Page "Cable car (railway)" Paragraph 5

The first cable-operated railway, employing a moving rope and iron claws on the cars, was the London and Blackwall Railway, which opened in east London, England, in 1840.

However the rope available at the time proved too susceptible to wear and the system was abandoned in favour of steam locomotives after eight years.

Though there may have been earlier attempts to pull cars by endless ropes, the first cable car installation in operation was the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway in New York City, which ran from 1 July 1868 to 1870.

The cable technology used in this elevated railway involved collar-equipped cables and claw-equipped cars, and proved cumbersome.

The line was closed and rebuilt, and reopened with steam locomotives.