Seaton Tramway
Encyclopedia
The Seaton Tramway is an narrow gauge electric tramway
which operates over the route of a a former British Rail
ways branch line
in Seaton, Devon
. The line was converted
between 1969 and 1971 by Claude Lane, who had bought the line from BR and had successfully operated trams in Eastbourne
as a visitor attraction.
The 3 miles (4.8 km) route runs through East Devon's Axe Valley
, between the coastal resort of Seaton, the small village of Colyford and the ancient town of Colyton.
Thirteen tram cars are part of the visitor attraction which sees about 80,000 visitors per year. The tram cars are half-scale (1:2) replicas of classic British tram cars from various cities.
Tramway
Tramway may refer to:* Tramway , a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A system of trams * Aerial tramway...
which operates over the route of a a former British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
in Seaton, Devon
Seaton, Devon
Seaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other. Axmouth and Beer are nearby...
. The line was converted
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
between 1969 and 1971 by Claude Lane, who had bought the line from BR and had successfully operated trams in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
as a visitor attraction.
The 3 miles (4.8 km) route runs through East Devon's Axe Valley
River Axe, Devon
The River Axe is a river in Dorset, Somerset and Devon, in the south-west of England.It rises near Beaminster in Dorset, flows west then south by Axminster and joins the English Channel at Axmouth near Seaton in Lyme Bay...
, between the coastal resort of Seaton, the small village of Colyford and the ancient town of Colyton.
Thirteen tram cars are part of the visitor attraction which sees about 80,000 visitors per year. The tram cars are half-scale (1:2) replicas of classic British tram cars from various cities.