Have Some Madeira M'dear? (3)

Snippet

This from Hatton's on-line mailing of Model Railway price reductions etc,

It's bargains like this that encourage us to keep buying!

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Remember That Mystery Picture?

They are wicker-work toboggans, propped upright but ready for use. And, yes, you ride in them down the hill; fortunately guided by two beefy blokes!

They ride on the back, control the non-existent steering and, where the road is less steep ...

... give you a helpful pull. This ride is on a public road, other vehicles do use it but fortunately only one way and that is down!

Here is a YouTube video of the experience. It is best viewed in full screen.

And keep an eye open for crossroads where traffic must give way to the toboggans, thankfully!

Sadly one other means of ascending (and descending) is no longer extant.

The rack and pinion line no longer exists but it must have been truly spectacular. Here is a view of the "up" ...

... and the debris when one of the boilers blew up!

But, alas, the line closed as a result of WW2, never to re-open. The route can just about be spotted on an aerial view ...

... but, arguably, the more recent Telférico offers even better views.

Our Madeira experience, however, was prompted by a note from correspondent Andrew, complete with an attached timetable for rural service 81 ...

... which starts from the little bus station near the cable car's base station.

But Andrew is right; the timetable is "interesting".

The stops list shows the outer terminus as Lombo Chao but the list of stops then continues with little help. The various notes mainly concern journeys diverting off the core route.

Thankfully there is an good network map which shows these bits and pieces.

So we will take a virtual ride tomorrow.

And it really IS interesting.

 Next Madeira blog : Friday 21st April