Bridgnorth Cliff Railway on right track to reopen after work
Bridgnorth's historic cliff railway is preparing to reopen following vital maintenance on its 76-year-old electric motor.
The electric motor was rewound by a Kidderminster-based expert team West Midlands Rewinds and it was delivered back home to Bridgnorth on Wednesday.
Following the repairs, the railway, which is the oldest of its kind in England, is scheduled to reopen on Friday.
It had been closed since March 2 for vital maintenance but now the railway, which has been transporting passengers between High Town and Low Town since 1944, is on the right tracks.
During the fitting of new electrical brushes to the motor last summer, consultants advised that the motor itself would need to be rewound within 10 years but that its life expectancy might only be a year or two.
Railway employees decided that prompt action needed to be taken to avoid the risk of the motor failing before then.
West Midlands Rewinds rewound the wires of the electric motor as well as fit a hoist to enable heavy machinery to be moved in and out in compliance with current health and safety requirements.
Originally powered by water balance, the railway was converted to electric winding in 1944.
The equipment is made up of winding drums which allow the carriages to be wound in opposing directions.
Since they were installed, the drums have been wound by the 32-brake horsepower electric motor.
The equipment was also commonly used for wagons travelling on tracks in and out of mine adits and for lowering cages down vertical mine shafts.
