Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway
The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is a water ballast railway that connects the neighboring towns of Lynton and Lynmouth on the north Devon coast .
prehistory
The high cliff that separates the two neighboring towns was a major obstacle to the region's economic development in the 19th century. Because of the remoteness of the area and the inaccessible terrain, coal , lime , food and other important goods were mostly delivered by sea and then had to be carried up the steep mountain to Lynton with pack horses and carts.
The cliffs also posed a problem for the emerging tourism. Since around 1820, vacationers from Bristol , Swansea and other ports on the Bristol Channel have been using paddle steamers to Lynmouth. They had ponies , donkeys and wagons at their disposal, but because of the steep paths, the animals only had a short working life.
The first proposals for a funicular for the transport of people and goods were made in 1881, but they provided steam propulsion .
construction
The water ballast track was designed by George Marks (later Baron Marks of Woolwich, 1858-1938) and financed mainly by the publisher Sir George Newnes (1851-1910). He owned a large property on nearby Hollerday Hill and also supported the construction of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and the Lynton Town Hall.
The construction work, which was done entirely by hand, began in 1887 and was completed in less than three years.
business
The cable car opened on Easter Monday 1890 and has been in operation ever since. A parliamentary resolution created the Lynmouth & Lynton Lift Company in 1888 , and another gave the company perpetual water rights in the Lyn Valley .
A stop with a road connection below the mountain station is unusual for such a railway . This was used to transport larger pieces of cargo. To do this, the superstructure of the car can be removed in order to obtain a flat loading area. The first cars were brought up the mountain in this way. When rails were replaced in the winter of 2006, the breakpoint served as a much-used access and storage area.
The railway is now a listed building .
technology
The two carriages of the cable car, each of which can accommodate 40 people, are connected by a rotating rope. This runs at each end of the line over a pulley with a diameter of 1.7 m .
A pipe 130 mm in diameter draws water from the West Lynn River, more than a mile away, to the tank under the floor of the upper car. Each car has a 3.2 cubic meter tank. Then water is drained from the lower car until the upper car is heavier and begins to roll downwards. A brakeman drives along on each car and regulates the speed.
The cable car runs on two adjacent tracks with a track width of 3 ′ 9 ″ (1143 mm). Only halfway is the distance between the tracks so that the cars can pass each other. The route is 263 meters long and overcomes a height difference of 150 meters, which corresponds to an incline of 57%.
literature
- John F. Travis: An Illustrated History of Lynton and Lynmouth 1770-1914 . Breedon Books, 1995, ISBN 1-85983-023-4 .
- John F. Travis: Lynton and Lynmouth, Glimpses of the Past . Breedon Books, 1997, ISBN 1-85983-086-2 .
Web links
- Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Magazine . Spring 2007.
Coordinates: 51 ° 13 '53 " N , 3 ° 50' 4" W.