Bridgnorth Cliff Railway boss takes a trip on rival train as owners talk health and safety
The boss of Bridgnorth Cliff Railway has taken a ride on a rival funicular train as bosses of the attractions met for a regular meeting.
Malvern Tipping, and co-director of Bridgnorth Cliff Railway, Eileen Tipping, attended the meeting of cliff railway bosses in Scarborough, North Yorkshire earlier this week.
“The meeting was convened by the Heritage Railway Association’s Rail Cableways Group,” said Mr Tipping. “It had been organized by Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway director and its largest shareholder, Martin Slader, who is a distant cousin of the Tipping family who own Bridgnorth Cliff Railway.”
He said the meeting at the Scarborough’s Grand Hotel was hosted by Central Tramway Scarborough.
The meeting focused on the recent re-openings of several cliff railways which had had forced closures – including the collapse of the retaining wall that shut the Bridgnorth attraction for more than a year.
He said the group exchanged ideas to improve safety of the railway attractions.
“It was followed by a group visit to Central Tramway, which first opened in 1881,” said Mr Tipping. “Central Tramway remains one of only three privately owned cliff railways in the UK, the other two being Bridgnorth and Lynton & Lynmouth.
“Like the other two cliff railways, Central Tramway still operates through its original company, which is now the oldest cliff railway company in the country.”
