Scarborough - Central Tramway

With a population of more than 60.000 Scarborough is the largest town on the Yorkshire Coast.

Scarborough was founded by Danes in the 10th century. This was soon attacked and burnt down by Anglo-Saxon tribes. The town recovered during the reign of Henry II.

In 1253, the Scarborough Fair was established by royal decree and held annually for 500 years. The six-week trade fair attracted merchants from all over Europe. To this day, the custom has been passed down in the English folk song of the same name.

In 1626, an acidic mineral spring was discovered. The spring was called Scarborough Spa, it was regarded as a healing spring and became very popular from the 1660s onwards. Scarborough thus became Britain's first spa in the early modern era. The opening of the York-Scarborough railway line in 1845 contributed to an increased influx of visitors to the seaside resort

Three passenger carrying funicular railways were built along the coastline before anywhere else in the UK.

The first was the "Scarborough Spa Lift", built in 1875, now operated by Scarborough Borough Council. The "Queens Parade Cliff Railway" was a short-lived endeavour that lasted just 10 years

Built in 1881, just 14 years after the completion of the Grand Hotel, the "Central Tramway" opened to the public on Monday the 1st of August. The opening day was a huge success with almost 3000 passengers travelling.

The Tramway was originally steam powered. It works on a simple counter balance principle, using gravity to assist much of the movement. Today the system is driven by a 60 horse power electric motor..