Inclined planes, put simply – are purpose-built slopes. It seems like a simple or even obvious requirement to address the height differences on a transport system, but these were devised in an age when they were dealing with heavy loads and limited by available technology. Long before health and safety considerations, these guys had a job to do, a problem to overcome and the mighty inclined plane saved the day on numerous occasions. A to B had never been so much effort.
The mining industries and the canals pioneered the use of the inclined plane. Even the earliest rail in the Penrhyn Quarries in Wales, the Llandegai Tramway built in 1798, incorporated two gravity assisted inclines. I suppose it was because the tribute was often won on high ground and the best way to distribute the goods was by sea, so there was always that transport conundrum to overcome. A versatile concept, the inclined plane could be adapted to various industries, gradients and grounds. These slopes were surveyed, prepared and stabilised prior to the track being laid on top and represented a substantial and costly piece of infrastructure.
They all, except for forestry hauling, utilised the rail system to run their, often bespoke, equipment along. These rails sat upon setts that were crafted from wood or iron, but also in certain parts of the country from granite and slate, so some of these have survived in situ! The iron rail had a scrap value though, so are usually long gone.
Some inclines relied upon the horse to drag the load up the slope, and walk the empty back down, but this was obviously hugely limited by load size and slope gradient – not good enough for most. A twin-track system was preferred for maximum efficiency. With the right equipment the plan was simple; one went up as the other came down! What could possibly go wrong with that?!! Well, they had to be attached to each other using rope at first, but then steel cable, via a chunky, well-anchored, winding drum at the incline head. They still needed to apply some form of power though. And over the years, the use of horse-power, gravity, the weight of water and steam were all employed, with some ingenious variants.
The Gravity Balance method was great for hauling loads downwards only and returning the empty to the top at the same time. The necessary braking and control was achieved with the handling of the winding drum at the top. A slight variation on this was the use of the Tank Balance. This saw the cargo held horizontally and not subjected to the angle of the ascent by cleverly designed transport modules. No loss of cargo on the track meant for a more efficient and safer operation. Lovely, but still no use if you needed to haul loads against gravity! So the Water Balance system was devised. A fine working example of this can be seen in North Devon at the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff railway (LLCR). Each carriage harboured a water tank and it was filled at the top, purely for weight. The tank at the bottom was emptied and the brake released…with caution! A Victorian marvel, so clean, so efficient, so quiet, so elegant.
On the Grand Western Canal in Somerset, James Green, a notable canal engineer, utilised the Deep-Well Balance System. These purpose-built tub-boats left the water, were attached to the hauling wire (in continuous loop) and atop of rails elevated to the next section of watercourse. This was achieved by digging a deep well at the top and suspending a counter-balance down it (a water filled tank). So as long as the weight in the well exceed the weight of the boat, then all is well. The water tank in the bottom of the well was then emptied, thus reversing the process. Water everywhere I should think! Well, James Green had successfully employed this design on the Bude canal some years earlier, but his calculations weren’t up to scratch in this case, because the fully-laiden 8-ton tub-boats needed the assistance of a 12 hp stationary engine in the end! He lost his job and more as a result of the failure at Wellisford. It just shows, maths is king! Poor James though, he still remains one of my favourite engineers!
“Grand Western plane” by Fred the Oyster. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons.
The example adopted by Joseph Thomas Treffry and James Meadows Rendel in Cornwall’s Luxulyan Valley is a fine example of an unusual and early mineral-hauling inclined plane. It had the twin rails and the wire rope and the hauling drum at the top, so operated a counter-balance system, but with the aid of a 34ft water wheel! The water in the valley was channelled using a leat system to power the Great Wheel, which provided the turning power for the drum and assisted the lift and steady descent of the heavy loads. Later on, a stationary engine took over the task and the wheel’s power was later utilised to crush china stone.
Carmears incline in Luxulyan Valley, Mid Cornwall – 2014 by M.Soper
We can’t talk about inclines without mentioning the ¾ mile, 1 in 4 incline on the Brendon hills, installed by the West Somerset Mineral Railway Co between 1857-1861. It was vital to move the iron stone from the Brendon hills down to Watchet Harbour for shipping to South Wales for smelting. Since the quarry only needed to come down, with relatively light passengers risking a lift up, it could be a gravity assisted balanced system. It required two massive drums at the top and they sat on a single axle (see Brendon Hill Winding House). Cleverly, they were configured so that as one wound up, the other wound down, but turning in the same direction – genius! I believe it was the design of Rice Hopkins, an experienced Welsh railway engineer.
And that brings us on nicely to the use of steam, *shiney eyes*. Steam provided more power, so enabled more productivity. Beautifully engineered stationary and semi-portable engines were adopted for haulage in industry all over the country, in forestry, quarrying, agriculture and passenger rail (Camden incline, c1837). The likes of Robey and Co, Aveling and Porter, Wallis and Stevens, Charles Burrell and many more, require a blog of their own. But, with a firm foundation and a bit of cash you could link-up your beautiful steamy and attach it to the winding drum, with the clever use of some mechanicals. The only down-side was that you did need coal…and heaps of it!
A single line sometimes utilised a range of systems, for example the Hayle Railway, West Cornwall. This was an early railway, opening in 1837, and constructed to convey copper and tin ore from the Redruth and Camborne areas to sea ports at Hayle and Portreath. It required four inclines; two ran on gravity and two by steam engine.
Hayle (Cornwall) Railway System Map 1837 by Afterbrunel.
Later still, bigger quarries started utilising heavy duty locos that carried the winding drum and dragged themselves up the slope in a Self-Propelled System…a combination of traction on the rails by the driving wheels and self-lifting via the winding drum. I believe these could take heavier loads and multiple carriages at a time.
One should mention the sublime Rack and Pinion System. A self-propelled rail system based on Swiss engineering for the most gentle of inclined planes really! The only example that springs to mind is the Snowdon Mountain Railway in Wales. It is still running, so you can go and have a ride!
So what remains of all these inclined planes? Because there are more around than you might think! I hope we get them all mapped on GooseyGoo. At best we find the incline (usually very straight) in its entirety with evidence of the track bed and equipment and evidence of the hauling system at the top or a well-executed restoration project, such on the Brendon Hills to Watchet. We can walk up and down them taking in the views and industrial scenery. Some are not much more than a hint of a man-made slope, covered in vegetation and a slight suggestion of industrial activity on the site.
There are long ones and short ones, like the short and steep incline at Bucks Mills. It existed to serve the limekiln at sea level and hauled the product onto a better level area for distribution by donkey. It is now in a most perilous condition and won’t last much longer! Many , like the Portreath incline in Cornwall are now more like a country lane than an industrious plane!
Inclined Plane at Bucks Mills, North Devon – 2015 by M. Soper.