Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway

The Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway, or Southbourne Cliff Railway, is a funicular railway located in Southbourne, a seaside suburb of the English seaside resort of Bournemouth. The line serves to link the seaside promenade and beach with the cliff top and the town behind.[1]

Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway
The cliff railway (left of centre) seen from the beach
Overview
Statusin use
LocaleSouthbourne, United Kingdom
Service
TypeFunicular
Operator(s)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
History
Opened1935 (1935)
Technical
Line length128 feet (39 m)
Number of tracksDouble track
Track gauge5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)
Maximum incline67.11%
A closer view of the line from below.

Overview

The line is owned and operated by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and has the following technical parameters:[1][2]

Technical parameters
  • Length: 128 feet (39 m)
  • Gradient: 1:1.49 (67.11%)
  • Cars: 2
  • Capacity: 12 passengers per car
  • Configuration: Double track
  • Gauge: 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)
  • Traction: Electricity

History

Opened in 1935 by Bournemouth Corporation, Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway is the most recent of the town's three lines. Traction was originally provided by a 21 horsepower (16 kW) electric motor, although this was replaced in the 1960s.[1] The passenger cabs were replaced with newer versions in April 2012.[3] Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway is credited as the shortest funicular in the world by the 2015 Guinness Book of Records.[4]

Further nearby funiculars

The Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway is one of three such cliff railways in Bournemouth, the other two being the West Cliff Railway and the East Cliff Railway. All three operate between April and October.[1]

Use as an arts venue

On Sunday 6th May 2018, Bournemouth-based sound and performance artists Language, Timothy! performed a site-specific theatre performance called 'Sound Journeys: The Longest Second' across both passenger cars of the Fisherman's Walk Cliff railway. The piece - two, one-minute vignettes created especially for the Southbourne railway - was a commission for Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe (BEAF) Festival 2018. Over 500 passengers saw one or both halves of the piece which ran for four hours during usual cliff lift operating hours.

See also

References
  1. "Bournemouth's Cliff Railways". The Heritage Trail. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  2. "South Cliff, Bournemouth". Funiculars.net. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  3. "New cabs at Southbourne's Fisherman's Walk cliff lift". 4 April 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  4. News, Caroline Lowbridge BBC. "Ten Bournemouth facts football fans might not know". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2016.

Media related to Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway at Wikimedia Commons


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