Wellington Cable Car : The Cable Car that became a funacular

Following the boom of the 1890s, when Wellington was the fastest growing town in New Zealand, a cable car line was constructed and opened in 1902 to connect the center with some of the hilly terrain next to it, at the time some of the last remaining land that provided space for new housing in proximity to the center. Additionally, the line also provided easy access to the Botanic Gardens, to a scenic view of the town including the coast, and to a transit link to the suburb of Kelburn. It is frequently used by commuters and students at the Victoria University.

The nearly 400 feet (122 m) long journey takes about five minutes to climb the hill with a gradient of 17 %, passing three tunnels (two with artistic light installations) and crossing three bridges on the way.

Upon opening, the cable car was met with much enthusiasm and became an increasingly popular mode of transport as well as a local attraction. 4,000 people were carried on the first weekend alone, and 425,000 in the first year. A decade later the number of yearly passengers had grown to a million, and in 1926 the number had reached two million, more than there were people in New Zealand at the time. The popularity and reliability earned the cable cars the name “Relentless Red Rattler”.

The cable car was first propelled by a steam-driven engine in a winding house, and switched to electricity in 1933. In 1978, following large renovations of the cable car and major technological change that made the line become a full funicular, the winding house was closed before being reopened in 2000 as a museum. The line remains popular with residents and tourists and still carries about a million passengers in a normal year.

Read more:

Museums Wellington: Cable Car History and Cable Car Museum

Wellington City Council: Wellington Cable Car Limited

Pamela Wade: World Famous. Wellington's Cable Car (stuff.co.nz, November 23, 2019)

Gavin, Spersephone: Wellington Cable Car (Atlas Obscura)

EngineeringNZ.org: Wellington Cable Car System

Image sources:

Topmost image: Brett Taylor from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Second image from top: Nelson Pérez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Third image from top: © Jorge Royan, http://www.royan.com.ar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fourth image from top: Andrewrabbott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fifth image from top: Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

First b/w photo from top, taken in 1903: Albert Percy Godber, from the Godber Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Second b/w photo from top, taken in 1910: Unknown author, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Third b/w photo from top, taken in 1970: U.S. Navy photo, from the USS Shangri-La (CVA-38) 1970 cruise book, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

april ‘17: signs of life ( new blogpost on photosynthesis )

about spring & its rejuvenating qualities.

San Francisco Municipal Gondola Network, by Burrito Justice