Aberystwyth Cliff Railway
| 200px | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Aberystwyth |
| Transit type | Funicular railway |
| Number of stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 August 1896 |
| Operator(s) | Constitution Hill Ltd |
| Technical | |
| System length | 778 feet (237 m) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd y Graig) opened on 1 August 1896. It is a funicular railway in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales, having a length of 778 feet (237 m). It was the longest funicular railway in the British Isles[1] until 2001, when the Cairngorm Mountain Railway opened.
Contents
Development
The railway is part of Constitution Hill, a Victorian development on the hill of the same name built by the Aberystwyth Improvement Company,[2] and form of early theme park. It consisted of arcades and a restaurant at the foot of the hill, the railway, and at the top of the hill a camera obscura and park. Constitution Hill was designed and engineered by George Croydon Marks, who later became a Labour peer, who at the same time designed the new pavilion for the Royal Pier.[3]
As part of Constitution Hill, Croydon-Marks designed into the development a meandering footpath as an alternative route. To allow this to pass over the railway on a footbridge, in the midsection 12,000 tonnes of rock were excavated to provide the railway with a lower path.
Operations
Originally operated on a water balance system, it was electrified in 1921. The 4ft 10in (1,422mm) gauge railway climbs 430 feet (130 m) in 778 feet (237 m) — a gradient steeper than 1:2 (50%). Its twin carriages, which both take 30 passengers,[2] are named the Lord Geraint and the Lord Marks.
Appearance in music and literature
The railway makes appearances in the work of Malcolm Pryce.
See also
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aberystwyth Cliff Railway. |
- Constitution Hill
- Map sources for Aberystwyth Cliff Railway
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- Pages with broken file links
- Articles that mention track gauge 1435 mm
- Articles containing Welsh-language text
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Articles with OS grid coordinates
- Transport in Aberystwyth
- Funicular railways in Wales
- Railway lines opened in 1896
- Visitor attractions in Ceredigion
- Works by George Croydon Marks
- Former water-powered funicular railways converted to electricity
- Standard gauge railways in Wales
