the saltburn tramway, as it is also known, was developed by sir richard tangye's company, whose chief engineer was george croydon marks. the cliff tramway opened a year later and provided transport between the pier and the town. the railway is water-balanced and since 1924 the water pump has been electrically operated. the first major maintenance was carried out in 1998, when the main winding wheel was replaced and a new braking system installed.