Devon Holiday Final Post (VI): Babbacombe Cliff Railway...
Now, from time to time we come across a more "unusual" railway than we're used to, and Babbacombe Cliff Railway is one of them! After leaving the model village (see earlier post) we headed off on the very short walk to the Cliff Railway station. The fernicular railway connects Babbacombe with the small yet attractive Oddicombe Beach, the only other access being via a steeply graded and meandering road/footpath. This being the case, the cliff railway is the best option for travel! The railway first opened on April 1st 1926 but, due to security, closed during the World War II conflict. In 1951 the line reopened and following quite a few servicings and renovations is still operational today! In July 2009, the railway left council ownership and is now owned by a local interest group.
Beginning at the top station, the two parrarel 5ft 8" tracks are each 720ft long. The tracks are travelled by two cable-connected cars which have a capacity of 40 standing passengers each. However, it isn't just gravity which operates the cables, there is driving gear in the top station as well as compensating gear so that correct track positions can be kept by the cars. The cars are connected to the cables at their upper ends and the cables then run between the rails of the tracks, as can be seen below...
The simple construction of the track can also be seen above. Although 'driven' from the driving gear, the estimated speed of the cars is only around 2.5 metres per second. Below can be seen a view from an ascending car of the descending car...
Once you've riden down to the beach on the railway, you pay on leaving or, when going up, you pay at the bottom (unless you have already bought your return ticket of course!). The return fare is very reasonable, about £1.75 each I believe. This £1.75 is well worth as it saves an awful lot of walking! The railway is operated from Easter until September (I believe) from 9:30am til 5pm (I think!). To make sure passengers don't miss the last train, a bell is rung at the bottom station 30 minutes prior to closing! Having enjoyed the lovely beach scenary for a while, we took a return trip on the railway back to 'village level'. We then headed back to our caravan to pack before leaving for home...a 200 mile journey ahead...phew! Thanks for reading, we had a very good holiday! More posts coming soon!
Now, from time to time we come across a more "unusual" railway than we're used to, and Babbacombe Cliff Railway is one of them! After leaving the model village (see earlier post) we headed off on the very short walk to the Cliff Railway station. The fernicular railway connects Babbacombe with the small yet attractive Oddicombe Beach, the only other access being via a steeply graded and meandering road/footpath. This being the case, the cliff railway is the best option for travel! The railway first opened on April 1st 1926 but, due to security, closed during the World War II conflict. In 1951 the line reopened and following quite a few servicings and renovations is still operational today! In July 2009, the railway left council ownership and is now owned by a local interest group.
Beginning at the top station, the two parrarel 5ft 8" tracks are each 720ft long. The tracks are travelled by two cable-connected cars which have a capacity of 40 standing passengers each. However, it isn't just gravity which operates the cables, there is driving gear in the top station as well as compensating gear so that correct track positions can be kept by the cars. The cars are connected to the cables at their upper ends and the cables then run between the rails of the tracks, as can be seen below...
The simple construction of the track can also be seen above. Although 'driven' from the driving gear, the estimated speed of the cars is only around 2.5 metres per second. Below can be seen a view from an ascending car of the descending car...
Once you've riden down to the beach on the railway, you pay on leaving or, when going up, you pay at the bottom (unless you have already bought your return ticket of course!). The return fare is very reasonable, about £1.75 each I believe. This £1.75 is well worth as it saves an awful lot of walking! The railway is operated from Easter until September (I believe) from 9:30am til 5pm (I think!). To make sure passengers don't miss the last train, a bell is rung at the bottom station 30 minutes prior to closing! Having enjoyed the lovely beach scenary for a while, we took a return trip on the railway back to 'village level'. We then headed back to our caravan to pack before leaving for home...a 200 mile journey ahead...phew! Thanks for reading, we had a very good holiday! More posts coming soon! 
1 comment:
That is a very nice holiday experience. It would be very nice to have a guide when making a trip to Devon so that you won't miss beautiful places like that. It's good that Devon holiday guides are now online for inquiries.
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