Hi, A big thank you to all who took part in our previous 'Finest Cut' challenge. Who would have thought that so many ideas could start with a pizza cutter. This week we start outdoors. This is the Saltburn Cliff Lift which is a funicular railway on leading down to the promenade and pier, in Saltburn on the north east coast of England. Constructed in the 1880s, it has been updated several times, but is still powered by water. The tank underneath the upper car is filled with water and when it is heavier than the car at the bottom it descends and pulls the lower car up, all controlled by the brakeman in the wheelhouse. At the bottom the tank empties and the upper car is filled. The water is pumped back to the top.So that is the scene - what can you do to bring it to life? When you post your response can you add just a few words on how you went about it. It may help others see the potential of different approaches, software, and tools to such a challenge. The “rules”: Use the starter image as at least part of your own image entry. Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright, etc. Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum “regulars”. The challenge is not limited to Photoshop. Any Adobe software can be used. There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off your skills, or bring a bit of humor and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go! The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only. To download the starter image, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. Then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser). When posting back your image — please use the blue reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the top of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the grey reply button next to their image post. Have fun! Dave

davescm

Community Expert

Question

Something for the Weekend - Part 248 - What goes up...

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
August 29, 2025
28 replies
3597 views

Hi,

A big thank you to all who took part in our previous 'Finest Cut' challenge. Who would have thought that so many ideas could start with a pizza cutter.

This week we start outdoors. This is the Saltburn Cliff Lift which is a funicular railway on leading down to the promenade and pier, in Saltburn on the north east coast of England. Constructed in the 1880s, it has been updated several times, but is still powered by water. The tank underneath the upper car is filled with water and when it is heavier than the car at the bottom it descends and pulls the lower car up, all controlled by the brakeman in the wheelhouse. At the bottom the tank empties and the upper car is filled. The water is pumped back to the top.

So that is the scene - what can you do to bring it to life?

When you post your response can you add just a few words on how you went about it. It may help others see the potential of different approaches, software, and tools to such a challenge.

The “rules”:

Use the starter image as at least part of your own image entry.
Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright, etc.
Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum “regulars”.
The challenge is not limited to Photoshop. Any Adobe software can be used.
There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off your skills, or bring a bit of humor and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go!
The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only.

To download the starter image, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. Then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser).

When posting back your image — please use the blue reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the top of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the grey reply button next to their image post.

Have fun!

Dave

Show previous replies

Suzanne Mathia

Community Expert

.....Suzanne Mathia

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Reminds me of the Running With the Bulls that loonies do in Spain. It's supposed to be the true origin of the secret to being chased by a bear... which everyone knows. Of course, not everyone can out run a funicular rail car, and it is super easy to trip.

AlanGilbertson

Community Expert

After all, who doesn't love an alien invasion? Well, except the cow. She does seem a bit confused. The alien on the right is looking at the BBC natural history crew filming the event. (They may have been abducted, or gone joyriding in the alien transport. If you come across them, tell them Broadcasting House wants its cameras back.)

Techie bits: Removing the carriages involved using the Object Seletion tool on each engine and removing the selection around the tank and wheels, which seemed the quickest way to select them, then GenFilling with the prompt, "remove." (This is more effective than the regular Remove tool for some situations.) The extra bits on the tanks and the insectoid "aliens" are 3D models from the Substance 3D collection, processed through Stager and/or Substance 3D Viewer. After extending the canvas with the Crop tool, lots of Remove tool and GenFill to finish things up. Oh, and the "mother ship" is at 70% opacity to give it aerial perspective.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Are you sure the Beeb will want it's gear back if it means sifting through Alien poo?

Are these Aliens into HiFi? It looks like they have the world's biggest tweeters on to of the funicular undercarriage.

And I have just noticed the Robot Wars weapons on the front of the funiculars. Giant pincer on the left, and one of those grab devices that is carefully designed to almost, but never quite make it, in those fairground toy grabbing machines.

AlanGilbertson

Community Expert

Auntie B is notoriously ~~stingy~~ thrifty, so they probably won't be too picky. As for the "tweeters," those are probably fearsome sonic weapons from second-hand punk stores on Regulus V. They're all the rage in alien invader circles, so I'm told.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

I like it Trevor, it looks well worth the trip to see the view, hence the need for the extra cars.
I do forsee a slight technical problem keeping the water defrosted at the top though! 🙂
Dave

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

He deserves that cuppa. That must have been a hard days work!

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Well done Trevor! That has smartened it up. He does indeed deserve a cuppa. 🙂
Dave

Greg_S.

Community Expert

What Angels Flight Railway may have looked like if Los Angeles had more water?

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Thanks for the link, Greg, I see the connection.
I was bemused by the fact that Angels Flight is the worlds shortest railway at 298 feet of track, whilst the Saltburn track is only 207 feet. Maybe Saltburn's cliff railway doesn't qualify as a railway for the purpose of that record. 🙂

Dave

AlanGilbertson

Community Expert

This instantly reminded me of Lisbon. There are several funiculars still in use. They were also powered by water counterweights, back in the day, but they're now electric.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Click to get closer, Click again to get closer still

davescm

Author

Community Expert

We're not far from Heartbeat land, Jacob. He must be investigating the case of the stolen door locks! 🙂

Dave

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Ah, of course, Dave, right you are.

I thought Alf had just decided to go a bit further than to Whitby for a day off by the sea.

But obviously he would never do either in his uniform.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

A GHOST FROM THE EARLY DAYS,

DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE AS ALWAYS

Click to get closer, Click again to get closer still

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Could it, perhaps, be Lord Marks who designed and installed it, coming back to check on it? Or is it his predecessor J Anderson who had designed and built a vertical lift leading down to the pier, which he also built, 10 years before it was replaced by the funicular. 🙂
Dave

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Dave, actually it is Blondin, redoing one of his (late) unknown performances, like in Teesdale, only this here was among his most seriously impossible ones, carriages moving together and then apart.

It would be great to know how the vertical one looked, and what Marks and Anderson might think now.

EuanWilliamson

Community Expert

Winter when they put away the carriages 😞

Summer when it's very busy!

Ok, who's next?

Courtesy of Gemini 2.5

Best regards, Euan.

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Haha - brilliant Euan, and very quick, I posted this less than an hour ago! I see Gemini appears, like other AI generators, to struggle with hands though.

Dave

EuanWilliamson

Community Expert

But, an excellent job of putting them behind the railings 😉

The old trade off: good, cheap, quick, which two do you want?

(Doesn't seem to know much about rails either)

Best regards, Euan.

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