Funiculars, Funiculaires, Funicolare, DFB (Michel Azéma) Scarborough03

The Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift opened on August 5th 1929. Built by the Medway Safety Lift Company Ltd of Dartford (Kent) to absorb the great number of passengers on the Central Tramway Cliff Lift located just behind the Grand Hotel. The Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift is located on the other side of the Grand Hotel near the Aquarium.

The original power was the electricity. It is a very steep funicular (114%), the control equipment was incorporated in the upper station and no station was provided at the bottom of the lift, where passengers stepped directly out on the pavement. Each car could carry 30 passengers.

Today the Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift is owned by the Scarborough Council.

The Grand Hotel and the Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift.

The Spa Footbridge which links the Saint-Nicholas Cliff to the Esplanade.

The top station of the Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift.

The top station of the Saint-Nicholas Cliff Lift.
The top station is controlled by one employee located in a small office between the two tracks. His job is to take the fares of the passengers (up and down) and to control the lift with a kind of 'joystick' (the joystick leant to the left and cabin on the left track goes down). On each side of the joystick is a wheel handle, the employee turn the wheel on one side to open/close the door of the corresponding cabin.

Note the big gradient of the lift.

The top station near the Grand Hotel.

When a cabin arrives at the station the door of the cabin becomes interdependent with the white and red gate of the station. The employee turns the wheel handle which opens the gate and consequently opens the door of the cabin.

The bottom 'station'. A second employee is standing on the pavement to open the doors and
to inform the top station that the bottom cabin is ready.

Two pairs of cables are used for the traction.
Note that there is no roller at all to support the cables!

Note the two pairs of cables. A fifth cable is used to activate the emergency brake which squeezes the central rail.
On the two half-doors of the cabin, note the two lugs which are used to make the doors interdependent with the gate when the cabin reachs the top station.
Note also the passengers which are looking for some coins before the cabin reachs the top station.

TECHNICAL DATAS

Start	1929
End	...
Type of funicular
Type of tracks
Type of energy
Bottom station	South Sands
Top station	Grand Hotel
Length	31 m
Gradient	114 %
Gauge	2,286 m