| Aberystwyth Cliff Railway | |
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Locale | Aberystwyth |
| Transit type | Funicular railway |
| Number of stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 August 1896 |
| Operator(s) | Constitution Hill Ltd |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd y Graig) is a funicular railway in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Opened in 1896, it is the longest funicular railway in the British Isles.[1]
Contents |
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 Liberal 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 alternate 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.
Originally operated on a water balance system, it was electrified in 1921. The standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) 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.