Scarborough funiculars

During 1873, the Scarborough South Cliff Tramway Company Limited was created to construct the first funicular railway in the United Kingdom.

[1] It had long been recognised that the height difference between the town and its beaches was a geographical hindrance to the burgeoning tourism industry, and the construction of a funicular was viewed as a means of better facilitating, and extracting revenue from, such movements.

[1] Using seawater pumped by two Crossley gas engines through a hydraulic system designed by Tangye Ltd of Smethwick, Birmingham,[3] the upper car's water tank was filled until the counterbalance point was reached.

Between 1935 and 1947, operations were suspended for a time prior to the completion of another refurbishment, which involved the replacement of the water system by 90 hp electric engine.

In its original operating configuration, the funicular used steam power generated by equipment sited roughly 59 feet (18 m) beneath the top station; this gave the driver no direct view of the cars.

In 1920, its original steam plant apparatus was retired in favour of an electric drive that was powered via direct current supplied via Scarborough's tramway system.

The construction of the nearby St Nicholas Cliff Lift was heavily influenced by the level of demand for the Central Tramway.

Completed at a cost of £6,000, the Saint Nicholas Cliff Lift is located on the other side of the Grand Hotel from the Central Tramway, near the Aquarium.

[1] During February 2007, the lift was closed as the borough council could not afford the estimated £445,000 of modifications needed to conform with modern health and safety standards.

Furthermore, it had been operating at a loss, which was allegedly also a factor in its closure, while planners had also projected demand to be within the existing capacity of the Central Tram alone.

[10] The funicular was operated by a pair of cars running on parallel tracks, which had a length of 167 feet (51 m) and a width of 6 ft 6 in (1,981 mm).

[10] During September 1996, it was decided to close the lift permanently rather than undertake a series of repairs to correct mechanical issues and address corrosion, which had an estimated cost of £75,000 to complete.

[10] The opening day was marred by one of the carriages having broken free and crashed into the lower station, with the resulting damage forcing the immediate closure of the funicular.

This apparent bad luck continued through a series of accidents, including multiple landslips and equipment failures.

[10] The quick succession of misfortune caused the railway's management to conclude that the venture was untenable, resulting in operations being permanently ceased during 1887, barely nine years after opening.