Transport

Central Tramway Company – Scarborough’s Cliff Railway

April 17, 2024 by Penny Leave a Comment

Scarborough is a popular North Yorkshire seaside town that many think of as on two levels. The bays are obviously at sea level, but the main part of the town with shops and accommodation is at the top of the cliff. Walking down to the bay can be quite nice, but the trip back up, especially after a long day is hard going. Even more so if you have children with you. There’s no wonder then that over the years Scarborough has had a total of five cliff lifts, or cliff railways, and two of them remain operational today. Possibly the most famous being the Central Tramway Company.

A picture of the outside of the lower station on teh Central Tramway Company. The sign reads Victorian Tramway to Town. — The entrance to the tramway on the South Bay

Where to find Scarborough’s Cliff Railway

Running on Scarborough’s South Bay the top station is located between the Grand Hotel and the Town Hall and the bottom one is next to the massive Olympia amusement arcade. For most of the year the railway runs 7 days of the week, with only some weekday closures in December and January for maintenance. Normally open by 10am, the railway runs until 9.45pm in the summer months.

The history of Scarborough’s Cliff Railway

Originally built in 1881 the Central Tramway got its name because its was centrally located between two other cliff railways in the town – the South Cliff Tramway Company (now the Spa Cliff Lift, which is still operating) and the Queens Parade Cliff Lift (closed in 1887).

Inside one of the tramcars. Fares correct as of April 2024.

The first Tramway (the South Cliff one) linked the hotels of the South Cliff Esplanade with the panoramic South Bay beach and entertainment venue of the Spa and had been so popular with tourists that local business men were keen to repeat that success.

The Central Tramway Company now holds the position of the oldest surviving Tramway Company in the UK.

Technical facts

The gauge of the railway is 4 ft 8+¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) and there is a track length of 248 feet (76 m). There is a gradient of 1:2. The tramway being a funicular means that both cars are attached to each other with cables and as one car ascends the other descends.

At the Central Tramway the two cars are named Grand and Olympia. They are identical (with the exception often placement of a small wooden mouse) and the names are mainly used for operational and engineering purposes to differentiate between the two. The cars are driven remotely by a driver who sits in a booth at the top station.

A carved wooden mouse sitting on a plaque on the window sill own a moving tramcar. — A wooden mouse found inside one of the tramcars

Tramway practicalities – when does it run and how much does it cost?

The Central Tramway provides an on demand service, so there is no need to book. Both stations have been through a significant refurbishment and make the most of their Victorian heritage in the way this has been done incredibly sympathetically. The two tram units themselves were refurbished in 2022 and, along with work to install a new Programmable logic controller drive system in 2019, means that the system makes the most of modern computer technology and the latest safety measures.

A picture of one of the tramcars half way down the tracks and the second car visible just starting its ascent. The bottom station and the sea can be seen in the background. — A tramcar leaving the top station in 2019

You pay for Scarborough’s Cliff Railway at the top station. If you’re coming up from the bay you pay upon exiting once at the top station. At the time of writing a return ticket costs £2.60 and one way is £1.40. Children 5 and under are free.

A picture showing the top station. The long building has a small clocktower on top, is mainly wooden in construction painted in cream and Burgundy. The words Tramway to Beach are along the side of the building and at the end it says Victorian Tramway to the beach. — The top station, located between the Town Hall and the Grand Hotel in Scarborough

At the top station is a small “shop” (more of a display unit with things to buy on it!) which is perfect if you want a little something to remember your trip from. Disappointingly, no sew on badges to be had, but sadly that seems to be the way in so many places lately.

For more details on the Central Tramway Company then take a look at their website.

Did you know?

Scarborough’s Grand Hotel, located near the Tramways top station) was spared from destruction in the Second World War as it is believed that Hitler had identified it as where he wanted to rule Britain from once he had invaded!

A fan of a cliff railway?

If you are then why not take a look at what we thought of the Southend Cliff Lift when we visited there and you can also read there about the difference between a cliff railway and a cliff lift, and so we should really be referring to this as Scarborough’s Cliff Funicular. Real cliff lift, railway and funicular fans may also be interested in this book which they were selling at the small shop they have at the top station, or this wider covering one.

Watford Miniature Railway

October 9, 2023 by Penny Leave a Comment

Since term started and the youngest started school we’ve been staying home a bit more on the weekends. Catching up on homework, housework and sleep. This weekend though we decided it was time to venture out a bit more and find some trains. A quick trip down the M1 brought us to Watford, Cassiobury Park and the rather excellent Watford Miniature Railway.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Cassiobury Park as there’s just so much there to see and do. The railway has always been a draw with the kids, although with Covid and everything else we haven’t actually been all that much in the last few years. This weekend was time to rectify that though.

Watford Miniature Railway – facts and figures

Located right next to the children’s playground the station for Watford Miniature Railway is a simple affair.

A notice board at Watford Miniature Railway and a view towards the platform area

First opened in 1959 the route is now 915 meters long, with a ride time of approximately 6 minutes. The track itself is 10 1/4 inch gauge (260mm in modern terms) and a variety of diesel and steam locos run on weekends and during school holidays. At the end of the platforms is a small turntable for turning the loco around at the end of a run.

The railway has a pretty comprehensive webpage with details of all their locos, a bit of history and also all the practical stuff you need to know before visiting. There’s also an online shop if you want a little souvenir of your visit.

Practical need to know

The great thing about Watford Miniature Railway is that it just works. Everything’s straightforward and as a parent with little train fans that just makes it all a breeze. It costs £2.50 per person (adult or child) to ride on the railway (with under 2s free) and you can pay with either cash or card. There’s even a £20 option to be able to ride 10 times! There’s no real timetable as such they just run when they’re ready to. You can leave scooters and bikes at the station (at your own risk – although a staff member does stay there) and there’s lots to spot as you go round in a couple of loops before returning to the station.

The notice board and accompanying chalk board as you enter the railway station

The railways opening days and times are on their website. Occasionally the weather (rain, wind or snow) can mean they need to close, but they’re very good at sharing information like that on their active Facebook page. They also tell you on there if they’re planning to run steam or not.

Our visit

A view from the train along teh tracks seeing the train ahead go round a bend.

After a walk along the neighbouring Grand Union Canal we headed back to the station and were able to get on a training pretty much straight away. The Conway Castle was the diesel running whilst we were there and did a fine job taking us around. From my last visit, it was lovely to see several little gnomes and other animals in the woods on our route and the youngest particularly liked all the smiley faces on tree stumps that we went past. For the adults seeing the engine sheds and another diesel (that I’ve since learnt came from the Wells Harbour Railways that we used to visit quite a bit as my in-laws live that way) was a highlight.

Engine sheds and Densil, a Diesel engine

I genuinely wish more parks had miniature railways like this, as they’re always a highlight for the whole family. I was delighted to pick up a little leaflet at the station too – a fantastic list from Britain’s Great Little Railways of places for us to visit in the future!

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

August 11, 2023 by Penny Leave a Comment

London’s Postal Museum opened at its current Clerkenwell site in July 2017 and tells the story of the the postal system in the UK. One of the main attractions at the site is a 1km section of the Mail Rail underground train network that visitors can ride on. The museum prides itself in being an attraction for the whole family and it is packed with interactive exhibits that allow children to get very hands on. In addition there is an onsite role play area for children under the age of 8 called Sorted!

An image painted onto the side of a brick building showing an old fashioned Postman holding a letter which it looks like he is about to place into a post box. You can see a bi-plane flying in the sky in the picture and in the top right hand corner is a Penny Black Postage Stamp.

What’s at the Postal Museum?

Visits to the Postal Museum can broken down into three different sections.

Firstly there is the old underground rail system used by Royal Mail for transporting mail across central London; Mail Rail. Museum visitors can ride on the Mail Rail trains – converted to carry passengers instead of mail sacks – and during the 15 minute journey learn about the history of Mail Rail and why it was such a valuable system. Because of the way tickets work, Mail Rail is the first part of the museum that most visitors go to. You book a timed slot for riding on Mail Rail and this is what you book your museum tickets around.

In the same building as Mail Rail is Sorted! – a hands on role play area for children under the age of 8.

The main part of the museum is diagonally across the road from the building containing Mail Rail. That makes it sound further than it is, as in reality the road in question is only a small, quiet road so it does only take about a minute to walk between the two sites. This is where you find all the main exhibits and the “museum” part of The Postal Museum.

How Postal Museum tickets work

When you buy a ticket to The Postal Museum it gets you a ride on the Mail Rail and also entry to the main museum site. Your ticket allows you to revisit the museum as many times as you like in 12 months, but you can only ride on the Mail Rail once, on the day your ticket is first valid.

You book a time slot for riding on the Mail Rail and you’re asked to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time.

To visit Sorted! you need to buy a separate ticket per child and you have to book a time slot. Sorted! is an additional charge, and it is possible to visit Sorted! without going to any other part of the museum. If you are also visiting the museum then you get your Sorted! ticket at a discounted price.

Mail Rail

Seen by many as the main attraction at The Postal Museum, Mail Rail is something not to be missed. A 2ft narrow gauge driverless underground system originally ran for 10.5km with 8 stations. This allowed mail to be moved around London far faster than doing so at street level. The railway ran from its inception in 1927 until it finally closed in 2003.

When the original railway as mothballed, much of the original infrastructure and rolling stock was kept and that now enables visitors to be taken along a 1km section of the route in adapted versions of the trains that now carry passengers instead of mail bags, and have drivers at the front. During a 15 minute journey visitors are told the history of the line and in a couple of points the train stops to allow films to be projected on to the walls, showing what the railway used to be like, and explaining the role it played in carrying mail across the capital.

Once you’ve completed your ride on the train itself, there’s a lovely small exhibition space containing artefacts from the railway. It’s clear from the exhibits that people who work on the Mail Rail have been heavily involved in creating this exhibition, and it’s lovely to see things like a homemade engineer’s toolbox that one man created from an old decommissioned carriage. The labelled tobacco tins containing various small parts reminded me so much of my dad’s garage.

A picture of the top of an old Mail Rail carriage that was converted into an engineers trolly by someone who worked there. You can see an assortment of bits and bobs including a tin of swarfega, leads for a multimeter and an array of old tobacco tins

The whole experience is fascinating and a must do for anyone who loves something a bit geeky. The museum’s website provides some great details about the practicalities of riding the Mail Rail and accessibility information.

There is a gift shop located in the Mail Rail building.

The main Postal Museum

Once you’ve been on the Mail Rail you head to the main museum building across the road. This is where the main exhibits that make up the museum are. Although the total floor space isn’t huge, there is a wonderful collection of artefacts from the first letters and stamps, right through to the latest ones produced with King Charles III on them.

A display showing a variety of old Post Office and Royal Mail advertising posters at the Postal Museum.

The history of the Postal system in the UK is fascinating and, even in these days of email and social media, it clearly comes across about what a crucial part of the infrastructure the postal system was. It made me feel a bit sad to realise just how much we’ve lost really. Seeing in particular the adorable little Post Bus really brought it home, as in a time when rural bus services have been cut more than ever before something like a Post Bus network would help so many.

A very cute and cheery looking red and yellow Royal Mail Post Bus.

For kids visiting the museum there was so much that was hands on for them to touch and play with, that it easily kept all three entertained in different ways. The activity book was a nice touch as it featured things that all ages could get involved in, whilst also being quite educational as well.

There is a small cafe in the foyer area of the museum along with a gift shop.

Sorted!

In addition to the main museum there is a role play area for children aged 8 and under located in the same building as the Mail Rail, called Sorted! You need to book a 45 minute slot for sorted and this can be done via the museum’s website. It is possible to either book just to go to Sorted! or to add a visit on to buying museum tickets. If you do the latter then it only costs a couple of pounds per child for your Sorted! visit.

Sorted! gives children a huge number of role play opportunities, all around a postal theme. Our four year old thoroughly enjoyed it, in particular because she could dress for some of the roles.

A four year old girl wearing a child sized Royal Mail high-via jacket is hauling a play postal sack up after it has been raised to first floor level on a pulley system. Just next to where she is doing this you can see a red slide leading downstairs.

What we thought

We absolutely loved the Postal Museum. This was actually our second visit, but the first with children in tow. Things have changed a bit in the years since we first came, but actually coming again with kids made us realise just how child friendly it is. There was so much for all three kids to interact with that they all had great fun. The pneumatic tubes were a huge hit – not just for our kids, but all the ones we saw playing with them. The children also enjoyed quite a few of the other interactive exhibits, as well as being interested in quite a lot of what they saw there.

A blonde four year old girl smiling at the camera whilst wearing a vintage style GPO uniform of coat and hat, remade in a child's size.

The kids activity booklet that they were given when they arrived was also really well put together. Some things that were easy enough for the four year old to do without much assistance, but other bits that the 13 year old also enjoyed trying to find as we went around.

How to find The Postal Museum

The Postal Museum isn’t right next to any tube stops, but please don’t let that put you off at all. We travelled to Farringdon station (Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, National Rail and Elizabeth Line) and walked from there in less than 15 minutes. And that was with a 4 year old who doesn’t always necessarily walk in a straight line! Most of the streets you walk along are quite small and quiet, especially on a weekend.

For more detailed directions to get there try using the TfL Journey Planner and enter “The Postal Museum” as your destination. That way the planner will show you buses and walking instructions too.

Preparing kids to visit The Postal Museum

When we visited there was a fantastic activity pack for children which had them spotting things around the museum. This, and quite a few of the information panels for children around the museum, are all based around the character of The Jolly Postman. The sight of him, and a picture of kids’ other favourite postman, Postman Pat, just inside the entrance to the museum was enough to convince my four year old that this was a place that would interest her. If your little one isn’t familiar with The Jolly Postman before your visit then it may well be worth introducing them.

On their website the museum have done a huge amount of work with Ambitious about Autism to produce a series of resources to help support autistic and neurodiverse visitors to the museum. This includes visual stories and pre-visit films. At the museum itself we saw a basket of ear defenders available near the queue for the Rail Mail and they also have sensory bags available to borrow, along with lanyards which can help staff identify visitors that may require additional support.

Want to read more?

Why not take a look at other museums we have visited, or see what else we’ve enjoyed doing in London.

Willen Lake Abandoned Miniature Railway

July 17, 2023 by Penny Leave a Comment

Willen Lake in Milton Keynes is a great place for a family day out with loads to do for kids of all ages. Not only are there activities on the lake from pedalos and boats to an inflatable assault course, there are also plenty of places to eat and drink and also dry activities too. The new playground is vast and loved by kids, as is the nearby splash park. There is an accessible path around the whole lake which is perfect for pushchairs, wheelchairs, bikes and scooters. People who want to get up in the trees can also take on Treetop Extreme. The newly built onsite Premier Inn is perfectly situated for both the park itself and the nearby Gulliver’s Land theme park. Despite all this, there’s one tucked away part of Willen Lake that is sadly not taking visitors right now. The abandoned miniature railway.

A yellow warning sign showing an picture of a steam train and the words "Caution Model railway"

Originally opened in 1989, and then the track re-routed when Treetop Extreme opened in 2005/6, the railway today is sadly in a state of disrepair.

As you can see from my video below, the old station is still there complete with a turntable for turning locomotives round, and interestingly all the track is all still in place. You can even see some signs still up warning pedestrians where the track crosses a path.

A miniature railway turntable, part of the abandoned miniature railway at Willen Lake. Milton Keynes.

Off in some sidings three carriages are in a bit of a state and just left for nature (or vandals) to take over. I do also wonder if there might be a loco in the closed up shipping container that is there.

It’s such a shame to see an abandoned miniature railway like this in a place that is so popular with families. I’m sure that on a sunny day kids (big and small!) would be clamouring for a ride, but I’m guessing that the council probably isn’t interested in running it and any company or charity taking it on might struggle to make enough profit.

It may be that Covid lockdowns put an end to the railway, but I find abandoned things like this utterly fascinating and would love to know exactly what the story is behind the railway. Who owns it? And why it has been abandoned like this?

As a family we’re on a challenge to find and visit as many railways as we can around the country, I’m just hoping that the number of abandoned miniature railways stays as low as possible!

If you want to read more train related content then take a look here.

Southend Cliff Lift

November 8, 2021 by Penny Leave a Comment

One of my latest fascinations is cliff lists – or just funiculars in general really. I blame Tim Dunn for covering the Saltburn Cliff Lift on his excellent Yesterday programme The Architecture the Railways Built. We took a November trip down Southend for a bit of sea air and a chance to see one of the new trains on the pier there (more on that in a separate post soon), and somehow it had completely passed me by that Southend had a cliff lift.

Looking down the tracks on the Southend Cliff Lift. In the foreground you an see the rear of a two year old wearing a yellow coat and pink bobble hat who is looking out of the window. — Looking down the tracks from inside the lift

Now this might have been because I’d been looking online at list of funiculars in the UK and there is a bit of a dispute as to whether or not the Southend Cliff List is a funicular or not. Let me explain.

The upper station at Southend Cliff Lift — Upper station

A funicular or not?

The definition fo funicular is as follows:

adjective

(of a railway, especially one on a mountainside) operating by cable with ascending and descending cars counterbalanced.
relating to a rope or its tension.

The problem, in Southend’s case, being that there is only once car. However the sign at the bottom of the cliff lift says the following:

The Cliff Lift is a counter-balanced funicular railway – a funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable moves a carriage up and down a steep slope.

I’m guessing that at least makes it a discussion point! As far as 2 year old Tube Stop Baby was concerned it was a “baby train”, and one that she was very excited to be able to press the button to operate.

A two year old girl wearing a yellow coat and pink bobble hat is pressing the button to operate the lift whilst under the watchful eye of one of the volunteers who is stood next to her wearing a jacket with reflective stripes, a lanyard round his neck, a black face mask and a flat cap. — Operating the cliff lift

History of the Southend Cliff Lift

The Southend Cliff Lift originally opened on August Bank Holiday Monday in 1912, and goes between the Western Esplanade and Clifftown Parade. It only covers a distance of 40m (albeit with a 43% gradient), but at just 50p a ride you can’t complain.

A view up the tracks of the Southend cliff lift, taken from just outside the lower station and looking up the steps that run next to the tracks. — Looking up the tracks

Originally the site hosted an innovative moving walkway that as installed in 1901, but being open to the seaside elements it proved to be unreliable and was then replaced by the funicular instead. In its lifetime the cliff lift has been closed on three occasions to allow for major restorations – 1930, 1059 and 1990. In 2003 a malfunction with the counterweight meant that it was out of action for 7 years in total. Major corrosion was found in the structure, and around this time the council also received Heritage Lottery Fund funding to restore the neighbouring Cliff Gardens including the lift stations. The lift wasn’t re-opened until 2010 at which point it had not only refurbished stations, but all a new carriage, tracks. winding gear and electrical and control systems. I fear that if the Lottery funding hadn’t been there the lift might not be there today.

The lower station of the Southend Cliff Lift with the lift carriage seen ascending. — The Lower Cliff Lift Station

Visiting the Cliff Lift

Covid obviously closed the lift for a period, but when we went in November 2021 it was running with volunteers manning the lift and charging 50p a ride. The aim to open from 10am to 3pm in winter and until 6pm in summer, but this is dependent on volunteers being available. I was told the most accurate way to keep track of it they’re open or not is via their Facebook page. Technically the lift is part of Southend Museums Service.

Looking through the orange gateway into Prittwell Gardens in Southend-on-sea. You are looking at an ornate fountain in the middle of the gardens, and there is a clock (showing the wrong time!) above the entrance as part of the ornate metal gateway. — Prittwell Gardens

There’s obviously plenty to see at the lower end of the lift with the Pier and its railway just a short walk away. At the top station we took a short walk along to the stunningly beautiful Prittwell Gardens and also spent a while looking at the statue of Queen Victoria pointing out to sea with her disproportionally long right forearm. Go and have a look and you’ll see what I mean!

Lockdown Travel – the armchair version

May 5, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt about it – travel is, for now, off the agenda. Everyone is staying at home. International borders are closed. Aircraft are grounded. The travel industry as a whole will probably never look quite the same again. Something no one was really expecting to happen quite so fast.

Having been somewhat grounded to the UK already by the reality of being a parent, the current lockdown is even harder because I can’t even go to my go to places here in the UK. My local National Trust site is closed. The London Underground is for essential journeys only. We can’t even jump in the car to escape to the coast for a day. I totally understand and respect why, but at the same time it is frustrating for a family who like to be moving around a lot.

Instead I’m trying to get my travel kicks remotely via a screen instead.

At the weekend I saw the end of the second series of what has to be the most exciting travel programme I’ve ever seen – Race Around the World. Last year I wrote about how much I enjoyed the first series, but the second one has been even better. Not only did the winning team win by only 20 seconds (honestly!) but I think it was a longer series, and one which shows off a part of the world that I know very little about – South America. If you haven’t seen it yet then please do, it really is wonderful television. South America, especially the Southern part, is now firmly on my bucket list. It looks absolutely gorgeous and the terrain there isn’t really what I was expecting. I think most of my South American knowledge was about the more northern countries. That needs rectifying now.

The rest of my travel viewing has been closer to home focussing on the London Underground. I accidentally stumbled across the Hidden London Hangouts that the London Transport Museum is putting out weekly on their YouTube channel. The experts from the museum’s Hidden London series of talks and tours sharing their knowledge about the London Underground. What isn’t to love? It’s certainly satisfying my current Tube withdrawal symptoms. It’s also making me keener than ever to finish our Tube Stop Baby challenge when we can.

Continuing the theme, someone on Twitter recommended the Heart of the Angel documentary on BBC iPlayer. Recorded back in 1989 before Angel station was redeveloped it is a fascinating look at 48 hours in the station and some of the people who work there. In a way it is hard to believe how much has changed in just 30 years.

One thing I miss loads under lockdown is being able to either travel by train, or see a train anywhere. We don’t live near a railway line and have no essential journey that requires one. I’ve managed to scratch that railway itch a bit though by watching the first episode of Tim Dunn’s new series on Yesterday – The Architecture the Railways Built. Not only does episode 1 let you have a nosey around the closed Down Street Underground Station, but he also visits the gorgeous Central Station in Rotterdam that Bonn and I were lucky enough to see for ourselves a couple of years ago.

Television Travel Rotterdam Central Station

Travel might change forever after all this, but we’re still determined to get out there as much as we can (rules permitting etc) and hope to still be able to share our adventures on here with you. Until then they might have to stay confined to our back garden!