Babbacombe Cliff Railway

A car of the cliff railway

The lower station of the cliff railway

Babbacombe Cliff Railway is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach.

Opening Times

• • • • • • • • PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLIFF RAILWAY WILL BE CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE WORK UNTIL 12:00 MIDDAY ON MONDAY 7TH NOVEMBER AND 12:00 MIDDAY ON TUESDAY 8TH NOVEMBER********

• We open each day at 09:30 and the last carriage runs at 17:55.

• A bell is rung 30 minutes and 15 Minutes prior to the last car of the day

History

In February 1923, the Torquay Tramway Company commissioned Waygood-Otis Ltd with the engineering and construction of the railway. The line was first opened on 1 April 1926, but ceased operation during World War II for security reasons. The railway reopened in 1951 after modernization by Messrs J & E Hall of Dartford. The railway underwent further refurbishment in 1993 and a three-year programme of renovation commenced in November 2005.

The ownership of the line was transferred from Torbay Council to a specially created community interest company in July 2009.^[1]

Specifications

• Two cars of traditional funicular design with a 40-person standing capacity
• 720-foot (220 m) track with a 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm) gauge
• Rated speed of 2.5 metres per second (8.2 ft/s)
• Drive equipment located at the top station
• Direct current wattage drive system, incorporating servomotor-operated controller
• Hoisting ropes attached to upper ends of car chassis, supplemented by a compensating rope system to load balance for car position on track

See also

• St Marychurch
• Devon
• Funicular railway
• List of funicular railways

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Babbacombe Cliff Railway.

• Official website
• Friends of Babbacombe Cliff Railway Homepages
• Friends of Babbacombe Cliff Railway History & Technology pictures of refurbishment.
• Press release (*.doc format) describing ongoing refurbishment efforts
• BBC News article about the railway
• Brief description of railway with pictures

Coordinates: 50°28′53.13″N 3°30′52.54″W / 50.4814250°N 3.5145944°W / 50.4814250; -3.5145944