The Shipley Glen Tramway is a historic funicular tramway located in the wooded Shipley Glen near the village of Saltaire in the English county of West Yorkshire. The lower station of the funicular is some 200 m by foot from Saltaire railway station, and a similar distance from the historic Salts Mill, now occupied by shops and restaurants as well as the David Hockney gallery.

Operation

The line is operated by volunteer staff on behalf of a charitable trust, Shipley Glen Tramway Preservation Co Ltd.

History

The line was opened on 18 May 1895 by Sam Wilson, a local publican, showman and entrepreneur. It was intended to ease access to a number of other, now long closed, attractions at Shipley Glen, including a wooden toboggan ride and a massive fairground. As built, the line was powered by a gas engine. Since 1920 the line has been electrically operated. In 2002, operation of the line was taken over by a charitable trust under a lease from Bradford City Council. The tramway was temporarily closed in 2010, to bring it up to modern safety standards. This involved fitting the two tramcars with new chassis, wheels and decks, and improving braking systems on both cars and haulage drum. The line reopened in 2011.