Water-Powered Mountain Transport

Lynton Cliff Railway which connects Lynton und Lynmouth overlooking the Bristol Channel on the west coast of England is one of the rarest railway lines in the world still in passenger operation. What makes Lynton Cliff Railway so special is the technology is uses. By Rüdiger Mesterheide.

The vehicles (cars) are fully water-powered; a type of drive that is now only used on three railways worldwide.

The west coast of England is shaped by high cliffs which posed a major obstacle to the economic development of the coastal regions in the 19th century. For goods to be transported by sea, they first had to be carried up and down steep paths by pack horses. This was arduous. So, early in the 19th century, British engineers began to devise ideas for railways to transport people and goods up and down the mountains. Along with different funicular systems, steam engines were considered, but these proved unworkable due to the vagaries of the environment. The best solution turned out to be a water-ballasting system based on a funicular with two vehicles which are alternately filled with different quantities of water thus providing a tractive force up the mountain. Each of the cars runs on its own track with a curved middle section to ensure that they do not touch in the middle of the line.

Following several years of planning and just three years of construction, Lynton Cliff Railway started operation in 1890 and is still active today. The vehicles are filled alternately via a 1.6 km water pipeline and run on a 1143 mm gauge. The line is 263 m long and overcomes a gradient of 57 %. Lynton Cliff Railway is thus the highest and steepest fully water-powered cliff railway in the world and a real treat for mechanical-engineering rail enthusiasts.