Calling all curious passengers
Little Engineers
Discover how a Victorian railway climbs a cliff, spot clever machinery on your ride, and finish your visit as a fully-fledged Little Engineer.
Your Little Engineer mission
Download the free activity pack
Print it before you visit and bring it along for the ride — seven challenges and a certificate to finish.
Free · A4 · Best printed in colour on plain paper
On your ride
Can you spot…?
- 1The steel cable that pulls the carriage up the cliff
- 2The little round window on the carriage door
- 3A brass handle on the driver's control panel
- 4The sign that says 'Castle Terrace'
- 5The River Severn, seen from High Town
Tick them off in your pack — ten more curious things wait in the treasure hunt.
Did you know?
Four surprising discoveries
How old is the railway?
Opened on the 7th of July 1892 — more than 130 years ago.
What made it move at first?
Water! Tanks under the top carriage were filled so it grew heavy and sank, pulling the other one up.
How steep is the cliff?
About 33 degrees — steeper than almost any staircase you have ever climbed.
Why are the carriages so light?
They were rebuilt in aluminium in 1955, so the winding gear has less weight to lift.
Grown-up engineers can read the whole story on the History and Technical pages.
Inside the pack
Seven splendid challenges
Colour the Carriage
Bring the 1892 carriage to life with your finest colours.
Spot the Difference
Six small changes hide between the two station scenes.
The Cliffside Maze
Guide the little carriage from Low Town up to High Town.
Treasure Hunt
Find ten curious things during your visit to the railway.
A Railway Quiz
Five curious questions for a curious mind.
Word Search
Fourteen railway words hidden across, down and diagonally.
Explorer's Certificate
Awarded to every fully-fledged Junior Explorer.
The whole pack
Every page, right here
Officially a Little Engineer
Ridden the railway and finished the challenges? Turn to the last page of the pack, write your name on the Junior Cliff Railway Explorer certificate — and consider yourself a Little Engineer of England's oldest inland funicular.
For grown-ups
- Print the pack at home on A4 — colour is best, but black and white works too.
- Suited to ages five and up; the quiz may need a helping hand.
- Bring a pencil, and something to lean on for the ride.
- Opening times, fares and accessibility information are all on the Plan Your Visit page.