How do cliff railways work

There are wooden benches to perch on either side and space in the middle for standing passengers. Here, you can get a front-row view of the train making its way over the steep tracks.

The best part about this railway journey has to be the spectacular views that you can see from here. As you ascend you can see for miles over the rugged Exmoor coastline and Lynmouth Bay. There are plenty of tables that have been set up next to the view. If you were looking for souvenirs to take home, there is a small gift shop selling some locally inspired and cliff railway souvenirs.

The Lynton Lymouth cliff railway runs from February to early November. Trains run daily from 11 am — 4 pm Monday to Friday and 11 am — 5 pm on weekends. Tickets are one-way only. But, if you did just want to go one way.

At peak times, the bottom station is far busier than the top. To avoid long queues you can walk up to Lynton and get the cliff railway back down. There is plenty of car parking provided near the lower station in Lynmouth.

You can access the cliff railway near to Lynmouth Pier by the Rhenish Tower. From the bottom of the cliff railway, you can take a walk along Lynmouth Harbour to the Rhenish Tower.

Or, you can take a stroll up the cobbled Lynmouth Street to go shopping. Also, the East Lyn River to Watersmeet walk has amazing views along that gorge! Barrie Phillips had arraged for us to commence with a talk by Mr. Lynton is situated about ft vertically above Lynmouth and until , the only way to travel and transport goods between the two communities was via a very steep and tortuous road. This severely tested the animals used to haul the loads up the hill. It was also realised that they were in danger of losing the growing holiday trade with the lack of adequate transport.

The Company was formed by an Act of Parliament in and was granted perpetual rights to take water from the River Lyn in order to power the funicular railway. When each car is docked with one at the top and one at the bottom, their water tanks are full. When passengers have boarded, the drivers exchange signals and the lower driver discharges his water tank, which makes the top car heavier and thus starts to descend pulling the lower car up the cliff.

A reservoir exists at the top of the cliff fed from the River Lyn. The Lynton Railway is unique in that it does not require any other form of energy. The two cars are permanently attached to each other by hauling cables that run around a huge 5ft 6" pulley wheel at the top and the bottom of the tracks. There are four cables in total; two hauling cables that carry the weight of the cars and two tail balancing cables that counteract the weight of the hauling cables.

Each tank holds gallons of water. As passengers board, variations are accommodated for by the brakes which clamp the cars to the rails.

Each cars brakes will hold the weight of both cars fully laden and the lower car has a water operated locking device which clamps the car to the bottom station. The company was formed in through an act of Parliament with perpetual rights to extract water from the West Lyn River.

When loaded, the drivers use pre-arranged bell signals, unlock the safety lock and release the brakes. When each car is ready to depart the drivers release the brakes, and then the lower car discharges water from its tanks until the top car is heavier. The top car then rolls slowly down the rails, pulling the lower car up. Water travels from the West Lyn River around a mile away, through pipes and into the tanks.

Other similar trains like the Saltburn Cliff Lift and the Folkestone Leas Cliff Lift re-pump the water back to the top using electric motors - in fact, most other water-powered railways need some electrical power. Pierre in Fribourg, Switzerland. But the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is the highest and the steepest, lifting you feet from bottom to top.

Just over years.