Volks Railway

This was fun, we jumped on at the pier and rode all the way down to the marina.
It is good to see that they have now built up the shingle bank around the naturalist area, as that is the last thing children need to see when on the train.
Think there is more they could do with the stops/​stations at either end. Could do with a small gift shop or something as the ride is busy virtually all of the summer.

Eine hübsche Attraktion in Brighton ist Volks Electric Railway. Sie verbindet den Palace Pier mit der Marina. Es ist die älteste noch in Betrieb befindliche Straßenbahn der Welt-​behauptet der Betreiber (Brighton Hove City Council). Die Wagen sind Baujahr 1901. Daher kann das stimmen. Magnus Volk, Kind deutscher Einwanderer erbaute die Bahn zunächst 1883. Die Strecke war zunächst kürzer als heute (¼ Meile=400 m). Sie wurde weiter verlängert bis Black Rock Station, wo sich heute die Marina befindet. 1901 erhielt die Bahn ihre jetzige Ausdehnung, Spurweite und technische Ausstattung.. Sie weist eine Spurweite von 825 mm auf. Die Fahrspannung beträgt 160 Volt. Die offene (!) Stromschiene liegt zwischen den Fahrschienen. Es gibt 3 Stationen: Aquarium (am Palace Pier), Half Way und Black Rock. Die Fahrt dauert ca. 10 – 15 min. Der Fahrpreis im Mai 2013 beträgt 2,60 GBP für die ganze Strecke (3,50 GBP für Hin– und Rückfahrt). Gefahren wird nur in den Sommermonaten (dieses Jahr bis 30. Sept) von ca. 10:00 Uhr bis 17:00 bzw. 18:00 Uhr je nach Wochentag.

I was 9 when I 1^st rode the volks railway, that was, well a good few years ago, one of brightons historic treasures, I hope they get it solar powered soon, Magnus Volk would have appreciated the technology. mean while I think I have ridden it every year since, yes in this adult is the child trying to get out.

This railway is great in the summer and a good way to entertain the kids. Also a good way to get to the marina from the pier.

It’s slow, offers absolutely no kind of shelter against what ever nature desides to throw at you and does not really go anywhere…
But: you do have a pretty big grin on your face when you do ride it. The experience is even better if you go with kids (make them sing something as well and it’ll really break out the cringe) and you’re set for the day.

This is one of the last bastions from the time when Brighton was seen as a technological forerunner of the country. At the time of construction an electric railway was unheard of and probably has something to do with the scale and speed of this promenade run down Madeira Drive.
It is unlikely to save you any time, but is a nice break for kids or OAP’s. You also won’t find it running for the winter months or some summer weekdays. For interest factor alone and appreciation of the innovation of our predecessors, I would recommend taking a ride along the railway once, but make sure that you don’t have a real train to catch!

I’ll have to agree with Hartingale on this one, the new tame Volks railway doesn’t live up to its big brother’s grand splendour of Victorian engineering, and doesn’t really go anywhere special apart from up to the Marina and back.
Having said that though, I’m a sucker for nostalgic tacky attractions and constantly badger my boyfriend to go on it every time we walk along the sea front.
Built in 1883, it’s apparently Britain’s oldest electric railway, and continues to attract thousands every year. For just £2.80 you get a return ride to the Marina, although I’d much prefer to have a go on its predecessor, the Daddy Longlegs.

This is a quite funny oddity, and it always surprises me that is still operating along the windy and cold sea front, especially given that it has been running for 127 years!
I’ve been on it once, and found that besides me and my friend, everybody was either below the age of 5, or above the age of 65. That really is a clue to who and what this is for; it is a nice novelty that gives people a chance to look at the local sights and take part in a bit of history.
For the money, this is probably a worthwhile thing to do, even if it does go phenominally slowly.

If you’re looking for something to keep young kids or grandparents amused for an hour, Volks Electric Railway is a small train that takes passengers from the Palace Pier to Black Rocks and Brighton Marina.
Established in 1883, it’s apparently the world’s oldest operating electric railway. It’s quite possibly the world’s slowest too — with each train seeming to go about five miles an hour. Luckily, the track runs parrallel to the beach giving you uninterrupted views of the sea and the hundreds of strangers laid out on the pebbles. You can choose to get off at the Marina and go for a wander around the boats, shops and cafes or you can stay on and take the same trip back to the depot and modern civilization!

Blimey where has everyone’s inner child gone! Ok it is not the most exciting railway and is a bit slow but it’s been around since 1883 so is old than anyone alive. When you are a child it’s great and when you have kids it’s great to let them share in the same experience.
Sometimes you just need to sit back put your feet up and enjoy the little free time we have and if it means paying a couple of quid return to keep the kids quiet for 20 minutes and to save the legs, why not?

Although I found myself laughing and much agreeing with the latter reviewer, I can’t help be taken over by the charm of the Volks Railway. Okay, it is very slow, doesn’t go far (yes, you could probably walk there more quickly), and is inevitably quite underwhelming. But it’s a train — choo choo! Well not a steam train, quite the opposite as it’s apparently the world’s operating electric railway. But this place draws on those dreamy childhood memories of fun days out and Thomas the Tank Engine et al, and I can’t but get excited. It’s great that this still keeps running, and it has a lot of dedicated supporters in Brighton. It’s subtle charm is certainly the antithesis to the obnoxious glare of the nearby pier.

When I was little these mini-​railways were so effing cool: I couldn’t get enough! Nowadays sadly, I am not so impressed.
I had a friend whose dream was to drive that little train back and forth along the seafront, but I couldn’t think of anything more dull. Everytime I see people travelling on the Volks Electric Railway they look depressed. And they always seem to be looking forward, rather than appreciating the view.
I can understand why little kids would enjoy this scaled-​down fun, but the fun factor is a little too scaled-​down for my liking. I also think that as a form of transport, the journey is rather short and I’d rather walk. But then again, I guess it’s supposed to be pleasant and slow and this is the oldest electric railway in Britain, so there’s some cultural heritage thrown in too. Maybe I am just a product of my time, or maybe I’m just too old?

I’ve never seen Volks Railway in action but have spent time on the beach near the main bit of it and couldn’t help but float away on Victorian nostalgia, if only for a moment. Those crazy inventors with their electric trains and big ideas!
Magnus Volk had an even crazier, and ultimately less successful, idea than his much loved electric railway — fancy a single tram car running on stilts 24 feet above the sea bed? The Daddy Longlegs railway (
) actually ran for 5 years before the underwater track was removed as part of the council’s bid to improve sea defences along the coast. Amazing stuff.

As a historical tourist attraction, the Volks Railway serves its purpose well being the world’s oldest electric railway. Kids love it and (secretly) so do the parents! For locals, as an actual transportation system, the railway isn’t terribly practical. It can be cold and windy being exposed to the stiff sea winds and its expensive in comparison to taking the bus.

The Volks railway you just have to take this train ride even better if you have kids. its the most leisurely way to have a-​sight-​see of Brighton’s east promenade. Don’t forget to wave

I love love love taking my son on this on the pretence its for him, i guess its the equivalent of a Victorian dotto train that runs from the Marina to the pier, so saves a good walk. Train hoots every now and then to the excitement of my son, the drivers are always friendly. Pushchairs can be taken folded. I recommend this as part of a trip to Brighton.

Great for kids, somewhat naff for adults. Still, saves the feet if going to the Marina.

The oldest electric railway and still fun. Should be extended to the pier

Great friendly staff and lovely manager. Always a pleasure to ride the train so nice just to relax and take in the sea and wave at people like the queen! The Volks is steeped in history and holds great events throughout the year for all the family.

Etwas altertümlich wirkt die Volks Electric Railway in Brighton. Direkt am Strand entlang läuft eine Bahnstrecke, die wohl die älteste noch in betrieb befindliche elektrifizierte Strecke der Welt ist. Die Wagen sehen eher aus wie Straßenbahnwagen aus den 20ern, die Fahrt im Schritttempo mehr als unspektakulär, aber für einige Touristen wohl ein Muss.

Quite a amusing and slightly cringe-​worthy attraction (if you’re sat on it!), I none the less had great fun on the Volks railway! The best part about it is the fact that hoards of children will wave at you as you ‘fly’ past at about jogging pace! Not sure when it opens, but we went at Easter in a bracing wind with a dash of sleet — lovely weather for the open carriages.

Running along the eastern part of Brighton’s sea-​front, Volk’s railway is the oldest public electric railway in the world, still in operation.
The railway was the brainchild of Magnus Volk, the son of a German watchmaker, who was born in Brighton in 1851. Early in life he acquired a fascination for electricity and made his house the first to be lit by electric light in Brighton.
Meanwhile, Werner von Siemens had demonstrated the practicability of electric traction in 1879, and in 1881 a tramway in Berlin was the first to adopt this new technology. Volk wanted to bring the technology to the UK, and planned his railway line to this end, which was opened on 4 August 1883. It originally had a gauge of 2 ft, later enlarged to 2′ 9, and ran for a quarter of a mile on a shingle embankment, although after sea damage, the railway was elevated on wooden trestle. The original two-​rail electric system was also converted to a single, off-​centre rail, which is still in use today. The line was extended to Black Rock station (close to the present-​day Marina development) in 1901.
The railway was taken over by Brighton Corporation after Volk’s death in 1937, but was severely damaged by defences put in place during World War II. Happily, it was restored to use in 1948, and still runs the one and half miles (2km) along the sea-​front, although no longer on the wooden trestle. It starts from the Aquarium terminus building near the Palace Pier: the station building is an old tram shelter from 1900. There is one intermediate station, appropriately named ‘Half Way Station’. This is adjacent to the Peter Pan children’s playground. The terminus is a few minutes’ walk from the Marina development.
Services run every 15 minutes, using attractive Victorian-​style open cars to the original design (a few have glazed compartments in case of bad weather). The line follows the upper shore-​line closely, with a number of level crossings at which the trains ‘hoot’. Parts of the adjacent shingle are covered in colourful sedum flowers in early summer, but the slow, clackety-​clack of the trains makes for a unique experience whatever the time of year.
Fares are a very reasonable £1.50 single and £2.50 return for adults, 70p single and £1.20 return for children. Needless to say, the line is very popular with tourists, and children especially.
Update
This year (2008) is the 125^th Anniversary of the railway. The celebrations will take place on Sunday 3 August — further details will appear on the website nearer the time. On August 9 the railway will be open from 10−22h and the train will be illuminated with lights to mark 125 years of running.
On the first Saturday of every month the railway is offering a £1 return fare to local residents, up to September 6. You need to show a utility or Council Tax bill (as proof of residence) to get the discount.