Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway (photo by British Archives)

The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was a unique coastline railway in Brighton, England, that ran through the shallow coastal waters of the English Channel between 1896 and 1901.

It ran two miles between the two towns at a speed of 6mph.

It was built on cables 24ft above the sea, allowing it to pass through 15ft of water at high tide if necessary.

Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway (photo by British Archives)

The journey took 20 minutes but service was often cancelled due to bad weather and choppy high tides.

Affectionately known as the ‘Daddy-Long-Legs‘, but also termed the ‘spider car’, ‘sea-going car’ and ‘sea tramway’, it presented the amazing spectacle of a part tram, part boat, part seaside pier moving by itself.

Buy the book:

The Extraordinary Daddy-Long-Legs Railway of Brighton (2019) Martin Easdown

https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Daddy-Long-Legs-Railway-Brighton/dp/1445689359

The Extraordinary Daddy-Long-Legs Railway of Brighton (2019) Martin Easdown book
Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway (photo by British Archives)
Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway (photo by British Archives)

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