inefficient for moving lots of people rapidly. And that's the whole purpose of escalators.

Answer: Kawasaki, Japan

The shortest escalator is in a shopping mall in Kawasaki Japan. The machine is five steps high, and has a total lift of 33 inches (18 cm). It all seems like someone's idea of a joke.

Incidentally, the longest individual escalator - 449 feet (137 m) - in 2014 was in the St Petersburg Russia Metro. If you're hungry for more record setting escalator trivia - facts like longest on your continent, longest escalator SYSTEM (there's a difference), or longest FREESTANDING unit - you're on your own!

Answer: passenger trains

Believe it or not: for about a decade beginning in the mid 1940s, at least 15 US Navy Essex class aircraft carriers (CV) had escalators installed during a modernization program called SCB-27. This allowed gear-encumbered flight crews to transit from ready rooms to the distant flight deck without being exhausted. Improved design of later CV classes eliminated the need for escalators.

Practically speaking, all railways have size limitations on rolling stock. In the USA, passenger trains are design limited to about 16 feet (4.9 m) in height and 10 feet (3 m) in width; no passenger cars are higher than two levels. An escalator would use far too much (revenue producing) room to provide vertical lift of about 7 feet (2.1 m). It's also impractical - in 60 years of train riding, I've never had to wait longer than about 15 seconds for a fellow traveler clear the (admittedly narrow) stairwell between levels.

Answer: an inoperative escalator can still allow transit

In an emergency - fire, for example - using operating elevators is often prohibited. People are directed to stairs. A stopped elevator is useless in any case! But a stopped escalator is a staircase; it can be used as such, allowing pedestrian movement.

Escalators are designed as "people movers," not freight haulers. They are almost always narrow; trying to board an escalator with any large/unwieldy item is risky at best. Most systems have signs forbidding use when a rider's movement is hampered. So, no pianos! Both devices are machines, of course. And like any other machine, both OBVIOUSLY require careful maintenance for safe, reliable operation.

Think about it; unless we are hindered by infirmity, large luggage, or babies in strollers, most of us would use the escalator. It's always ready and it's quicker than waiting for the elevator to return from wherever. But if we're burdened by baggage, the elevator is a wiser, safer choice.

Have you ever noticed that escalators are usually near staircases? Looking down at my own "burdened" waistline, it seems the stairs would be the wisest choice of all for me.

Answer: construction, maintenance, and repair workers

CPRW's report [Deaths and Injuries Involving Elevators and Escalators] is loaded with statistics and graphs, and logically focuses heavily on construction concerns. Although different survey periods and sources generate some conflicting statistics, some very interesting OVERALL safety statistics are presented.

Of the 27 yearly elevator fatalities, most are workers on, in or near elevators, usually from falling into open shafts. About 5 deaths are "non-working passenger" (NWP) deaths - people like you and me - shoppers, travelers, etc. Escalator NWP fatalities are about two a year. Between 1997 - 2010 there were about 39 NWP escalator deaths; 29 from falls (7 of those were riding the handrails. IDIOTS!); and another 9 from "entrapment."

Did the "Construction" reference in the question give you a helpful hint? And isn't it a bit strange that the Center for Construction Research and Training is abbreviated "CPRW," not "CCRT"??

Answer: anti-slide devices

"Pucks" is easier to type, and much more fun to say! They may be made of acrylic plastic or metal, and come in a variety of shapes: bars, ridges, domed cylinders (think R2D2). Simply put, they act as roadblocks to keep fools of all kinds from using the interspace as a sliding board. Escalator systems include a myriad of other safety devices, such as skirt brushes, controlled stop sensors, and high-visibility step edging.

Think safety! It may be cute to see children running and laughing, going up the down escalator. But those kids are superb candidates for the fall AND entrapment categories!

Both escalators and elevators are very safe machines; even more so when you're riding responsibly.

Answer: London Underground, Kings Cross St. Pancras Station

A match thrown onto the wooden treads of the escalator was carried into internal machinery. It smoldered there, igniting a pile of grease, oil, and debris. The fire coursed its way upward, UNDERNEATH the wood steps. As the station was being evacuated, firemen arrived, but were unable to directly attack the concealed flames. About 15 minutes after being discovered, the fire flashed over, killing 31 and injuring 100 in the ticket hall.

Sadly, lessons are often learned the hard way. Changes in the London subway system included the replacement of all wooden escalators and paneling, strict enforcement of the no smoking policy on trains AND in stations, installation of heat detectors and sprinkler systems in all escalators, and improved emergency training for station staff. In 2014, the Kings Cross fire still remained the worst escalator fire in history.

The three distractors are all names of actual stations. You might find the history of NYC's City Hall Station to be particularly interesting.

Answer: emergency power cutoff button

Knowing the location of power cutoff switches is time-critical in many situations. If you can hit the shutoff quickly, you might save that rider from severe injury - or worse. Escalator power switches are usually located at entry and exit points; often next to the moving handrail. Take a look next time.

First responders, military, and many aviation workers are trained to react quickly in emergencies. If you're a parent - particularly of young children - YOU are the "first responder" in your home. I'm sure you know where the main power breaker for your residence is. Right?

Hockey pucks, PA announcements, and skirt brushes are preventive devices, not emergency devices. The bristles of a skirt brush slide against the legs of riders standing too close to the sides of steps. The rider feels the brushing sensation and is alerted to move toward the middle of a stair. The gap between a moving stair and the stationary vertical skirt panel is a danger area where shoes, laces, and flip-flops can be entrapped.

Answer: escalaphobia

In the US, there are about three deaths per year from escalator accidents. So I can understand - sort of - such a phobia.

But I'm really curious why the fear of elevators (which kill about 25 unfortunates each year) has NO specific phobia name. Claustrophobia is a near miss, but is not specific to elevators. Maybe a name will appear next fall? Get it?

Last, and by all means LEAST; I've been unable to verify any belly button induced deaths in the civilized world. Despite that fact, fear of navels (and maybe navel by-products?) still gets an official term - "omphalophobia." Go figure.