Seaton Tramway
| Seaton Tramway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seaton Tramway tram 12 at Seaton | |||||
| Commercial operations | |||||
| Name | Seaton & District Electric Tramway Co. | ||||
| Built by | Modern Electric Tramways Ltd. | ||||
| Original gauge | 2 ft 9 in (838 mm) | ||||
| Original electrification | 120 volts DC | ||||
| Preserved operations | |||||
| Stations | 5 | ||||
| Length | 3 miles (4.8 km) | ||||
| Preservation history | |||||
| 28 August 1970 | Opening day, Riverside to Bobsworth Bridge | ||||
| 9 April 1971 | Extension, Bobsworth Bridge to Colyford | ||||
| 17 May 1975 | Extension, Riverside to Seaton Harbour Road Car Park | ||||
| 8 March 1980 | Extension, Colyford to Colyton | ||||
| 26 August 1995 | Opening of Edwardian-style Seaton Terminus building | ||||
| March 1996 | Colyton Station improvements | ||||
| 1997 | Riverside Depot extension | ||||
| July 2013 | Garden Room extension to Tram Stop Restaurant, Colyton Station | ||||
| 28 June 2018 | Opening of brand new tram station at Seaton | ||||
| 1 August 2022 | Opening of Riverside Halt & Seaton Wetlands Halt | ||||
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The Seaton Tramway is a 2 ft 9 in (838 mm) narrow gauge electric tramway in the East Devon district of South West England. The 3-mile (4.8 km) route runs alongside the Axe Estuary and the River Coly, running between the coastal resort of Seaton, the village of Colyford, and the ancient town of Colyton. For much of its route, it operates between the estuary and the Seaton Wetlands nature reserves, offering views of the wildlife of both.
The tramway operates over part of the former Seaton Branch Line, which closed in March 1966. It was established in 1970 by Claude Lane, founder of Modern Electric Tramways Ltd, which had previously operated in Eastbourne between 1954 and 1969. Fourteen tramcars are part of the visitor attraction, which sees over 100,000 visitors per year. All of the tramcars are based on classic British designs, and vary in size between half-scale (1:2) and two thirds-scale (2:3). Most were built from scratch by Lane and/or his successor Allan Gardner, but three were rebuilt from full-size cars which originally ran in London, Bournemouth and Exeter.