Volk's Electric Railway | |
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Overview | |
Owner | City of Brighton and Hove |
Locale | Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom |
Service | |
Operator(s) | City of Brighton and Hove |
History | |
Opened | 3 August 1883 |
Technical | |
Line length | 1.02 miles (1.64 km) after line shortened in 1990 |
Track gauge | 2 ft 8+1⁄2 in (825 mm) |
Old gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) (1883–1884) |
Electrification | 110 V DC by inside off-set third rail |
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Volk's Electric Railway (VER) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton. It was built by Magnus Volk, the first section being completed in August 1883, and is the oldest operational electric railway in the world, though it was not the first electric railway to be built. It was preceded by electrification of Miller's line in 1875, Werner von Siemens' 1879 demonstration line in Berlin and by the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway of 1881, although none of these remain in operation.
Operated as an historical seafront tourist attraction, the railway does not usually run during the winter months, and its service is also liable to occasional suspension due to severe weather or maintenance issues.