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55-590: Middleton Incline is a former railway incline in Middleton , Derbyshire once part of the Cromford and High Peak Railway . The incline was one of six gradients along the entire line from Cromford to Whaley Bridge in High Peak, Derbyshire . The incline was opened in 1830 and was in use until 1967 when the entire line from Whaley Bridge to Middleton was closed, with the section to Cromford closing in 1963. Today,

110-433: A water wheel . In a gravity balance system two parallel tracks are employed with ascending trains on one and descending trains on the adjacent track. A single cable is attached to both trains, wound round a winding drum at the top of the incline to provide braking. The weight of the loaded descending cars is used to lift the ascending empties. This form of cable railway can only be used to move loads downhill and requires

165-423: A horizontal platform on which the slate wagons rode. This is a variant of the gravity balance incline that can be used to move loads uphill. A water tank is attached to the descending train. The tank is filled with water until the combined weight of the filled tank and train is greater than the weight of the loaded train that will be hauled uphill. The water is either carried in an additional water wagon attached to

220-505: A self-acting inclined plane railway (two loaded wagons going down hauled another two emptied ones up). They were then pushed by hand, assisted by gravity, along a graded wooden trestle. It crossed a sandy area, now occupied by Hunter Street and the Great Northern Railway, to a loading staith at which small ships could berth while coal was tipped into their holds. The AACo constructed a total of three gravitational railways:

275-548: A stationary engine and later a bank engine running on a second track. The height difference was 82 metres over a 2.5 kilometre length (1845–1926) Australian Agricultural Company#Australia's first railway The Australian Agricultural Company ( AACo ; ASX :  AAC ) is a public-listed Australian company that, as of 2018, owns and operates feedlots and farms covering around seven million hectares (17 million acres) of land in Queensland and

330-600: A wider space than a stationary engine-driven incline, but has the advantage of not requiring external power, and therefore costs less to operate. A variation of the gravity balance incline was the trwnc incline found at slate quarries in north Wales , notably the Dinorwic Quarry and several in Blaenau Ffestiniog . These were worked by gravity, but instead of the wagons running on their own wheels, permanently attached angled wagons were used that had

385-440: Is most commonly used for a temporary incline where setting up the infrastructure of a winding drum and stationary engine is not appropriate. It is similarly employed for recovery operations where derailed rolling stock must be hauled back to the permanent track. While the majority of cable railways moved trains over steep inclines, there are examples of cable-haulage on railways that did not have steep grades. The Glasgow Subway

440-502: Is often called an incline or inclined plane , or, in New Zealand, a jigline , or jig line . One common form of incline is the funicular – an isolated passenger railway where the cars are permanently attached to the cable. In other forms, the cars attach and detach to the cable at the ends of the cable railway. Some cable railways are not steeply graded - these are often used in quarries to move large numbers of wagons between

495-797: The Australian Agricultural Company coal mine. B Pit opened 1837 and C Pit opened mid-1842. All were private operations by the same company. The majority of inclines were used in industrial settings, predominantly in quarries and mines, or to ship bulk goods over a barrier ridgeline as the Allegheny Portage Railroad and the Ashley Planes feeder railway shipped coal from the Pennsylvania Canal / Susquehanna basin via Mountain Top to

550-747: The British East India Company , besides many other eminent bankers and merchants of England. There were 41 investors based in New South Wales which included some of the wealthiest colonists such as the Macarthur family and Phillip Parker King . The initial million acres selected under the founding charter extended from Port Stephens , embracing the Karuah River valley, to the Gloucester flats, and included all of

605-784: The Lehigh Canal in the Delaware River Basin. The Welsh slate industry made extensive use of gravity balance and water balance inclines to connect quarry galleries and underground chambers with the mills where slate was processed. Examples of substantial inclines were found in the quarries feeding the Ffestiniog Railway , the Talyllyn Railway and the Corris Railway amongst others. The Ashley Planes were used to transship heavy cargo over

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660-748: The Northern Territory , roughly one percent of Australia's land mass. As of July 2008 AACo had a staff of 500 and operated 24 cattle stations and two feedlots, consisting of over 565,000  beef cattle . Since 2022, more than half the shares of AACo have been owned by the Tavistock Group , the investment vehicle of Joe Lewis . The inquiry into the colony of New South Wales conducted by John Bigge from 1819 to 1823 recommended that large grants of land be given to "men of real capital" who would utilise significant levels of convict labour to maintain these estates. The inquiry

715-567: The stratigraphy of the coastline. It is speculated that Leichhardt may have established the extent of the coal seams under Mitchell’s property. Mitchell claimed the construction of the tunnels was to allow access to Burwood Beach in order to build a salt works. It is further speculated that Mitchell actually sought to destroy the Australian Agricultural Company’s legal monopoly on coal mining. Prior to these events Mitchell had already approached Governor Gipps seeking: Mitchell

770-573: The AACo owned the land between the Burwood estate and the Port of Newcastle the company refused to allow Mitchell to transport coal by rail across its land. Mitchell successfully lobbied the government again by having New South Wales' first Private Act of Parliament titled, Burwood and Newcastle Tramroad Act 1850 , passed, that specifically allowed Mitchell to carry coal through AACo lands. Also in 1850,

825-564: The Australian Agricultural Company officially opened Australia's first railway, located at the intersection of Brown & Church Streets, Newcastle, New South Wales . Privately owned and operated to service the A Pit coal mine, it was a cast-iron fishbelly rail on an inclined plane as a gravitational railway , described as follows: Once raised up the shaft, the coal was yarded or emptied into wagons; each of 1 t capacity. Loaded wagons were run in pairs down

880-524: The Lehigh-Susquehanna drainage divide for over a hundred years and became uneconomic only when average locomotive traction engines became heavy and powerful enough that could haul long consists at speed past such obstructions yard to yard faster, even if the more roundabout route added mileage. Level tracks are arranged above and below the gradient to allow wagons to be moved onto the incline either singly or in short rakes of two or more. On

935-671: The NSW Legislative Council created the Coal Inquiry and appointed a select committee to investigate the matter. Both Mitchell and Brown gave evidence; Mitchell in relation to his tunnel and Brown in relation to price cutting. Before the committee could issue any recommendations, the Australian Agricultural Company relinquished its monopoly. Mitchell proceeded to lease out the coal rights on the Burwood estate, with five mines being quickly established by J & A Brown, Donaldson, Alexander Brown, Nott and Morgan. Because

990-418: The ballast method and two as conventional gravity balance. Inclines are classified by the power source used to wind the cable. A stationary engine drives the winding drum that hauls the wagons to the top of the inclined plane and may provide braking for descending loads. Only a single track and cable is required for this type. The stationary engine may be a steam or internal combustion engine, or may be

1045-586: The belief that locomotive haulage was impracticable. The Rainhill Trials showed that locomotives could handle 1 in 100 gradients . In 1832, the 1 in 17 Bagworth incline opened on Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line ; the incline was bypassed in 1848. On July 20, 1837, the Camden Incline , between Euston and Primrose Hill on the London and Birmingham Railway opened. A Pit fishbelly gravitational railway operated between 1831 and 1846 to service

1100-444: The cable railway part way along its length. Various methods were used to achieve this. One arrangement used at the Dinorwic Quarry was known as the "Ballast" method. This involved a two track incline with one track reserved for fully loaded wagons and the second used by partially loaded wagons. The line used by the partially loaded wagons was known as the "ballast" track and it had a stop placed on it part way down. The distance from

1155-644: The centre of Newcastle. Further, it was feared that the company may have had control of the entire coal supply in the Colony had the Crown Law Officers responsible for the substitution of a grant for the lease not objected and an alternative agreed upon. Between 1835 and 1850, the AACo was involved in significant Australian historical law events relating to monopolistic coal mining and private railway access. In 1835 James Mitchell purchased approximately 360 ha (900 acres) of coastal land extending from

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1210-596: The city-state of Hamburg . It is one of Australia's oldest still-operating companies. Its headquarters are today in Brisbane and it has been listed (or relisted) on the Australian Stock Exchange since 2001. The colonial government was not able to manage coal production efficiently. On 3 May 1833 the company received land grants at Newcastle totaling 777 ha (1,920 acres) plus a 31-year monopoly on that town's coal traffic. The company became

1265-469: The coal mining monopoly ended with the peal of the Metallic Ores Act as promised by Governor Gipps, allowing copper to be brought into NSW duty-free. After the monopoly ended, Mitchell established the copper smelter in 1851 until its closure in 1872. In 1913, salvaged bricks from the site were used to cap some of the old mines. Cattle grazing for the production of beef has long been a focus of

1320-472: The coastal region north to the Manning River . The company commenced its operations in 1826 with its first manager Robert Dawson, who stocked the property with flocks of Merino sheep. The wool produced by the company was to be exported to Great Britain to ensure a cheap reliable supply of British wool which at that time was being outpriced by German imports. However, it soon found that better land

1375-419: The colony of New South Wales and other purposes, amongst which was the production of fine merino wool for export to Great Britain. A group of about 400 well-connected British investors funded the company with a combined capital of one million pounds (made up of ten thousand shares of £100 each). A grant of one million acres (about 405,000 hectares) was obtained in the colony for agricultural development, subject to

1430-410: The companies largest type of employee, although those who had served a sentence, aborigines and indentured servants on seven-year contracts were also employed with the latter making up the bulk of initial employees. The AACo attempted to exploit convict labour to generate a profit. When the supply of convicts was facing potential limits in the mid-1830s, company directors attempted to source convicts from

1485-574: The company ceased its coal-mining activities in the early 1920s, sold their assets therein, and moved on into the cattle industry. The AACo's coat-of-arms are affixed to two stone columns erected in Gordon Avenue, Hamilton (originally known as Pittown, Borehole or Happy Flat) – located on the corners Learmonth Park (Alexander Street and Gordon Avenue, and Jenner Parade and Gordon Avenue) – in an area once known as Newcastle's garden suburb. On 10 December 1831

1540-528: The company. The managing director of AACo. from 1974 to 1988 was Trevor Schmidt, whose family also owned Alroy Downs Station in the Northern Territory . In 2012 the company entered an agreement with the Bunuba Cattle Company where AACo would manage the operations and the Bunuba would receive an annual rent and training opportunities and have complete access to their lands. The Bunuba hold

1595-542: The descending train, or is carried underneath a trwnc car on which the empty train sits. This type of incline is especially associated with the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry that supplied the Corris Railway. This form of incline has the advantages of a gravity balance system with the added ability to haul loads uphill. It is only practical where a large supply of water is available at the top of

1650-438: The district in defiance of the monopoly. A mine near East Maitland operated by Mr James Brown undercut the AACo's price to supply coal to steamships at Morpeth which led to prosecution. The government’s legal advice after this case was that they would have to individually prosecute every illegal mine, which Governor FitzRoy believed the cost of the prosecutions should be paid for by the Australian Agricultural Company. In 1847,

1705-408: The drum braking system. At Maenofferen Quarry a system was installed that raised a short section of the rail at the head of the incline to prevent runaways. The operation of an incline was typically controlled by the brakesman positioned at the winding house. A variety of systems were used to communicate with workers at the bottom of the incline, whose job it was to attach and detach the wagons from

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1760-406: The far side of Merewether ridge to Glenrock Lagoon and named the property the Burwood estate, which was later extended to 1,834 acres. Not long after Ludwig Leichhardt’s visit to the Burwood estate in 1842, Mitchell announced the planned commissioning of tramroad tunnels, Australia’s first two railway tunnels, through Burwood ridge (or bluff). While Leichhardt visited the Burwood estate he drew up

1815-416: The incline cable. One of the most common communication methods was a simple electrical bell system. Cable railways were often used within quarries to connect working levels. Sometimes a single cable railway would span multiple levels, allowing wagons to be moved between the furthest levels in a single movement. In order to accommodate intermediate levels, turnouts were used to allow wagons to leave and join

1870-536: The incline is used as part of the High Peak Trail . Middleton Pasture Incline was also 1 in 9 gradient, like the other slopes along the former railway. This United Kingdom rail transport related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Incline railway The most common use for a cable railway is to move vehicles on a steeply graded line that is too steep for conventional locomotives to operate on – this form of cable railway

1925-430: The incline itself the tracks may be interlaced to reduce the width of land needed. This requires use of gauntlet track : either a single track of two rails, or a three-rail track where trains share a common rail; at the centre of the incline there will be a passing track to allow the ascending and descending trains to pass each other. Railway workers attach the cable to the upper wagon, and detach it when it arrives at

1980-422: The incline. An example of this type of cable railway is the passenger carrying Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway . An uncommon form of cable railway uses locomotives, fitted with a winding drum, to power the cable. With the cable or chain attached to the wagons to be drawn, but the drive to the drum disengaged, the locomotive climbs the slope under its own power. When the cable is nearly at its full extent, or when

2035-530: The largest exporter of coal from Newcastle for many decades. They also bought 518 ha (1,280 acres) of freehold and 1,267 ha (3,131 acres) of leasehold land on the South Maitland coalfields at Weston, near Kurri Kurri , where they built the Hebburn Colliery. Because of drought and depression during the 1840s mining created more profit than wool production did. By December 1903

2090-674: The leases to Leopold Downs and Fairfield Downs stations, located north of Fitzroy Crossing . Together the properties occupy an area of 4,046 square kilometres (1,562 sq mi) and have a maximum carrying capacity of 20,000 head of cattle. AACo. acquired two properties in the Northern Territory, Welltree and La Belle Stations , in 2013 from R. M. Williams Agricultural Holdings. The properties had been bought for A$ 27.1 million after R. M. Williams went into receivership . The company owns Anthony Lagoon , Austral Downs , Brunette Downs , Camfield and Delamere Station in

2145-486: The left bank of the Peel River to the south of present-day Tamworth, New South Wales . The township of West Tamworth adjacent to the present city was the original company-owned business centre for the area. In 1856, Arthur Hodgson was appointed general superintendent of the company. The pioneering settlers of the area were ordered to leave and paid little from the company for their properties. Convicts soon became

2200-724: The line still follows the same route through the castle's fortifications. This line is generally described as the oldest funicular. In the early days of the Industrial Revolution , several railways used cable haulage in preference to locomotives, especially over steep inclines. The Bowes Railway on the outskirts of Gateshead opened in 1826. Today it is the world's only preserved operational 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge cable railway system. The Cromford and High Peak Railway opened in 1831 with grades up to 1 in 8. There were nine inclined planes: eight were engine-powered, one

2255-415: The other end of the incline. Generally, special-purpose safety couplings are used rather than the ordinary wagon couplings. The cables may be guided between the rails on the incline by a series of rollers so that they do not fall across the rail where they would be damaged by the wheels on the wagons. Occasionally inclines were used to move locomotives between levels, but these were comparatively rare as it

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2310-723: The performance of certain conditions, with the company to be allowed to select the location of the grant. Among the principal members of this company were the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General of England, 28 members of Parliament, including Mr. Brougham, and Joseph Hume , the Governor, Deputy Governor and eight of the directors of the Bank of England ; the Chairman and Deputy-Chairman and five directors of

2365-470: The pit was sending a fully loaded train away each day. By 1912, the output exceeded 2,500 long tons (2,540  t ) per day and a large overseas trade had developed from this mine. In May 1906 the company purchased a half-share in the Aberdare Junction to Cessnock railway for £40,000 which, already owning the other half, placed them in full ownership of the line. With the post-Great War slump,

2420-580: The quarry to the processing plant. The oldest extant cable railway is probably the Reisszug , a private line providing goods access to Hohensalzburg Fortress at Salzburg in Austria. It was first documented in 1515 by Cardinal Matthäus Lang , who became Archbishop of Salzburg . The line originally used wooden rails and a hemp haulage rope and was operated by human or animal power. Today, steel rails, steel cables and an electric motor have taken over, but

2475-478: The second was in 1837 to service B Pit and the third was in mid-1842 to service C Pit . The gravitational railway from B Pit connected with the 1831 railway. The gravitational railway from C Pit , which made use of the last of the government’s offer of cheap convict labour , feed onto an extended gravitational railway to reach the port. It is presumed that when the A Pit mine was exhausted in July 1846 its railway

2530-489: The summit is reached, the locomotive is fastened to the rails and the cable wound in. In a simpler form the cable is attached to a locomotive, usually at the upper end of the incline. The locomotive is driven away from the head of the incline, hauling wagons up the inclined plane. The locomotive itself does not travel on the steeply graded section. An example is at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum . This

2585-442: The top of the incline to the stop was the same as the distance that the fully loaded wagons needed to travel. Empty wagons were hauled up the incline, counterbalanced by the descending ballast wagons. These empty wagons were replaced by fully loaded wagons ready to descend. The descending loaded wagons then returned the ballast wagons to the top of the incline. One of the major inclines at Dinorwic had four parallel tracks, two worked by

2640-707: Was available and, in 1830, a communication from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to Governor Darling notified the latter that the company was to be permitted to select land in the interior of the colony, in lieu of an equivalent area at Port Stephens, but retaining mineral rights to the latter. After an inspection in 1833, the company decided on two new areas. These were the Warrah Estate of 101,010 ha (249,600 acres), west of Murrurundi , and Goonoo Goonoo estate of 126,787 ha (313,298 acres), along with

2695-581: Was cable-hauled from its opening in 1896 until it was converted to electric power in 1935. A few examples exist of cables being used on conventional railways to assist locomotives on steep grades. The Cowlairs incline was an example of this, with a continuous rope used on this section from 1842 until 1908. The middle section of the Erkrath-Hochdahl Railway in Germany (1841–1926) had an inclined plane where trains were assisted by rope from

2750-410: Was directly transferred to form the C Pit railway, although no hard evidence can support this thought. On 10 December 2006 a plaque was unveiled on the southern shore of Newcastle Harbour celebrating this event. In 1828, 3 years after commencing their 31-year lease, the AACo was accorded a monopolistic position after the company received a grant of 810 ha (2,000 acres) of coal land in

2805-617: Was initiated by the Earl of Bathurst and John Macarthur to protect both the system of land grants to wealthy individuals and also the transportation system of cheap prison labour to the colony. As a result of the Bigge Inquiry, the Australian Agricultural Company (A.A.Co.) was formed by an Act of the British Parliament and incorporated by royal charter on 1 November 1824 for the cultivation and improvement of waste lands in

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2860-425: Was normally cheaper to provide a separate fleet of locomotives on either side of the incline, or else to work the level sections with horses. On early railways, cable-worked inclines were also used on some passenger lines. The speed of the wagons was usually controlled by means of a brake that acted on the winding drum at the head of the incline. The incline cable passed round the drum several times to ensure there

2915-434: Was operated by a horse gin . The Middleton Top winding engine house at the summit of Middleton Incline has been preserved and the ancient steam engine inside, once used to haul wagons up, is often demonstrated. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened in 1830 with cable haulage down a 1 in 48 grade to the dockside at Liverpool . It was originally designed for cable haulage up and down 1 in 100 grades at Rainhill in

2970-419: Was sufficient friction for the brake to slow the rotation of the drum – and therefore the wagons – without the cable slipping. At the head of the incline various devices were employed to ensure that wagons did not start to descend before they were attached to the cable. These ranged from simple lumps of rock wedged behind the wagon's wheels to permanently installed chocks that were mechanically synchronized with

3025-423: Was unsuccessful with only his request to use coal as fuel in a copper smelter. Although Mitchell had no legal use of coal, the commissioned tunnel project commenced in 1846 with the cutting line being directly into a coal seam . Between 2 and 3 thousand tonnes of coal were extracted but unusable owing to the AACo's monopoly. While Mitchell’s operations were going on, a number of small illegal mines operated in

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