Wellington Cable Car, Funicular railway in Wellington, New Zealand
The Wellington Cable Car is a funicular railway in Wellington, New Zealand, linking the waterfront business quarter to Kelburn on the hillside. The red cars run through three tunnels and over three viaducts along a track just over 600 meters long.
The railway opened in 1902 and originally ran on steam power with timber cars. It was rebuilt in the 1970s as an electric funicular with modern rolling stock.
The Cable Car Museum, opened in December 2000 in the original winding house, displays grip cars 1 and 3. Car 1 retains its red 1970s livery with period advertising, while car 3 was restored in 2005 to its 1905 green livery and fitted with a bell from a San Francisco cable car. The electric winding gear still runs a loop of cable inside the building.
The lower terminus is in Cable Car Lane, off Lambton Quay; the upper terminus is next to the Botanic Garden at the city end of Upland Road in Kelburn. Intermediate stops serve Clifton Terrace, Talavera and Salamanca Road for Victoria University. The one-way trip takes about five minutes.
The Cable Car Museum occupies the original winding house at the top station. It holds grip cars 1 and 3, and the electric winding gear still runs a loop of cable that no longer leaves the building. Car 3 was restored in 2005 to its 1905 green livery and carries a bell from a San Francisco cable car.
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