Abstract: An elevator has a pair of vertical and parallel T-section rails having central legs directed toward each other, forming a vertical plane, and formed with straight-across teeth. A car vertically displaceable between the rails has respective pairs of guides flanking the rails and restricting movement of the car horizontally only perpendicular to the plane. Respective sprockets rotatable on the car about axes perpendicular to the plane also have straight-across teeth meshing with the rail teeth. These sprockets lie in the plane and constitute the only restriction of horizontal movement of the car relative to the rails in the plane A drive synchronously rotates the sprockets to vertically displace the car along the plane on the rails. A manual safety can vertically displace the car along the rails. The guides are disks fixed to and sandwiching the sprockets. A brake on the car operatively engageable with the sprockets can arrest the car if the power fails or the like.