Aberystwyth Cliff Railway
| Aberystwyth Cliff Railway Welsh: Rheilffordd y Graig | |
|
Cardiganshire | |
|---|---|
 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
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aberystwyth Cliff Railway) |
References
- ↑ Riley, Andrew; Blackwood, Lorna (2007-11-30). "Focus on... Aberystwyth". London: The Times. http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article2966552.ece. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Aberystwyth Cliff Railway". engineering-timelines.com. http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=301. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ↑ "Aberystwyth Royal Pier". visitaberystwyth.com. http://www.visitaberystwyth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=73&lang=en. Retrieved 2010-05-31.