Babbacombe Cliff Lift, Torquay, South Devon

Babbacombe Leaflet Part1

  • Babbacombe facts and figures:
  • Opened 1st April 1926
  • Refurbished in 1993
  • Major refurbishment programme 2005/06/07
  • Gauge 5ft 10in
  • Length 720ft
  • Gradient 1:2.83
  • Number of cars – 2
  • Electric Operation
  • Open from Easter to September daily from 9.30 am.
  • A bell is rung at the bottom of the station 30 minutes before closing.

Owned and operated by Torbay Council.
Web Site: – www.torbay.gov.uk/index/leisure/beaches/
cliffrailway/cliffrailway-history.htmBabbacombe Bell

Friends of Babbacombe Cliff Railway formed in 2005. A support group working in co-operation with Torbay Council with the aim to protect, preserve, and promote Babbacombe Cliff Railway.

Web Site: – www.friendsofbabbacombecliffrailway.org.uk

� J.B.Perkin 2007
 

Babbacombe Cliff Lift

Car arriving at Lower Station

Babbacombe 5 A Cliff Railway to serve Oddicambe and Babbacombe beaches had been mooted since early in the century but it was not until 1924 that construction started.

The cliff lift opened on 1st April 1926 and was owned and operated by the Torquay Tramways Company.

The line is 720ft long, with double track throughout with an unusual gauge of 5’10” and a gradient of 1 in 2.84.

On closure of the tramways, the cliff lift was sold on 13th March 1935 to the Borough of Torquay, together with the tram depot at Westhill Avenue and six tramway houses in St.Margarets Avenue.

It still ran in 2003, but heavy expenditure deemed necessary together with cliff falls that have rendered part of Oddicombe Beach unsafe have placed its future operation in doubt.

Notes by Les Folkard, edited by John Perkin
Babbacombe4 Babbacombe3 Babbacombe2

Babbacombe Cliff Railway PictureBabbacombe Tracks

Also see our other pages on Electric Transport in the South West