Aberystwyth Cliff Railway

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Aberystwyth Cliff Railway
Welsh: Rheilffordd y Graig

Cardiganshire

Railway on Constitution hill 1.JPG
The railway on Constitution Hill
Funicular railway
Gauge: 4 feet 10 inches
Grid reference: SN584826
Location: 52°25’23"N, 4°5’2"W
No. of stations: 2
Track: 778 feet
Information
Owned by: Constitution Hill Ltd

The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway is a funicular railway in Aberystwyth, in Cardiganshire. It opened on 1 August 1896 and with a length of 778 feet, it was the longest funicular railway in the British Isles[1] until 2001, when the Cairngorm Mountain Railway opened.

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 10" gauge railway climbs 430 feet in 778 feet — 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.

Outside links

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References