Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway

Funicular railways are popular across the world. They can climb much steeper gradients than rack railways by counterbalancing two cars on a continuous rope, so one goes up as the other goes down. Passenger funiculars developed from industrial inclined-plane railways, which were common in the eighteenth century. Most are powered by electricity but the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway uses water. It is the longest and steepest water-powered funicular in existence. It has worked continuously since it opened in 1890. The railway connects the harbour at Lynmouth with the town of Lynton, 152 metres above, at a gradient of 58%. The designer was George Croydon Marks. The two cars each carry 40 people and a reservoir that holds around 3,000 litres of water. As one car reaches the bottom its reservoir is emptied and the one at the top is filled to make the next journey.