West Cliff Railway: Difference between revisions
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| ⚫ | The '''West Cliff Railway''', or '''West Cliff Lift''', is a [[funicular|funicular railway]] located in the [[England|English]] [[seaside resort]] of [[Bournemouth]]. The line serves to link the seaside promenade and beach with the cliff top and the town behind.<ref name=tht>{{cite web | title = Bournemouth's Cliff Railways | publisher = The Heritage Trail | url = http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm | accessdate = 2009-05-15}}</ref> |
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{{Infobox rail line |
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| name = West Cliff Railway |
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| color = |
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| logo = |
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| logo_alt = |
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| image = Bournemouth West Cliff Railway 2.jpg |
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| caption = The beach, cliff railway and cliff-top hotels viewed from the Pier |
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| type = [[Funicular]] |
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| system = |
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| status = in use |
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| locale = [[West Cliff, Bournemouth|West Cliff]], [[Bournemouth]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]] |
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| end = |
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| stations = |
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| routes = |
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| daily_ridership = |
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| ridership2 = |
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| open = {{Start date|1935}} |
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| close = |
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| owner = |
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| operator = [[Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council]] |
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| character = |
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| depot = |
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| stock = |
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| linelength_km = |
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| linelength_mi = |
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| linelength = {{convert|145|ft}} |
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| tracklength_km = |
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| tracklength_mi = |
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| tracklength = |
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| tracks = [[Double track]] |
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| gauge = {{RailGauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} |
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| old_gauge = |
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| load_gauge = |
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| minradius = |
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| speed = |
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| elevation_m = |
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| elevation = |
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| website = |
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| map = |
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| map_state = collapsed |
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| maxincline = 70.4% |
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}} |
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[[File:Bournemouth West Cliff Railway 3.jpg|thumb|right|The line viewed from below.]] |
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[[File:Bournemouth West Cliff Railway 1.jpg|thumb|right|The line and beach. In December the beach is deserted and the line closed for the winter.]] |
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| ⚫ | The '''West Cliff Railway''', or '''West Cliff Lift''', is a [[funicular|funicular railway]] located on [[West Cliff, Bournemouth|West Cliff]] in the [[England|English]] [[seaside resort]] of [[Bournemouth]]. The line serves to link the seaside promenade and beach with the cliff top and the town behind.<ref name=tht>{{cite web | title = Bournemouth's Cliff Railways | publisher = The Heritage Trail | url = http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm | accessdate = 2009-05-15 | archive-date = 7 June 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090607133030/http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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== Overview == |
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The line is owned and operated by [[Bournemouth |
The line is owned and operated by [[Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council]] and has the following technical parameters:<ref name=tht/><ref name=funnet>{{cite web | url = http://www.funiculars.net/line.php?id=24 | title = West Cliff, Bournemouth | publisher = Funiculars.net | accessdate = 2009-05-15}}</ref> |
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=== Technical Parameters === |
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*Length: ''{{convert|145|ft}}'' |
*Length: ''{{convert|145|ft}}'' |
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*Gradient: ''70 |
*Gradient: ''70.4%'' |
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*Cars: ''2'' |
*Cars: ''2'' |
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*Capacity: ''12 passengers per car'' |
*Capacity: ''12 passengers per car'' |
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*Configuration: ''Double track'' |
*Configuration: ''[[Double track]]'' |
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*Gauge: ''{{ |
*Gauge: ''{{RailGauge|5ft6in}}'' |
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*Traction: ''Electricity'' |
*Traction: ''Electricity'' |
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== History == |
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On the 20th March 1903, the Bournemouth Corporation agreed a 999 year lease for the cliffs and foreshore owned by Sir George Meyrick of Hinton Admiral for an annual rent of £111, commencing Christmas Day 1902. On the 19th December 1907 further licence was granted to the Corporation to construct ‘a lift for the raising and lowering of visitors and others from and to the level of the beach from and to the level of the top of the West Cliff with machine house, the Corporation causing no obstruction or interference with the free enjoyment by the public of the promenade on top of the cliff and maintaining the slope or bank against the land of Meyrick occupied by the Coastguards so as not to injure or affect the fences of the Coastguard premises.’ |
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The West Cliff Railway was opened in 1908 by Bournemouth Corporation, some four months after the opening of the nearby [[East Cliff Railway]]. Like the East Cliff Railway, it was electrically operated from the start, with winding gear situated at the upper station driven by a {{convert|25|hp}} winding motor. The line was controlled by a driver at the upper station, assisted by an attendant at the lower station. Wooden-bodied cars were used.<ref name=tht/> |
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The winding motor was replaced in the 1960s by a {{convert|28|hp}} [[three-phase]] motor. The cars were also replaced in the 1960s by [[aluminium]]-bodied cars intended to be interchangeable across all three of Bournemouth's surviving cliff railways. In 1987 the track was re-laid, and during the 1990s the line was further upgraded with the installation of an electronic control system.<ref name=tht/> |
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The Coastguard cottages referred to exist today as an annex to the Marriott Highcliff Hotel located behind the lift, and pre-date the founding of the town in 1810. They were substantially extended in 1831. The lift machinery and trackway was built by Messrs Waygood-Otis with the concrete foundations, earthworks and toll houses built by Messrs Harrison & Co of Birmingham for a combined sum of £4,395 - £895 more than the East cliff lift, which opened four months earlier. |
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== Further nearby Funiculars == |
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The West cliff lift opened at 10am on the 1st August 1908. There was no formal opening ceremony, although commencement was attended by the Chairman of the Beach Committee, the Borough Engineer Mr Lacey and his assistant Mr Dolamore. |
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The West Cliff Railway is one of three such cliff railways in Bournemouth, the other two being the [[East Cliff Railway]] (closed since 2016) and the [[Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway]]. All three operate between April and October.<ref name=tht/> |
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== See also == |
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The lift conveys passengers through a vertical height of 102 feet on a 5 ft 8 ins gauge railway track inclined at 45 degrees. The total track length is 144 feet and the lift was originally designed to travel at 190 feet per minute. The original motive power was provided by a 500 volt 25 hp electric DC current motor. This was replaced in 1958 with a modern 3 phase AC supply. The lift is controlled by a Driver at the top and assisted by an Attendant at the bottom. |
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* [[List of funicular railways]] |
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The first lift cars were modelled on tram cars then familiar on the streets of Bournemouth. Built from [[Ash (tree)|Ash]] wood frames with a plywood skin, they weighed 3 ½ tons each including their supporting wheeled cradles. The cars, slightly larger with increased capacity compared with the East cliff lift, were overhauled several times in the post-war period (most recently in 1975). |
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The stepped cliff terracing either side of the lift is constructed from local purbeck stone and was largely rebuilt following a severe cliff fall in 1957. |
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The lift has operated continuously between March and October since first constructed, except for a hiatus between 19 August 1940 and the end of the Second World War. It is estimated that in excess of 15 million people have travelled on the West cliff lift since it was first opened. |
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Further cliff lifts opened at [[East Cliff Railway|East Cliff]] on the 16th April 1908 and [[Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway|Fisherman's Walk]] on 8 June 1935. The latter is believed to be the most recent built in the UK, although plans were drawn up in 1956 for vertical lift shafts to be sunk into the cliffs at Manor Road and Woodland Avenue. These were never built. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{ |
{{Commons category|West Cliff Railway}} |
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* [https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Leisure-culture-and-local-heritage/Beaches-and-quays/Bournemouth-cliff-lifts-and-land-trains.aspx The official council page for the lifts, including prices] |
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* [http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm Article on Bournemouth's Cliff Railways from ''The Heritage Trail'' web site] |
* [http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm Article on Bournemouth's Cliff Railways from ''The Heritage Trail'' web site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607133030/http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/cliff_trams/bournemouth_railways.htm |date=7 June 2009 }} |
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* [http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/bour.htm Article on Bournemouth's Cliff Railways from the ''Funicular Railways of the UK'' web site] |
* [http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/bour.htm Article on Bournemouth's Cliff Railways from the ''Funicular Railways of the UK'' web site] |
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[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge railways in England]] |
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Latest revision as of 08:48, 8 May 2023
| West Cliff Railway | |
|---|---|
 The beach, cliff railway and cliff-top hotels viewed from the Pier | |
| Overview | |
| Status | in use |
| Locale | West Cliff, Bournemouth, England, United Kingdom |
| Service | |
| Type | Funicular |
| Operator(s) | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council |
| History | |
| Opened | 1935 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 145 feet (44 m) |
| Number of tracks | Double track |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) |
| Maximum incline | 70.4% |
The West Cliff Railway, or West Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway located on West Cliff in the English seaside resort of Bournemouth. The line serves to link the seaside promenade and beach with the cliff top and the town behind.[1]
Overview
[edit]The line is owned and operated by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and has the following technical parameters:[1][2]
Technical Parameters
[edit]- Length: 145 feet (44 m)
- Gradient: 70.4%
- Cars: 2
- Capacity: 12 passengers per car
- Configuration: Double track
- Gauge: 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
- Traction: Electricity
History
[edit]The West Cliff Railway was opened in 1908 by Bournemouth Corporation, some four months after the opening of the nearby East Cliff Railway. Like the East Cliff Railway, it was electrically operated from the start, with winding gear situated at the upper station driven by a 25 horsepower (19 kW) winding motor. The line was controlled by a driver at the upper station, assisted by an attendant at the lower station. Wooden-bodied cars were used.[1]
The winding motor was replaced in the 1960s by a 28 horsepower (21 kW) three-phase motor. The cars were also replaced in the 1960s by aluminium-bodied cars intended to be interchangeable across all three of Bournemouth's surviving cliff railways. In 1987 the track was re-laid, and during the 1990s the line was further upgraded with the installation of an electronic control system.[1]
Further nearby Funiculars
[edit]The West Cliff Railway is one of three such cliff railways in Bournemouth, the other two being the East Cliff Railway (closed since 2016) and the Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway. All three operate between April and October.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Bournemouth's Cliff Railways". The Heritage Trail. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ^ "West Cliff, Bournemouth". Funiculars.net. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Cliff Railway.