Clifton Rocks Railway
| Clifton Rocks Railway | |
|---|---|
Clifton Rocks Railway lower station
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| Overview | |
| Type | Underground funicular |
| Locale | Hotwells, Bristol (grid reference ST565730) |
| Stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 11 March 1893 |
| Closed | 1 October 1934 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 2 in (965 mm) |
The Clifton Rocks Railway was an underground funicular railway in Bristol, England, linking Clifton at the top to Hotwells and Bristol Harbour at the bottom of the Avon Gorge in a tunnel cut through the limestone cliffs.
The upper station is close to Brunel's famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and is located adjacent to the former Grand Spa Hotel (now the Avon Gorge Hotel). The lower station was opposite the paddle steamer landing ferries in Hotwells, Hotwells railway station of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier, a terminus of Bristol Tramways and the Rownham ferry enabling connections across the river Avon.
Construction of the railway was funded by the publisher George Newnes, also proprietor of the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, and as at Lynton and Lynmouth the engineer was George Croydon Marks. It opened on 11 March 1893 and carried 6,220 passengers on the opening day, and 427,492 in the first year of operation. However, it was never a great success; in 1912 it was sold to Bristol Tramways, but it continued to struggle and closed on 1 October 1934.
The railway had a length of 450 feet (137 m), overcoming a vertical distance of 200 feet (61 m) at a gradient of about 1 in 2.2 (45%). There were four cars in two connected pairs, essentially forming two parallel funicular railways, each running on 3 ft 2 in (965 mm) narrow gauge tracks. The system was operated by gravity, with water ballast being let into the cars at the top station and out at the bottom, and an oil- or gas-burning pump returning the water to the top of the system.
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