A slightly blury photo of the information board about the history of the Castle Hill Railway (<A HREF="http://www.bridgnorthcliffrailway.co.uk/">Bridgnorth Cliff Railway</A>), outside the top station.
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photo by <A HREF="mailto:cmckenna@sucs.org?subject=rail-photo at railfaneurope.net">Chris McKenna 31/12/2004</a>
#cmckenna@sucs.org
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I have transcribed the information below. <I>Note: this text may be copyright! I believe this is "fair use" but check before using it elsewhere</I> 
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<B>History of The Castle Hill Railway</B>
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<LI>Construction started November 2nd 1891 and the railway was opened on July 7th 1892 by Mayor William Burton. A public holiday was proclaimed.</LI>

<LI>The Engineer was George Croydon Marks (later Lord Marks of Woolwich) who patented the design of the railway in 1888 with George Newnes MP (later chairman of the Castle Hill Railway Co.) and a Mr. Jones of Lynton, Devon.</LI>

<LI>Three other railways were built in Britain to the same basic design – Clifton Rocks Railway in Bristol; Lynton and Lynmouth Railway in Devon and Aberystwyth Constitution Hill Railway.</LI>

<LI>Originally the system was designed as a funicular railway. Water was pumped into a 2,000 gallon tank under the car at the top station until its weight (a maximum of 11½ tons) overcame that of the lower car. When the car reached teh bottom station the water was emptied and pumped up to a 30,000 gallon tank on the top of the upper station. The process was then repeated.</LI>

<LI>The railway was rebuilt as electric operation and re-opened on November 9th 1944 by Mayor T.C. Pembro who had taken office only 2 hours before.</LI>

<LI>The original cars were replaced by the present design in 1955.</LI>

<LI>The length of the line is 201ft with a gradient of 1 in 1.8 and a rise of 111ft at an angle of 33 degrees.</LI>

<LI>The Castle Hill Railway is Britains only inland electric cliff railway and is the steepest and the shortest in Britain.</LI>
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