I've always wanted a cool mini gondola. I finally found one and it was $300!!! so i made one from parts i had lying around. this project with new parts would only cost about $30, plus if you have a lego train "controller" you can control the speed and direction very easily.

Step 1: Materials

I had most of these things sitting around, so i dont know exactly how much they are.
you'll need:
a motor w/ a power source
wire
fishing line
garage door pulley
a bolt w/ nuts
springs (you probably don't absolutely need them)
3 small L brackets
zip ties
wood screws
a good place to mount it

Tools:
Screw driver
Drill (optional)
scissors
pliers

Step 2: Mounting the Moter and "Bull Wheel"

This was probably the hardest part., figuring out how to mount it. I used a bunch of L brackets
The Motor:
the motor uses zip ties and an L bracket. you can see it in the picture. there are two zip ties that go

through the wires on the side and go around the motor. then the zip ties go through the mounting

holes on the bracket. I also zip tied on a spring, and then attached the other end to one of the screws

where the L bracket was mounted. this may not work well with all motors, so if you need to mount it

another way just make sure not to have anything in the way of the drive shaft.

Step 3: Mounting the Bull Wheel

The Bull wheel's mount was slightly more complicated.

This used 2 L brackets
One was mounted the same way as the motor mount. but then i attached another L bracket, facing down. the garage door pulley was then attached using a bolt and a few nuts for spacing. then i attached the spring to that bolt, and th the L bracket the same way as with the motor.

Step 4: The Cable

Now all there is to do is add the cable that will drive the gondola. i used fishing line, because it can stretch and will keep tension.
this step is easy.
cut a loop of line that is 2-4 in. shorter than the distance of your distance between motor and bull wheel. then attach it to the motor and bull wheel.
if you want to attach more than one gondola then make the line long and tie loops in it where you can tie the gondolas on.