Before the age of semiconductors and modern computers. The system controlling the hoist was very complicated and more like a Swiss cuckoo-clock than a piece of electronics. The hoist control had to keep track of acceleration and retardation and without computing power, that was far from straight-forward.

Just imagine this knowledge, this skill and craftmanship... Some fifteen later, electronics have made it all hopelessly obsolete.

One can wonder what it would cost to build something like this today - in this manner.