(SH) St. Helena – Ladder Hill Railway (1829)

St. Helena Island – Ladder Hill Railway (1829) – One of the first funicular in the world!

Saint Helena Island is located offshore of Namibia to nearly two thousand kilometers in the South Atlantic.
The island of St. Helena is best known for being the last place of exile of Napoleon Bonaparte. After the defeat at Waterloo in 1815, the emperor is imprisoned and deported by the British on the island of St. Helena. He died there in 1821 and was buried on the island. In 1840 he was exhumed and his coffin was repatriated to France.
The island of St. Helena is an islet with no airport, no harbor, and even without beach. Its capital Jamestown stretches the bottom of a narrow gorge flanked by two hills on which two forts defended the city, Ladder Hill Fort and Rupert Hill Fort. In 1829, to facilitate the supply of Ladder Hill Fort, the engineer J. W. Hoar invented and built a ramp system, unique to this era, which linked Jamestown directly to the fort situated 183 meters above the city.
The inclined plane consisted of a base of stones on which were fixed two parallel tracks, separated by a staircase. On these two railways two cars were traveling, each on a track, and were counterbalanced by a chain passing around a drive pulley at the top of the incline. The pulley was driven by three mules. This matches perfectly with the definition of a funicular.
The main feature of this precursor funicular is to have been especially designed for maximum safety in particular to compensate for the fall of the cars in case of chain breakage.
This system was called “The Ladder Hill Railway”. It was in service from 1829 to 1871. There was even a time a project to carry passengers by the inclined plane. Finally judged unreliable, the funicular railway was dismantled in 1871 and transformed into simple steps with a metal railing on each side of the stairs. Despite all this system remains one of the first funicular systems in the world.
Today, the funicular does not exist anymore … but he has not completely disappeared. There are still all the inclined plane on which stones were laid rails on both tracks with the central staircase. The rails are gone.
This inclined plane and its central staircase are now one of the main attractions of the island after Longwood, the residence of Napoleon 1.
This staircase of 699 steps is now known as the “Jacob’s Ladder”.
The staircase is used by tourists to reach the top of the hill Ladder Hill. There is even a competition to climb the stairs.

Ile Sainte Hélène – Plan incliné de Ladder Hill (1829) – L’un des tous premiers funiculaires au monde!

View of St. Helena and Laddar Hill railway / Vues de Sainte Hélène et du funiculaire de Ladder Hill (from  photographies of G. W. Mellis, Surveyor-General of the Island – 1857)

Jamestown and Ladder Hill Railway

Jamestown and Ladder Hill Railway

Jamestown and Ladder Hill Railway

Jamestown and Ladder Hill Railway

Description of Ladder Hill Railway / Description du funiculaire de Ladder Hill (Dessins d’après Mechanic’s Magazine 1832, 1834)

Details of a moving waggon / Détails d'un chariot en mouvement

Waggon B stopped after a rope breaking / Chariot B après une rupture de corde

A – Waggon ascending or descending
a,b,c,d,  are four iron-cased levers, forked at their lower extremities to admit the wheels, and strongly bolted on to the square ends of the two revolving axletrees e, f ; thus, each axletree, and its two levers, obviously revolve together.
Then g, h, h, are two connecting bars of flat iron, connecting the levers a, b, and c, d ; the extremities of each bar working loosely upon a round-shouldered bolt fixed in either of the three holes in the levers ; and , being thus alike centered, these bars, as the levers fall, follow round parallel to the plane, and take the position of those in fig. B.
i, k, the draught-hooks, centered and playing easily upon the front bolts of the connecting bars, so as to follow the levers round in the same parallel position as the bars.
I, m, the adjusting bar, to adjust the inclination of the levers.
n, o, the stopping blocks, having strong stumpy spikes projecting about two inches out of their under edge, which stick into the surface of the plane when the waggon is thrown off its wheels, by the breaking of the hawser. These blocks, with the wagon drop only a few inches, and project. About two feet beyond the back of the waggon, in order to counteract its tendency to spring up in front.

p, in fig. B is an iron plate, the two prongs of which admit the adjusting bar, l, m ; and a pin passing through them prevents the levers from falling: thus, when the waggon approaches the level, either at the summit or the foot of the plane, the pin is inserted, and it will then run on its wheels, forward or backward, as a common waggon.
Principles:
1 – The draught alone keeps the waggon on its wheels.
2 – The tendency of the waggon to fall is increased or diminished by a greater or less inclination of the four levers, a, b, c, d, ; or by the draught-hooks, i, k, being placed nearer to, or farther from, the axletrees. But the levers might be adjusted so tenderly, that the slightest jerk of the hawser, especially in descending, would throw the waggon off its wheels.
3 – Any one lever will move the other three. And one man’s power so applied, when the draught is on, can replace a loaded waggon on its wheels, which, without the draught, would require great power to effect.
4 – To throw a loaded waggon, properly adjusted, off its wheels, requires greater power than to raise a loaded one on to its wheels. In one case the draught acts as an opposing, in the other as a helping power.

Légende
A – Wagon en mouvement
a, b, c, d, sont quatre leviers en tube métallique, fourchus à leurs extrémités inférieures pour le passage des roues, et fortement boulonnés sur les bouts carrés des deux axes rotatifs e, f; ainsi, chaque axes, et ses deux leviers tournent ensemble.
g, h, h, sont deux barres de liaison en fer plat, reliant les leviers a, b et c, d; les extrémités de chaque barre s’articulent sur un boulon fixé dans l’une des trois trous des leviers, et, étant ainsi aussi bien centré, ces barres, quand les leviers tombent, se mettent automatiquement parallèles au plan incliné et prennent la position indiquée par la figure B.
i, k, les crochets, centrés et s’appuyant sur les boulons des barres de liaison, de manière à suivre la rotation des leviers dans la même position que les barres.
l, m, la barre de réglage, servant à régler l’inclinaison des leviers.
n, o, les blocs d’arrêt, possédant de solides pointes dépassant d’environ 5 cm le fond capables d’accrocher la surface du plan incliné au cas où le wagon décroche en cas de rupture de l’amarre. En cas de chute du wagon, ces blocs permettent de stopper l’ensemble que quelques centimètres. Ils dépassent le wagon d’environ 50 centimètres par l’arrière afin d’éviter un basculement de l’ensemble en cas de rupture.
p, dans la fig. B est une plaque de fer dont les deux bouts reçoivent la barre de réglage, l, m, et une broche empêchent les leviers de tomber: ainsi, lorsque le chariot se rapproche du niveau du sol, au sommet ou au pied du plan incliné, la goupille est insérée, et le wagon sera sur ses roues comme n’importe quel autre.
Principes:1 – L’ensemble maintient la seule voiture sur ses roues.
2 – La tendance du wagon à tomber est augmenté ou diminué par une plus ou moins inclinaison des quatre leviers, a, b, c, d, ou par les crochets, i, k, étant placé plus près ou plus loin des axes. Mais les leviers pourrait être ajustés si finement, que la moindre secousse de l’attache, surtout en descendant, jetterait le chariot hors de ses roues.
3 – n’importe quel levier peut actionner les trois autres. Et l’action d’un homme, lorsque qu’il y a pression, peut remettre un wagon chargé sur ses roues, qui, sans la pression, nécessiterait plus de force.
4 – Pour lancer un wagon chargé, bien ajusté, hors de ses roues, nécessite une force supérieure à soulever une charge sur ses roues. Dans un cas, la pression agit comme une opposition, dans les autres cas comme une aide.

Details of the driving winch / Détails de la poulie motrice

Fig. 1. Apparatus at the summit of the inclined plane for drawing up the carriages.  A A is a stone pier blot to the solid rock, and clamped with iron.  B, a drum, 2 feet in diameter;  e e, the palls. C, an upper drum for rope, 3 feet 6 inches diameter. D, break wheel. E E, a strong wooden platform. a a, bushes. F F, the lever bars, 12 feet in length each, which are turned by the mules. R, one of the rollers conduct the chain from the drum to the inclined plane.
Fig. 2. A plan of the inclined plane. A A A A, the rollers. B B, the sleepers 8 inches square.
Fig.3. Section of the plane. B B, the sleepers. C C C C, bolts through into the solid rock.

Fig. 1. Ensemble moteur permettant de hisser les wagons. A A est une base de pierres fermement boulonnée sur le rocher et fixée avec de l’acier. B, un tambour de 60 cm de diamètre. e e, la base. C, une tambour supérieur pour une corde de 93 cm de diamètre. D, la roue de freinage. E E, un épais plancher de bois. a a, l’axe. F F, les barres leviers de 3,6 mètres de long chacune qui sont actionnées par des mules. R, un des rouleaux qui guident la chaîne du tambour vers le plan incliné.
Fig. 2. le plan incliné. A A A A, les rouleaux. B B, les traverses de 20 cm2 de section.
Fig. 3. section du plan incliné. B B, les traverses. C C C C, les boulons solidement fixés dans le rocher.

Ladder Hill Inclined Plane / Plan incliné de Ladder Hill

Today’s view of Jacob’s Ladder / Vues actuelles de l’escalier Jacob’s Ladder

Inclined Plane plaque / Plaque signalant le plan incliné

At the bottom of the stairway, a plaque on which is written: / Au pied de l’escalier une plaque sur laquelle est gravée :
” THE INCLINED PLANE – Constructed for The St. Helena Railway Company in 1829 under the supervision of Lt. G. W. Meliss. St. Helena Artillery Regiment. Rebuilt by the Royal engineers in 1871.”

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

Today we can see the location os the two railway tracks which were on each side of the central stairway which is lighted by night.
Aujourd’hui on peut voir nettement l’emplacement des deux voies ferrées qui se trouvaient de part et d’autre de l’actuel escalier central, lequel est maintenant éclairé la nuit.

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder - On both sides of the stairway, see the old rusted bolts still fixed in the stones which was used to fix the two tracks / Notez, de part et d'autre de l'escalier, les vieux boulons rouillés qui ont servi à fixer les deux voies.

Jacob’s Ladder – On both sides of the stairway, we can see the old rusted bolts still fixed in the stones which was used to fix the two tracks of the funicular!
Notez, de part et d’autre de l’escalier, on peut encore voir les vieux boulons rouillés qui ont servi à fixer les deux voies du funiculaire!

Jacob's Ladder race / course d'ascension de l'escalier

Photos ajja, griffen1943

Technical datas / Données techniques

Start / Début	1829
End / Fin	1871
State / Etat
Type of funicular / Type de funiculaire
Type of tacks / Type de voies
Energy / Energie
From / De	Johnstown (10 meters)
To / A	LadderHill (193 meters)
Length / Longueur	282 meters
Difference of levels / Dénivellé	183 meters
Max Gradient / Pente maximum	86,4%
Number of carriages / Nombre de voitures	2
Number of steps / Nombre de marches	699

Google Maps

St. Helena interesting links / Liens intéressants pour l’Ile Sainte Hélène

St. Helena Government

St. Helena Tourism Office

RMS St. Helena (Royal Mail Ship, the only way to go to St. Helena / Le seul moyen d’aller à l’Ile Sainte Hélène par le dernier Royal Mail Ship)

Domaines français de Sainte-Hélène (Longwood and Briars Domains are now property of French Republic / Les domaines de Longwood et le Pavillon des Briars sont maintenant la propriété de la République Française)

Project for an airport and harbour at St. Helena

© Michel Azéma, November 2010