Scarborough funiculars
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United Kingdom
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town of Scarborough has had a total of five cliff railways
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...
, two of which remain open to the public. Two of these funiculars were on Scarborough's North Bay and three on South Bay; both of the North Bay railways have been demolished, and one on South Bay is extant but out of use since 2006.
Central Tramway
In 1910 the funicular was converted to electric drive. In 1932 the cars were replaced and the motor placed under the top station. Driving was done from a driving station at the top of the station with full view of the cars.
The track is 71 m long on a 1 in 2 gradient. The track is standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. The funicular is operated by two cars.
North Cliff Lift
The North Cliff Lift was built by the Medway Safety Lift Company Ltd in 1930 and closed in September 1996. The lift was part of a large Corporation development at Peasholm Gap. It has been dismantled and has now been placed in storage. Launceston, Cornwall.The funicular was run by two cars and electric powered. The track was 51 m long with a track width of 1981 mm.
Queens Parade Cliff Lift
The Scarborough Queen's Parade Tramway Company Limited was created on 4 March 1878, linking Queen's Parade, on the top of the North Cliff to the Promenade Pier.A cabin broke loose on 8 August 1878, the opening day, the lift closed for the rest of the year. With accidents every year, pump engine and water supply failures and a further landslip in 1887 stopped the use of the lift.
The track was 87 m long on a 1 in 2.5 gradient and 1219 mm wide, two cars ran up and down the lift.
South Cliff Lift
The first funicular railway in the United Kingdom, the Scarborough South Cliff Tramway Company Limited was created in 1873.
The system to link the South Cliff Esplanade to the Scarborough Spa, was designed and engineered by Mr Lucas. Constructed by Crossley Brothers of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
for a cost of £ 8000, the track is wide and 284 feet (86.6 m) long, on 1 in 1.75 gradient. Metropolitan Carriage of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
constructed the two cars, each capable of carrying 14 seated passengers, to the bottom of which is attached a water tank. Each car is also attached to a twin-steel cable rope, which is operated by a brakeman at the top station.
Using seawater pumped by two Crossley gas engine
Gas engine
A gas engine means an engine running on a gas, such as coal gas, producer gas biogas, landfill gas, or natural gas. In the UK, the term is unambiguous...
s through a hydraulic system designed by Tangye Ltd
Richard Tangye
Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye was a British manufacturer of engines and other heavy equipment.-Biography:...
in Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, the upper car's water tank is filled until the counter-balance point is reached. The cars then proceeded along their individual tracks, with speed and safety controlled by the brakeman. When the upper car reached the bottom of the incline, both cars were braked, and the seawater released. The procedure was then repeated.
The railway opened on 6 July 1875. The gas engines were replaced by steam pumps in 1879, and after refurbishment in 1947 the water system was replaced by 90 hp electric engine. The cars were replaced by two built by Hudswell Clarke & Company
Hudswell Clarke
Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-History:...
in 1934-1935.
Scarborough Borough Council bought the funicular from its owners in 1993. In 1997, the lift was modified to be completely automatic.
St Nicholas Cliff Lift
Grand Hotel (Scarborough)
The Grand Hotel is a large hotel in Scarborough, England, overlooking the town's South Bay. It is now a Grade II* listed building that is owned by Britannia Hotels, and has undergone a £7 million refurbishment....
from the Central Tramway, near the Aquarium. The track is 31 m long on a 1 in 1.33 gradient, the track width is 2,286 mm.
There originally was no bottom station, passengers stepped into the tramcars directly from the pavement as the control equipment was incorporated in the upper station and no station was provided at the bottom of the lift. Fares are paid at the top station.
The lift was closed in February 2007 as the town council could not afford the £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
445,000 it was estimated needed to be spent to meet new health and safety standards. In early 2011 it was announced that the still closed lift may be sold by the town council, as it does not have the £630,000 that the repairs are now estimated to cost.
Ticketing
File:Scarborough St Nicholas Cliff Lift - Adult single down ticket.jpg|St Nicholas Cliff Lift ticket
Lift ticket
A Lift ticket is an identifier usually attached to a skier's outerwear that indicates they have paid and can ride on the ski lift up a mountain to ski....
File:Scarborough South Cliff Lift - Adult single up ticket.jpg|South Cliff Lift ticket
File:Scarborough South Cliff Lift - Adult single down ticket.jpg|South Cliff Lift ticket