| The original photographs were part of an exhibition in Funchal in June
1999, and show the island's only railway. They were way out of copyright,
so I photographed them with the digital camera. Poor quality and reflections,
but I thought you might be interested anyway.
Rack system. Operated from 1894 and closed in 1939 following a "fatal boiler explosion". There is now (2004) a project to reinstate the railway so that visitors to Madeira could go up to Monte by cable car, take the train to Terreiro da Luta and back to Monte and from there return to Funchal via a ride in a traditional toboggan.
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| On a visit to Madeira in July 2005, we saw these framed photos
on the walls of a café/bar in Monte, above Funchal.
Locals tell us that plans to re-open part of this line will come to nothing. Access to the village of Monte is most fun via the newly-opened cable-cars from near Funchal Market, but cheapest by bus (#21 or #21, €1.30 one way, children free). The buses always seem to be full, and the road is very, very steep and very winding. Madeiran bus drivers seem to treat brakes and clutches as on-off devices, so hold on and brace yourself if you have to stand! |
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| From: Simon Hazlewood Sent: 16 July 2008 22:19 Subject: Article on railway in Madeira Hello You have on your website a very nice article on the now defunct railway on Madeira. The person who put it on the site may like to know that there was a short length of standard gauge track on the coast. All that is left is a roofless shed with the wreck of a steam crane in it and a short (10m) of very tight curve out of the shed. The whole caboodle is buried in the remains of the shed. I suspect that the damage occurred in the storms in April this year. Best regards Simon |
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