East Hill Cliff Railway
Encyclopedia
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
located in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
seaside town of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
. It provides access to Hastings Country Park
Hastings Country Park
Hastings Country Park was formed in 1974 and covers east of Hastings in England. Sandstone cliffs, glens covered with gorse and trees, footpaths, nature trails, picnic areas and ample car parking are some of the features at the country park...
via the East Hill, which overlooks the Old Town
Hastings Old Town
Hastings Old Town is an area in Hastings roughly corresponding to the extent of the town prior to the nineteenth century. It lies mainly within the eastern-most valley of the current town...
and Rock-a-Nore
Rock-a-Nore
Rock-a-Nore is an urban area of Hastings, stretching from the Old Town area along Rock-a-Nore Road between the cliffs and the beach...
, an area to the east of Hastings. The line provides views over the Stade
The Stade
The Stade is a shingle beach, situated in Hastings Old Town. It has been used for beaching boats for over a thousand years, a use which continues to this day: it is now home to Europe's largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats....
, home to the largest beach launched fishing fleet in Europe.
The line is owned and operated by Hastings Borough Council and has the following technical parameters:
- Length: 267 feet (81.4 m)
- Gradient: 78%
- Cars: 2
- Capacity: 16 passengers per car
- Configuration: Double track
- Gauge: 5 feet (1.5 m)
- Traction: Electricity
The line was opened in 1903 by Hastings Borough Council. The line was originally operated on the water balance principle, and the twin towers of the upper station contained water tanks for this purpose. The line was modernised between 1973 and 1976, during which time it was converted to electric operation and new cars were provided.
The line was shut in June 2007 because of an incident where a fault in a control panel caused the cars to fail to stop at the correct point, resulting in damage to both cars and stations. In 2008, Hastings Borough Council decided on a major refurbishment involving new cars and new control and safety systems, together with repairs to the damaged stations.
The line reopened in March 2010.
Following the closure of lines in Broadstairs
Broadstairs
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and...
and Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, the East Hill Cliff Railway is now the steepest funicular railway in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is complemented by the West Hill Cliff Railway
West Hill Cliff Railway
The West Hill Cliff Railway, or West Hill Lift, is a funicular railway located in the English seaside town of Hastings. It runs largely in tunnel, and provides access to Hastings Castle and St Clement's Caves from George Street, on the town's sea front...
, giving visitors access to Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle is situated in the town of Hastings, East Sussex .Before or immediately after landing in England in 1066 William of Normandy ordered three fortifications to be built, Pevensey Castle in September 1066, Hastings and Dover, a few days after the battle. Hastings Castle was originally...
and the Smugglers Adventure in St. Clements Caves
St. Clements Caves
St. Clements Caves are located on the West Hill in Hastings, East Sussex. The caves were named after a nearby parish church and are now part of a tourist attraction which tells the story of smuggling on the South Coast of England 200 years ago.-History:...
.
A model of the East Hill Cliff Railway is on public display at the Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Brighton Toy And Model Museum
The Brighton Toy and Model Museum is one of the world's finest toy museums, located in Brighton, East Sussex. Its collection of toys and models extends over four thousand square feet of floorspace, through four of the early Victorian arches supporting the forecourt of Brighton railway station...
.
External links
- Article on Hastings Cliff Railways from The Heritage Trail web site
- Article on Hastings Cliff Railways from the Funicular Railways of the UK web site
- Archive photo looking down railway from top station (c1925)