Swansea Constitution Hill Incline Tramway
 Junction of Hanover Street and Constitution Hill, the site of the Cable Tramway | |
| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Swansea |
| Open | 27 August 1898 |
| Close | 5 October 1901 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Cable |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 0.175 miles (0.282 km) |
The Swansea Constitution Hill Incline Tramway operated a cable tramway service on Constitution Hill in Swansea between 1898 and 1902.[1]
History
The Swansea Constitution Hill Incline Tramway Company developed this tramway with consulting engineer George Croydon Marks, 1st Baron Marks. It was built by George Webb and Company.[2] It operated along Constitution Hill between the lower terminus at St. George Street which is now Hannover Street and the upper terminus at Terrace Road. There was an average gradient of 1 in 5 with a maximum of 1 in 3.5. The total elevation was 185 feet (56 m). It opened for service on 27 August 1898[3] but was closed on the same day when a problem was discovered in the clutch mechanism.[4]
Two counterbalanced cars built by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company were fixed to the steel cable, guided by pulleys in a conduit. At the top of the hill the winding house contained two Tangye gas engines.
Closure
On 3 October 1901 the following statement appeared in the Evening Express:
It is stated to be the decision of the directors of the Swansea Cliff Railway up Constitution-hill to discontinue the service after this week, the line failing to be renumerative. An offer of the line has been made to the Swansea Corporation[5]
It closed for traffic on 5 October 1901.[6] The offer of the line to the Swansea Corporation was declined[7] and the line was removed shortly afterwards. The cars, machinery and rails were purchased by Mr. Lowndes.[8]
References
- ↑ The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis.
- ↑ "Swansea Cliff Railway". South Wales Echo. Wales. 4 February 1897. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Swansea". South Wales Daily News. Wales. 29 August 1898. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Swansea Cliff Railway". South Wales Daily News. Wales. 3 September 1898. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "By the Way". Evening Express. Wales. 11 October 1901. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via Welsh Newspapers Online. External link in
|newspaper=(help) - ↑ "Cliff Railway". The Cambrian. Wales. 11 October 1901. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via Welsh Newspapers Online.
- ↑ "Cliff Railway Acquisition". Evening Express. Wales. 3 April 1903. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via Welsh Newspapers Online. External link in
|newspaper=(help) - ↑ "Unsuccessful concern disposed of at last". The Cambrian. Wales. 12 June 1903. Retrieved 6 November 2016 – via Welsh Newspapers Online.