Bridgnorth Cliff Railway

The Bridgnorth Cliff Railway is a funicular railway that links the high and low parts of the Shropshire town of Bridgnorth. The railway was built in the 1890s to help provide an easier way to travel between the 2 parts of the town, the high town being where Bridgnorth Castle's ruins are. Before the advent of the funicular railway traveling up to the high town was a 200 step climb so no doubt the opening of the railway was warmly welcomed by most!

Originally the railway used water and gravity to operate with water being pumped into a tank in the "top" railway car to counteract the weight of the "bottom" car and hence allow movement. This was changed to electricity when the railway was upgraded in the 1940s and the original wooden railway cars were replaced with lighter aluminium ones in the 1950s, these remain in use today. The railway is only 61m in length though rises a height of 34m.