We need to talk about Kids trying to Lift Surf.... The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2021-08-08 | MATT'S VIDEO: youtube.com/watch?v=G49HsVD0gcwLONDON'S BURNING CLIP: youtube.com/watch?v=xqSVRmvOR7U---------------------------------------------------------------------------Lift Surfing has already caused a lot of damage to the lift enthusiast community, but now KIDS are copying what they see on YouTube and trying to surf lifts themselves! This needs to be stopped, as sooner or later someone is going to get themselves killed.
LOUD Motor! | 1980s Unknown Hydraulic Lift | Undisclosed Location, Wellington The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-10-16 | I have chosen not to disclose the location of this lift publicly, due to the nature of the premises, and due to the fact that this lift is not usually "publically" rideable. Anyhow, this lift might not be glamorous, but my goodness that motor screams!
Blue Buttons! | OTIS 2000H Hydraulic Lift | Best Western Hotel, Johnsonville The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-10-06 | This one I've known about for a long time, but never got around to actually filming! This is a nice example of an OTIS 2000H, still operating pretty much original - with the exception of new blue inside buttons.
CAR WASH | 2024 Istobal MWash 3pro | Z Masterton The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-09-16 | Z Masterton is the one of the 9 Petrol Stations chosen by Z to recieve a brand new car wash, as part of the 2024 upgrade program. As with all upgrades in the 2024 package, the new wash is a brand new Istobal M'Wash 3 Pro, with plain black brushes and a foam curtain (infinite mousse). This new machine replaced an old Washtec SoftCare Evo.
Dead Displays | Express (Mod. Schindler) Traction Lifts | Departmental Building, Masterton The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-09-16 | These lightly-modded Express lifts look nice, but sadly the indicators (including the rare "next up" lamps don't work.
Then there were two! | 2024 Schindler 2400 & Express (Mod. Schindler) lifts | New World, Newtown The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-09-15 | Newtown Mall decided to add a second lift! A brand new Schindler 2400 was installed in 2024, to work alongside the original Express hydraulic lift. In this video, we take a look at both lifts in action!
Wainuiomata Redevelopment | Update 5! The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-09-15 | It's been three years since I last did an update on Wainuiomata, so let's revisit and see if anything has changed?
The NEW #BlueLifts | 2024 Schindler 7000 Traction Lifts | Wellington Hospital, WSB Building The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-07-13 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and WaygoodOtis.The day has finally come - the first two new #bluelifts are online. I'm sure many people will be sad to see the end of the old OTIS lifts - and despite what I said in the video, that does also include myself. These lifts have been featured on this channel since its inception, and have been a fan favorite for many years, and for the last 3 years I have been lucky enough to actually be working in this very building!Replacement was always going to happen here - with cars C1 and C2 out of action for many years, and C3 and C4 constantly prone to faults, the upgrade was also a case of "when" not "if". Old lifts such as these are more prone to failure, due to the aging parts - and these days parts are expensive and harder to source. Plus finding technicians with in-depth knowledge of how old lift technology works is also a challenge. Let's hope that the new lifts serve the hospital well for many years to come!
REPLACED | 2024 Schindler 7000 Traction Lift | Wellington Hospital CSB Building Freight Lift The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-07-01 | The first of the two CSB Freight lifts has been replaced, with lift B5 having gotten the Schindler 7000 treatment (B6 will follow soon). Some updates have been made to the design following on from the Purple Lifts done in 2022-23, with this lift having different indicators and also using new shaft doors (instead of recycling the existing lift doors). What you see here, is almost identical to what the newly-replaced Blue Lifts will look like when those enter service.
Not often I film these | 2024 CIBES Glass Platform Lift | Kai Tahi, Porirua CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-07-01 | I don't normally do platform lifts, as I don't find them very interesting, but this brand new scenic example from CIBES (installed by Vestner) is actually pretty nice!
Its Still Here!!! | EPL-KONE/SEMAG Hydraulic Lift | Bunnings, Tory Street, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-06-06 | When I first found out that this store was closing for a few months for earthquake straightening works and some refurbishments, I was fully expecting this old lift to be replaced or modded, but to my amazement, it survives untouched (the buttons were replaced many years ago, prior to the closure).
#BlueLifts | New Lifts Coming Soon! The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-06-02 | New #BlueLifts are nearly ready to go at Wellington Hospital, with the fist two cars - C1 and C2 due to enter service soon! The new lifts are Schindler 7000s, and a re similar in design to those installed to replace the Purple Lifts in 2022-23.
Big Beeping Buttons! | OTIS? Express? (mod. Dewhurst) Traction Lifts | IBIS Hotel, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-27 | (The original make of these lifts is currently disputed)I stayed at the IBIS recently, as I was watching a late-finishing show in Wellington and had to be at work the next day. The hotel has some interesting lifts. Whilst the Dewhurst mod itself is nothing to special, I do love the jumbo "G" buttons and the fact that the buttons beep when pressed. The ground floor lift lobby also has an odd set-up, whereby the 3rd lift is segregated from the others, but not on the other floors!
Mobil Emergency Alert (NZ) | 2024 Annual Test The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-26 | That time of year came around again for the yearly test of New Zealand's Mobil Emergency Alert System. Nice to see (or rather hear) that this year the text-to-speech voice is Kiwi-Aussie rather than American, but that could be becuase I have replaced my phone since last year.
Kinetic #842 | 2015 MAN 18.290 | Gemilang/Kiwi Bus Builders | Route 18 to Karori The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | Only around 5 of these buses were ever built for NZ. This is one of 3 that was previously used on the Auckland SkyBus service. This one in-particular was actually first used by Bus Travel NZ as a demo bus, before being reconfigured for SkyBus work. Following the shut-down of the Sky/Bus services during the pandemic, the 3 Gemilangs were transferred over to GoBus for use as School work, before coming down to Wellington in late 2023 for use on the Metlink network.
Fixture Faux Pas | 2023 Schindler 3300EU MRL Traction Lifts | Johnston St, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | Who forgot the braille? Anyway, these lifts replaced a pair of modernized old OTIS lifts. I never filmed the previous lift sadly (as I keep forgetting where this building is), but T3224 did film them: youtube.com/watch?v=bzninlPBCF4
Amazingly Original! | Classic old Express Traction Lift | Ghuznee St, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | A hidden gem in a fairly small building on Ghuznee Street is this awesome old Express lift!
Fast & Furious! | Schindler 5500 Traction Lifts | Victoria Street, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | Goodness knows why I had never checked out this building before, but I'm glad I finally did, as these are some really nice lifts!
Better than Average! | 2021 OTIS Gen 2 (ReGen) MRL Traction Lifts | Victoria Lane, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | The new Victoria Lane complex has been several years work to complete! It comprises of a large apartment tower (not accessible) and this small office block. These nice new OTIS lifts are, in my opinion, how OTIS lifts should be styled, compared to the more bog-standard design they usually go with.
Losing my Marbles! | Brand New KONE Ecodisc (KDS220) Traction Lifts | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | Long-time viewers may remember these lifts as the old OTIS lifts with the custom-made call-buttons that used marbles as buttons. Those have gone now, but in their place, we have these AWESOME new Ecodiscs, and the first known examples of KDS220 fixtures in NZ!
New Indicator! | 1980s EPL-KONE/SEMAG Hydraulic Lift | Porirua CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-05 | A brief revisit to one of Porirua's classic lift reveals a brand new floor indicator has been installed!
Rare Button & Odd Cab Shape | Old OTIS (mod. OTIS) Traction Lift | Palmerston North The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-01 | This lift has a very rare yellow-illuminating Everbright call-button. It also has a very unusually configured cab. Other than that, the lift is very basic, with there not really being much else I can say about it really.
Simply Epic | 1980s OTIS Lexan Traction Lift | Palmerston North The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-01 | This lift is just tha6t - simply EPIC! A fantastic example of a 1980s Lexan, in amazing condition!
Red Lights and Black Buttons! | Classic Old OTIS Traction Lift | Palmerston North The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-01 | This was an amazing find! A totally original old black-button OTIS, featuring these lovely red-illuminating indicators.
Concave on a Classic | Old OTIS (mod. OTIS) Traction Lift | Westside Chambers, Palmerston North The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-05-01 | A mostly original old OTIS, with the only change being that the buttons have been replaced with OTIS concave buttons.
CAR WASH | 2018 WashTec SoftCare2 Pro *Combiwash* | BP 2go Pioneer Highway | Palmerston North The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-04-29 | BP's nearly always have WashTec's, but not Combiwashes. But as this is a franchised BP 2go location, rather than corporate-controlled BP Connect site, we are treated to this magnificent high-spec Combiwash!
Hand Dryers Revisited! | Part1 The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-04-01 | In my early days on YouTube, I made six videos looking at various hand dryers. In this new series, I look back on these old videos to see how many are still there (of those I can still visit, that is). In this first part, we look at the dryers from the first two of the six videos I originally released.
MODERNIZED | 1992 FIAM-Schindler (Mod. Schindler 2024) Lift | North City Shopping Centre, Porirua The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-23 | This lift has always been an unusual one. Installed in 1992, it is a FIAM-Schindler Hybrid. It was originally fitted with older Dewhurst buttons, which were changed to new Dewhurst in 2020 by OTIS (who were the maintenance contractor at the time). Now, in 2024, the lift has been properly modernized by Schindler, with new fixtures, new motor, new door operator and more!
Brand New & UK Voice | 2023 KONE Ecodisc MRL Traction Lift | Maidstone Sports Hub, Upper Hutt The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-09 | The brand new Te Kupenga o Rongomai - Maidstone Sports Hub in Upper Hutt is now open, and it comes with this AWESOME new Ecodisc! It's got the latest KONE fixtures, the newest UK voice, and it's pretty everything I want from a brand new KONE!
MODERNIZED | Classic Express (Mod. OTIS/Dewhurst) Traction Lifts | Wellington CBD. The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-08 | This video was filmed in August 2023, but I somehow forgot all about it until recently! These lifts are Express, and previously had a buttons replacement by Schindler. Now they've been upgraded again with new Dewhusrt buttons & Cirrus indicators by OTIS.
Black ReGen! | 2021 OTIS Gen 2 (ReGen) MRL Traction Lifts | Bell Gully Building, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-08 | My first ever Black-style ReGen's! This a fairly new building, completed in 2021!
Sheer Dumb Luck! | Old OTIS (Mod. OTIS) Traction Lift | Cuba Street, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-02 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 This lift I have known about for many many years, even back when it used to be original - a black-button (pre-lexan) OTIS! The lift serves apartments, and is unusually inaccessible, but by sheer dumb luck (someone holding open the access gate open for us), we got to ride this lift! It's been modernized now, but just getting to ride it at all is amazing!
Disappointingly Dewhurst-ed | Old Otis (Mod. Dewhurst) Lifts | Waterside House, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-02 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Waterside House looks so full of promise with the original OTIS call stations, but inside we see that sadly the original buttons have gone.
MODERNIZED | Express (mod. Dewhurst) Traction Lifts | Willis St, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-02 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 These classic Express lifts have been disappointingly Dewhurst-ed since I last visted. At the least the upgrade does have the benefit of proving the lifts with braille, so at least it's a win for accessibility.
Broken Indicator! | Old OTIS (mod. Schindler) Traction Lift | Taranaki St, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-02 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 We came across this unlocked apartment building, and decided to give the lift a whirl. The inside floor indicator sadly wasn't working, but otherwise it's a pretty decent for a modernized old lift.
Corner Doors! | 2000s Schindler M-Series Lift | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-03-02 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Lifts with doors on 90-degree angles like this are rare in NZ, so its always an interesting find, regardless of what make or model of lift it is.
MODERNIZED | 1970s OTIS (Mod. KONE) Traction Lift | VicUni Laby Building The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-24 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Another VicUni classic, another KONE mod! This classic 70s OTIS, previously modernized with Everbright, has now been fully modernized by KONE with new fixtures, new logic and a new motor.
MODERNIZED | Express (Mod. KONE) Traction lift | VicUni Student Union Building The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-24 | Filmed in January 2024 - not as part of meetup with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Another classic from my time at VicUni, this Express lift, previously modded with Dewhurst fixtures, has now recieved a full modernization by KONE, with new fixtures, new logic and a new motor.
MODERNIZED | 1970s OTIS (Mod. KONE) Traction Lifts | VicUni Von Zedlitz Building | Bonnie & Clyde The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-24 | Filmed in January 2024 - not as part of meetup with @t3224.elevators_nz & @TheDragonFire123 These classic lifts - affectionately known as "Bonnie & Clyde", thanks to an in-joke within the University's English Literature Department, have had a well-overdue modernization by KONE. New fixtures, motors and logic have all been fitted to these lifts.
MODERNIZED | 1980s OTIS (mod. KONE) Traction Lifts | VicUni Murphy Building The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-24 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123Lifts I was once very well acquainted with, having been a student at this University from 2017 to 2019......now, the Murphy building lifts have had a much-needed upgrade from KONE, with new motors, fixtures and logic.
Keypad Floor Selection | Schindler Smart MRL Traction Lift | Wakefield St, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-24 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Here we have a classic Schindler Smart MRL, one of Schindler's early MRL products. A few of these can be found around Wellington, often in these smaller buildings.
Another one bites the dust! | 80s Express (mod. Schindler) Traction Lift | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-17 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Another classic Express has sadly fallen victim to modernization. Has to happen eventually, unfortunately. Schindler has done a very nice job though! Looking very smart!
A plain upgrade | 80s Express (Mod. Schindler/Everbright) Traction Lifts The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-17 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 These lifts were modded first with new internal fixtures, and then the exterior Linea fixtures came later. These lifts are fairly grabby, and don't appear to be that well looked after, so it's perhaps not surprising to see upgrades happen here.
Original & Awesome! | Classic Express Gated Traction Lift | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-17 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 How awesome is this?! An original, epic, Express Gates lift! This is one of the few gates lifts in Wellington that I haven't filmed before.
Goodbye to a Classic | OTIS Elevonic (Mod. Schindler) Traction Lifts | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-17 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 Such a shame to be losing this classic Series 1 design, but it is an old design these days. These lifts are getting a refresh with new upgrades by Schindler, including brand new Linea fixtures.
Never rode it original | Express (Mod. Schindler) Traction Lift | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-17 | filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 This is an old express lift, which was originally modernized with Schindler M-Series buttons, and has now been upgraded again with new Schindler Linea Fixtures. I actually didn't ever ride this until now, so I have no videos of it before the Linea upgrade.
Unusual Cab Shape! | Express (mod. Schindler) Traction Lifts | Novotel, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-10 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 The left car has a very unusual cab shape! Weirdly, this is only present in the left car, with the right one having a normal, square cab.
Red Doors! | Schindler D-Series 5400MRL Traction Lift | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-10 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 This lift is very well hidden, but a nice find no less. It's not original to the building, as it was built in the 1920s. Nevertheless, a nice modern lift.
Custom Display! | 1980s OTIS (mod. Schindler & Ampco) Traction Lifts | Ranchod Tower, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-10 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 These lifts are OTIS, but have had a couple by modernizations. The first by Schindler, and then again more recently by Ampco.
Whats with the Indicator? | 1986 Express (Mod. OTIS) Traction Lifts | Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-10 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 What the heck? That's not a normal Cirrus or OTIS design on that Indicator! How did KONE's design end up in here. We're not actually sure!
Upgrade in Progress | 1970s OTIS (Mod. Elevonic, Mod. Dewhusrt) | The Terrace, Wellington CBD The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel 2024-02-10 | Filmed with @t3224.elevators_nz and @TheDragonFire123 These classic OTIS lifts are now getting their second modernization. Having already been modernized once into the "Elevonic 401" style with Series 1 fixtures, the lifts are now being upgraded again with a modern, but less interesting Dewhurst/Cirrus mod, featuring bog-standard Dewhurst buttons and Cirrus Indicators.
