__NOTOC__

Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

railway in the town of

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. It links Babbacombe Downs with

Oddicombe Beach Oddicombe Beach is a popular beach, noted for its interesting breccia cliffs, below the Babbacombe district of Torbay, Devon in England. The beach includes many facilities which include a cafe, beach hut A beach hut (also known as a bea ...

. The line runs every day, with a closure period in winter for maintenance. The first car runs at 09:30, and the last at 17:30. A bell is rung 30 and 15 minutes before closing.

History

In February 1923, the Torquay Tramway Company commissioned Waygood-Otis Ltd with the engineering and construction of the railway. Construction started in 1924, and the line was first opened on 1 April 1926. The line cost £15,648 to construct. The tramway company continued to work the line until 13 March 1935, when it was taken over by

Torquay Borough Council Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

. The line was closed in 1941, due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

security restrictions, and reopened in 1951 after modernisation by Messrs

J & E Hall J & E Hall is an English manufacturer of refrigeration equipment (today part of the Daikin group). It was originally established as an iron works in Dartford, Kent in 1785, with products including papermaking machines, steam engines and gun carriag ...

of Dartford. The railway underwent further refurbishment in 1993 and a three-year programme of renovation commenced in November 2005. In July 2009, the ownership of the line was transferred from

Torbay Council Torbay Council is the local authority of Torbay in Devon, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Ta ...

, who had inherited ownership from Torquay Borough Council as a result of local government reorganisation, to a specially created community interest company. In 2019, the CIC converted to become a

Charitable Incorporated Organisation A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) is a corporate form of business designed for (and only available to) charitable organisations in England and Wales, similar to (but with important differences from) a Scottish Charitable Incorporat ...

Specifications

* Two cars of traditional funicular design with a 40-person standing capacity * track with a gauge * Rated speed of * 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

Incidents

On 4 September 2022, An engineer from the railway was killed in what was described as an industrial accident.

References

External links

Official websiteBBC News article about the railway
{{coord, 50.4816, -3.5166, region:GB-TOB_type:landmark, display=title Funicular railways in the United Kingdom Tourist attractions in Devon Torquay 5 ft 8 in gauge railways in England Industrial archaeological sites in Devon

History

Specifications

Incidents

See also

References

External links