Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway & Flood Memorial Hall October 2012
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- čas přidán 10. 10. 2012
- The unique water powered cliff railway, opened on Easter Monday 1890, was funded by the wealthy London publisher George Newnes who'd built himself a holiday home, although it was more of a mansion, high on the hill above the town. He also sponsored the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, the running in board from the town's closed station can be found in the garden of the Exmoor museum in the town. If you're visiting the area why not call in at Woody Bay station and see what's going on to rebuild the railway, also see some of my other films.
Newnes also gifted the impressive town hall. The water is captured from the West Lyn river and piped about a mile to the top station, water is let in to a tank below the passenger cabin. When it's time to depart, the operator of the bottom car lets some water out of his tank, which flows into the sea. The then heavier top car pulls the bottom one up. There are other water powered railways in the world but these reuse the same water, pumping it back to the top. At the bottom is the small village of Lynmouth which was devastated by a flood on 15th August 1952. An incredible 9 inches of rain had fallen on Exmoor during the previous 24 hours. Water, boulders and mud, surged down the East and West Lyn rivers which meet at Lynmouth. 34 lives were lost, some in surrounding villages and settlements.
UPDATE. The Cliff railway featured in the Michael Portillo programme "Great British Railway Journeys" in January 2013
As a young Boy I used to spend all my school holiday riding the "Cliff" I lost count the amount of times I've ridden on those beautiful little carriages I noticed there is a canopy over the driver in my day if it was raining you got wet and your journey was free! Thank you for your work, it brought back a flood of very happy memories, Great Work, Well Done!
Very nice, gentle filming with some thought gone into the filming locations/bridges over.
Lovely video - pity you didn't include a trip on the railway going down to expand the wonderful scenery.
Nice video. Most web pages show the West Lyn river as the source of the water.
Thanks for pointing that out....
The price is a bit steep.
Do they pump the water back up the hill, or is there a fresh source at the top?
Please see my description for a full explanation. Yes it's fresh water captured from a river. This system is unique in the world.
traindriver35 Apart from the one at the Centre for Alternative Technology which also only uses the water once. Except for recently due to very unusually dry weather.
"Unique" water powered funicular. I guess the "unique" is referring to nowadays, yes your'e right. But 80-120 years ago waterpowered funicular (or are they called cablecars? i'm not so good in english...) were normal also here in switzerland. tToday you can still find small private old waterpowered cablecars (on ground or in air) in some inner regions of our alps as a connection between a farm way up on the mountain and the village below. But they are just private use only, to not have to bear the groceries 1hr uphill, to bring the milk down to the milktruck and get to/from school.