Heritage railways · North East England
Cliff Tramway
In or near Saltburn, Marske and New Marske.
Cliff Tramway is a heritage railway in the United Kingdom.

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Best time of year
- Spring – autumn
- Nearest railway station
- Town Station · 0.0 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit the Cliff Tramway, the nearest railway station is Town Station, which is 0 km away. The postcode for your sat-nav is TS12 1HQ. Entry details are not provided, so please check locally for accessibility information.
About
Cliff Tramway is a heritage railway in the United Kingdom — a preserved or volunteer-run line carrying tourist services. Records date its origin to 1884. Coordinates: 54.5859°, -0.9709°.
Photo gallery
Official information
Hawkins Gallery is located in Saltburn by the Sea, showcasing the artwork of Andy Hawkins, which reflects the changing landscapes of the North East coast of England. Visitors can purchase a variety of prints and original artworks inspired by the local scenery.
From the Wikipedia article
The Saltburn Cliff Lift is a funicular railway in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It provides access to Saltburn Pier and the seafront from the town. The cliff lift is the oldest operating water-balance cliff funicular in the United Kingdom. The Lift, constructed between 1883 and 1884, replaced an 1870 vertical cliff hoist. It has a height of 120 feet (37 m) and a track length of 207 feet (63 m), resulting in a 71 per cent incline. A pair of 12-person cars, each fitted with a 240-imperial-gallon (1,100 L; 290 US gal) water tank, run on parallel tracks; by removing or adding the water to their tanks, movement is achieved, regulated by a brakeman at the top. The original cars have been replaced with aluminium counterparts and the top station restored, but little of the underlying mechanism has been changed since it was installed. Owned since the Second World War by the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and its predecessors, the lift remains in regular use between March and October each year. It is one of Saltburn's most popular tourist attractions. Reportedly, the service was being used by an estimated 150,000 passengers per year by the twenty-first century. The lift was extensively damaged by fire in January 2024 and reopened in September of the same year.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Following the sale of Saltburn Pier Company to the Middlesbrough Estate in August 1883, the new owners commissioned an inspection of the Cliff Hoist by independent engineers. The inspection led to the structure being condemned because of rotten timbers. Marks designed and constructed the funicular with a height of 120 ft and a track length of 207 ft, resulting in a 71 per cent incline. Elements of the Saltburn Cliff Lift were sourced from multiple companies. Most of the machinery was provided from Tangye, the cars were fabricated by the Birmingham-based rolling stock manufacturer Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, and the gas-powered water pump was produced by Manchester-based…
Architecture
As built, the funicular had a pair of 12-person cars, each of which was equipped with a 240 impgal water tank. They ran on parallel funicular tracks. Double steel wire ropes were attached to both cars, and the car's movement was controlled by a brakeman at the upper station via an iron winding wheel with double grooves for the running cables and a flange for braking. The car at the top station has its water tank filled until its mass exceeds the mass of the car at the bottom. Then the car can travel down the incline, counterbalanced by the mass of the other car, which travels to the top; movement is regulated by the brakeman, who controls the speed of travel. When the car reaches the…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.5859, -0.9709
- District
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Parish
- Saltburn, Marske and New Marske
- Postcode
- TS12 1HQ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Redcar
- Phone
- 07773 626392
- Established
- 1884
- Nearest railway station
- Town Station — 0 km
- Official site
- hawkinsgallery.co.uk
Sources
- osm: w1422819908 (ODbL)
- wikipedia: Saltburn Cliff Lift (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Saltburn Cliff Lift and Pier.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby

Cliff Tramway
Heritage railways · 0.0 km

Saltburn Pier
Piers · 0.1 km

The Marine
Hotels · 0.2 km

Saltburn Sands
Beaches · 0.2 km

Hawkins Gallery
Galleries · 0.3 km

Saltburn Station Gallery
Galleries · 0.3 km

Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Museums · 0.4 km

Saltburn Community Arts Association
Theatres · 0.4 km

Saltburn Community Centre
Theatres · 0.4 km

Saltburn Miniature Railway
Miniature railways · 0.5 km

Saltburn War Memorial
Memorials & monuments · 0.6 km

Rushpool Hall
Historic houses · 1.1 km
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Cliff Tramway?
- Cliff Tramway is in North-East England, United Kingdom (postcode TS12 1HQ), in the parish of Saltburn, Marske and New Marske.
- What is Cliff Tramway?
- Cliff Tramway is a heritage railway in the United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Cliff Tramway?
- The nearest railway station is Town Station, about 0.0 km away. Drivers can use postcode TS12 1HQ.
- When was Cliff Tramway built?
- Built or established in 1884.
- Who owns Cliff Tramway?
- Cliff Tramway is owned by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
- How do I get to Cliff Tramway?
- The nearest railway station is Town Station, about 0.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TS12 1HQ.