Scarborough South Cliff Railway

Funicular cliff railway, 1875, designed by William Lucas, built by Crossley Brothers.

GENERAL FORM: Twin tracks of standard gauge, forming a counter-balanced funicular railway incline 86m long on a 33 degree gradient. The two identical railcars are utilitarian in form, being mounted on triangular sub-frames to accommodate the slope. At the bottom of the incline, on the seafront promenade, there is a station building with ticket office; at the top there is a simple operator's booth.

INCLINE: The lower part of the incline is embanked on the slope of the hillside with rockfaced ashlar stonework, incorporating an arched tunnel to accommodate a former footpath underneath the railway lines.

BOTTOM STATION: The lower station building is a tall, hipped roof structure with ornamented iron columns, the walls being glazed screens with timber glazing bars. Facing the sea, there is a lower, lean-to extension which is also highly glazed. Although the main section of the station building is considered to be original, its roof is of modern grey concrete tiles and the decorative eaves valencing is also considered to be the result of modern refurbishment (it is not shown in an early C20 photograph).

TOP STATION: This consists of a simple, utilitarian operator's booth controlling the entrance gates at the head of the incline which is considered to be C20 in date.