Together with the Weatherhill and Crawleyside stationary engine-worked inclines, by the beginning of the twentieth century only the self-acting inclines at Stanley, Eden Hill and Waldridge – known as the Pontop inclines – remained of the original series of self-acting and stationary engine-worked inclines that ran for a significant amount of the length of the Stanhope & Tyne Rail-Road which opened in 1834. Either by the introduction of locomotive working – generally involving improvements to the permanent way – or by deviations, the original character of much of the line had changed but the two stationary engine worked inclines at the line’s extreme western end and the three self-acting inclines which served the North West Durham coalfield retained their original character for their long working fives.
When the eastern half of the Stanhope & Tyne opened on 10th September 1834 some months after the western half, it included four self-acting inclines running from west to east and descending from the plateau at Stanley down to a lower level in short succession – Stanley incline, 1,276 yards long with gradients from 1 in 21 to 1 in 41, Twizell incline, 880 yards long with gradients of 1 in 17.5 to 1 in 25, Eden Hill incline, 1,122 yards long with gradients of 1 in 17 to 1 in 71 and after the Pelton Level which was worked by horses, Waldridge incline which was also known as Howlett Bank with gradients of 1 in 20.5 to 1 in 24.5. At the foot of Waldridge bank was Stella Gill, an area which grew to become a great marshalling yard for coal traffic received from the collieries of North West Durham for onward shipment. Shipment was originally via the Stanhope & Tyne’s coal drops at South Shields, although these proved insufficient as collieries grew and new ones opened in the area, and in 1859 Tyne Dock opened giving much greater coal shipping capacity. In 1893 the opening of Dunston Staithes gave another outlet for coal from Stella Gill.
Stanley and Twizell inclines were, at some point, combined, and in 1923 the incline lengths and gradients were given as Stanley incline at 2,048 yards long (although in 1898 the Chief Engineer of the North Eastern Railway gave its length as 2,250 yards with a rope 2,300 yards long) with an average gradient of 1 in 27, Eden Hill 1,089 yards long with an average gradient of 1 in 22, Waldridge 957 yards long with an average gradient of 1 in 23.
Whilst the focus of the article is the four – then three – self-acting Pontop inclines, a brief overview of the nearby lines to give some context is required. After the Stanhope & Tyne’s rapid financial downfall in 1841, the eastern half including the Pontop inclines was taken over by the Pontop & South Shields Railway and after numerous further changes of ownership, became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854 via the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway, then following the usual chain of events to ownership by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), then British Railways. The level after Stanley bank top was originally worked by horses to the foot of the Loud Bank east incline, worked by stationary engine at Annfield (later Annfield Plane, then Annfield Plain). The horse working of the Stanley level was replaced by locomotive during the Stanhope & Tyne’s existence. The Loud Bank incline was avoided with the opening of the Annfield Plain deviation in 1886.
To the east, Stella Gill level was originally worked by a tail-rope from the High Flatt’s engine (which worked another indine to the east of it) and then the Vigo double incline before conversion to locomotive power by around 1856. The Pelton level was originally worked by horse but again locomotive working was soon introduced, a locomotive shed being located at Eden Hill incline foot. For a more detailed history of early locomotives on the Stanhope & Tyne, see Volume 33 No.10 October 2019). Coal and coke was by far the main traffic carried on the inclines from the many collieries in the area, with loaded wagons going downhill pulling up the lighter empties. As traffic in the area grew, espedally to the ironworks at Consett to the west of the inclines which opened in 1840, there was increasing traffic heading up the inclines despite the unsuitability of self-acting inclines for this, leading to a deviation avoiding them entirely opening in 1893.
