Pier railways in Southport, Merseyside UK. The north-west tourist attraction shut down after Easter in 2015. The blue Southport Pier Train, a twin-section articulated, battery-powered tram car, will be sold or dismantled. The train, which cost £300,000, was installed on the pier on July 25, 2005. The Victorian iron pier appears to be unable to withstand the train's weight. The Pier was previously closed in July 2013 due to cracks in the supports.
The Southport Pier Tramway is a tramway in the English seaside resort of Southport. It runs the 3,600 feet (1,100 m) length of Southport Pier, providing public passenger transport to the pier head. The first tramway on Southport Pier was a line for carrying baggage that opened in 1863. The line was upgraded to cable operation in 1865. The line was re-laid in 1893, and electrified in 1905. Southport Corporation took over operation in 1936, and rebuilt the tramway's rolling stock. The pier was closed during World War II and when it reopened the tram did not reopen with it. When it finally reopened in 1950, the line had moved to the side of the pier from its previous central position, the gauge had been changed from 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge to 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm) narrow gauge, and the line was now diesel operated with a new train, known as the Silver Belle, which was built by local engineer Harry Barlow. In 1973 the train was replaced with a new model built by Severn Lamb. The pier was closed for safety reasons in 1998, however the Southport Pier Trust had been formed in 1991 to campaign for the pier's restoration and, by 1999, Sefton Council and the Pier Trust had raised funds to commence the restoration of the pier. The first phase of this restoration was completed in 2002 and included providing a new 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge tram track in the centre of a widened deck. On 1 August 2005 a new twin-section articulated, battery powered tram car started service on this track. The tram car was manufactured by UK Loco Ltd. and offers a passenger capacity of 74 on the length of m and the width of m. It runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, and provides a half-hourly service in both directions. The operating hours varied depending on the time of year and day of the week.
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, UK.
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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