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Clifton and the Clifton Rocks Railway

INTRODUCTION

There have been several proposals before- the public for placing a lift between Clifton and Bristol, but all of them have been open to the objection of causing a cutting or interference with the surface of the rocks, which are considered by the inhabitants to be too ruggedly grand to be disturbed in any way. To meet these objections, Mr. George Newnes, M.P., came forward with a scheme in 1891 for constructing an Inclined Railway or "Lift" in a tunnel in accordance with the proposals made by Mr, G. Croydon Marks and his colleague, Mr P. Munro. This proposal, which was laid before the Society of Merchant Venturers, the owners; of the ground,, also provided for the erection of a grand Pump Room and Spa for utilizing the mineral waters of Clifton, which in times past have been of so great value in bringing visitors and invalids to the district in order to partake of the waters and receive the benefits of their healing virtues. The entire scheme was most favourab ly received by the Merchants, and the property which had been purchased by the enterprising promoter was immediately handed over to the contractor in order that the undertaking should be entered upon as a private work at the sole cost and expense of Mr. Newnes. On the7th of March, 1891, the first shot of the rock blasting charge for initiating to construction of the railway was fired by Lady Wathen as Mayoress of Bristol, in the presence of the late Sir Charles Wathen and a distinguished Company who were afterwards entertained at a luncheon given by the engineers and contractor.

The plans, however, for the grand Pump Room were subjected to criticism on the part of owners of adjacent property, who refused to give their consent to the erection of a building which should have its higher elevation facing the Clifton side. Negotiations were commenced, and arrangements were made for the purpose of carrying out the higher elevation in its entirety, but personal interests were sufficiently strong to prevent these plans from being adopted, and it became necessary to amend the plans, and make the elevation to face the river instead of Clifton.

Much regret has been expressed that this vexatious matter should have been of such a nature as to deprive the district of this architectural feature, but probably the visitors to the Pump Room will have some advantage in the present building, which would not have been obtained under the original plans, seeing that they have a view of the river and a private approach, which would not have been possible from the other side.

On the 11th of March, 1893, two years after the commencement of the undertaking the Clifton Rocks Railway was opened, and it has since continued running without the slightest interruption. The details as to the construction and system of working are fully set out in the following pages, and brief descriptive notes are given of other places of interest in Clifton

CLIFTON

CLIFTON has a world-wide reputation for the beauty and magnificence of its surroundings, and for its charmingly picturesque and luxuriant Downs; while the unparalled Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge is a feature pleasing to the eye from every point of approach.

In all probability Clifton obtains its name as being a "cliff town", an old manuscript of 1480 speaking of it as the town of Clifton Cliff. It is suggested by some that Clifton is older than Bristol and that the renown of Clifton has caused the rise of the famous western town nestling at her feet. Beyond the fact of the many pleasing associations and the picturesqueness of the surroundings of Clifton, much of her past reputation was dependent upon the medicinal properties of the hot wells; which obtained so great a power, that people from all parts came to the fashionable hot wells spa beneath the cliffs to drink the waters and obtain by residence there the health lost elsewhere.

The situation of Bristol and Clifton necessitates hill-climbing for the pedestrian, while the toilsome and weary labours imposed upon the horses in passing from one part of the town to the other has been a constant regret alike to the resident and visitor in this city. With the completion of the Clifton Rocks Railway however, Clifton above has been tied or brought to the level of Bristol 280 feet below, making the communication between the one part and the other a matter of the greatest ease.

CLIFTON ROCKS RAILWAY.

The Clifton Rocks Railway is really an inclined railway arranged in a tunnel cut out of the solid limestone rock, the tunnel commencing at the lower level in the Hotwells Road immediately under the Suspension Bridge, and terminating at the upper station entering on to Sion Hill, practically on a level. with the Suspension Bridge. The tunnel, which is the widest of its kind in the world, is brick-lined throughout, the bricks being set in cement, and the timbering necessary to support the work during the progress being built in above the bricks. The railway was two years in course of construction, and proved itself to be a most difficult work in consequence of the looseness of the rock and the many faults in the strata which were passed through, the limestone in some cases being so conglomerated with other metalliferous rock as to break the drills and turn the edges of the tools that were used for boring. The scaffolding of this tunnel was a matter of great diff iculty to the contractor, Mr. Hayes, and the greatest caution was necessary when erecting the complicated centre pieces, and when placing in position the immense amount of timber required as struts for the roof and sides of the cutting. On account of the steep incline it was impossible to arrange gangs of men to work one above the other simultaneously, and it was very difficult to provide for the dislodging of the material above without choking the entrance below. The working or boring of the tunnel was commenced at each end and at intermediate shafts simultaneously, the shafts being also utilised for the convenience of removal of the dislodged rock, by winding engines and machinery erected above the ground. Pumps were required to be kept almost constantly at work during the cutting operations, and steam power was necessary for supplying compressed air to the rock drills- employed for piercing the tunnel.

Within the tunnel are four complete lines of rails-that is, four pairs of rails, each pair permitting one car to run up and down thereon. The steel rails are firmly secured to concrete and timber sleepers, firmly. bedded in the rock bed of the tunnel. The principle of working the cars is a simple and economical one, consisting of that which is known as the "water balance" combined with the multiple hydraulic brake-controlling appliances, introduced by Mr. G. Croydon Marks. The railway is in effect composed of two complete sets of doub1e cars each set being formed of one car which is at the top, and its companion car which is at the bottom at the same time, anchored or securely tied to it so that as one car runs down, its companion car is pulled up, the weight of the water in the one car overbalancing the weight of the passengers in the ascending car.

THE CABLES.

Two steel wire cables or ropes pass from one car to the other, these two ropes being of a strength such that the combined weight of both cars can be safely sustained by one rope alone, the combined ropes being thirty times stronger than the load that has to be put upon them. The two vehicles move together. When one is at the top, water is allowed to flow from an upper reservoir erected near the top station into a tank-like body, arranged immediately underneath the ordinary passenger car. The passengers enter also in the top car, while the bottom car carries no water, but passengers only on the up journey. The difference in weight between the two cars, and their complement of passengers. is made up by the amount of water which is allowed to flow into the upper car tank in order that it may overbalance the weight of its bottom companion car; and when the top car, with its water load and passengers, arrives at the bottom station, while the passengers are l eaving the car, the water is also automatically flowing out of the under tank-body into a reservoir arranged beneath the waiting room of the bottom station. At the same time that the water flows out from the lower car at the bottom station, the attendant at the upper station allows water to flow into the car that has then arrived at the upper station, so as to be ready to repeat the journey.

THE ENGINES.

Otto gas engines and pumps erected at the bottom terminus ate employed for pumping the water back again from the lower reservoir to the top reservoir, so that the water which is employed to work this little line is used over and over again, the cost of the motive power for working being that required to drive the. gas-engines for pumping the water. The engineers for this unique1ittle railway Messrs G. Croydon Marks, A.M.I,C,E., M.I.M.E., and Philip Munro M.S.A., F.S.I. have apparently done all that is possible to meet the sentiments of the passengers, for nothing has been left to chance in the arrangements which have been made for safety, and for controlling the working of the cars. It is a matter of surprise to the visitor inspecting this line for the first time to observe the absolute and complete control the drivers have over the cars, and the easy motion and absence from vibration which attends the journey, makes the traffic upon this line a very popular one

THE BRAKES.

The brakes arranged upon the car are such as to satisfy the requirements of the the most nervous of passengers, there being duplicate brakes for seizing by hydraulic pressure both sides of the rails of the line, duplicate brakes for arresting the speed should the cars, from any undue cause, exceed their proper pace, and duplicate brakes also for stopping the cars, should either one, or what is impossible, both the steel ropes break at the same time. These automatic and absolutely independent brakes are in addition to the ordinary controlling brakes which the conductor or driver manipulates upon the car platform. These controlling brakes have the great peculiarity in requiring that the operator or conductor shall give his attention to keep the car from stopping, instead of trying to make it stop Thus, shou1d the conductor become careless, or loosen his hold of the brake windlass handle, the car would immediately stop and with it of course, its companion car , although the attendant upon the other car might be unaware of the carelessness, of his companion. Tho action of the brakes, on account of the neglect or inattention of the conductor being to increase the pressure in the hydraulic mechanism and thus cause the hydraulic gripping brakes to instantly seize the rails on which the cars travel.

SPEED GOVERNOR

The speed-governing brake, which is arranged to prevent any excessive travelling of the cars, should the attendants become careless, or be desirous of going at too rapid a pace down the rails, also acts independently of the controlling brake to cause the hydraulic pressure to be increased and the rails to be gripped. An emergency brake is also arranged upon each car for the purpose of seizing the rails in the event of a stretching or breaking of either of the ropes, these brakes acting through independent levers and springs, which are always in readiness to arrest the cars upon a severance or slackening of any of their connections.

The line having such a very steep gradient, the engineers have considered it necessary to provide for that which will not only satisfy those fully acquainted with the mechanism of the cars, but what will also carry conviction to the ordinary passengers who only know that which is apparent upon an external inspection of the cars, and it is impossible to. view this wonderful little line without it being struck with the regard which has been paid to what is considered to be generally outside the province of engineer-- viz., a pure sentiment.

The cars cannot run down the incline by themselves. and if left untouched even after they have started upon their journey, they will stop perfectly still gripping the rails with a tremendous vice like tenacity It is only when both brakesmen wish the cars to go that they can move the act of turning the hand wheel on each car, raises a weight which is normally pressing on to a cylinder of water for the purpose of conveying pressure to the hydraulic cylinder connected to each brake-gripper. The water under pressure travels through duplicate independent copper pipes and exerts, except when the brakesman raises the weight, an enormous pressure upon the rails; and during the journey of the cars, should either of the brakesmen release their hold upon the hand wheels then both of the cars would gradually stop. The simplicity of the arrangements introduced, together with the entire duplication of the mechanism which cause nothing to be dependent upon one single portio n of the mechanism or upon one single connection, leaves nothing unprovided that experience can suggest for ensuring the fullest and most absolute reliability of the unique safeguards of the cars upon the Clifton Rocks RaiIway. During the first twelve months, 427,492 passengers were carried upon the line, and no accident of any kind has ever arisen to any passenger. The capacity of the lines for carrying passengers can be understood when it is stated that on Bank Holidays 1,000 passengers per hour have been carried.

"THE CLIFTON ROCKS RAILWAY LIMITED."

A company was formed in the Spring of 1894 for taking over the line, Mr. G. Newnes M. P., being Chairman; Mr P. Fussell and Mr. G. Croydon Marks, Directors Mr. A. A. Yeatman,, Secretary; and Messrs. Osborne Ward, VasseIl.& Co., Solicitors.

This article is taken from "Clifton Illustrated The Official Description of the Clifton Rocks Railway" published about 1895

Provided By Maggie Shapland

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