Protecting History With Fireward’s Clean Agent Suppression

Protecting History With Fireward’s Clean Agent Suppression

Protecting the 19th-century assets of Scarborough’s iconic Central Tramway required a 21st-century solution. Fireward installed an automatic Clean Agent fire suppression system to help protect critical electrical components beneath the tram, reducing fire risk, ensuring safety of passengers and minimising downtime.

Why automatic Fire suppression matters to Central Tramway

Established in 1881, the Central Tramway has been servicing the foreshore of Scarborough for over 140 years. As one of the oldest cliff railways in the UK, it is an iconic piece of local history, transporting thousands of visitors up and down the steep gradient from the beach every year.

While the funicular retains its historic charm, the underlying technology has evolved. To comply with modern health and safety regulations, the trams and tracks have undergone significant modifications over the years.

With more electrics and control equipment in place, fire suppression under the tram provides an extra layer of protection for areas that are both high-risk and hard to access quickly in an emergency.

As Colin Powell, general manager of Central Tramway, says:

“There's a lot of electrics and our paramount aim is to keep passengers safe. That’s why we want fire suppression under there.”

“The potential impact if a fire were to take hold would be devastating. Damage to operators, passengers and the trams themselves could be severe. There could also be significant disruption to a key piece of seaside infrastructure, with no quick fix available.”

That’s why Central Tramway took a proactive approach, researching options and looking for a partner that could offer a clear plan and confidence from the first conversation through to installation. After assessing providers and arranging a site visit, they chose Fireward to deliver the right fire suppression setup for the tram’s electrical risk area.

A reliable and clean fire suppression system

Fireward’s installers fitted two 1kg clean agent direct systems to protect the electrical panels that controls the trams underneath.

We routed detection tubing through the risk area so the system can respond exactly where heat and flame occur. If a fire starts, heat causes the detection tube to burst at around 175–180°C, releasing the suppression agent directly at the point of activation.

Because the discharge is direct-to-source, the system can suppress a fire early before it develops and causes major damage to surrounding equipment and structures.

For operational peace of mind, the installation also includes a sounder beacon triggered by a pressure switch. If there’s a pressure loss, whether due to activation or a technical issue, the beacon will flash and sound, prompting the team to investigate and contact Fireward.

Protect your equipment and reputation with Fireward

By installing this system, Central Tramway has mitigated the risk of catastrophic fire damage, ensuring this Victorian landmark can continue running for future generations. They have also done their part to protect the reputation of the funicular railway industry.

"We are a unique sector. If one has an incident, it affects us all," says Colin. "If there is an option to install it, I would highly recommend it."

Fireward is a national leader in automatic fire suppression systems. All of our clean agent solutions are built in partnership with Reacton Fire Suppression Ltd., manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 standards and accredited by UL 2166 (DLP), UL 2166 (ILP), and LPS 1666. We are also recognised by the Made in Britain association.

Want to protect your heritage equipment? Get a quote today.

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To find out more about Fireward’s Automatic Fire Suppression systems, get in touch by calling 0800 151 0249 or email at: sales@fireward.co.uk