A full cycle of operation of the two inclines at Blackhams Hill began with 12 full wagons standing in the dish next to the hauler, with 12 empties (divided into two sets of 6) standing on the kip. To start the sequence, the set of 12 full wagons was lowered towards Springwell by gravity, by the brakeman using the handwheel brake on the east winding drum.
At the same time, a set of 6 empties would be lowered towards Black Fell by gravity with the haulerman using the main footbrake on the west winding drum. When the empties reached Black Fell, the rope would be transferred to 6 full wagons, which the haulerman raised to Blackhams Hill with the engine. This was repeated for the remaining 6 empties, resulting in a set of 12 fulls ready to be sent to Springwell.
Meanwhile, the original fulls had reached Springwell and the rope had been attached to a set of 12 empties. The haulerman was then free to use the engine to haul the empties up to Blackhams Hill, resulting in a set of 12 empties and a set of 12 fulls on the bankhed again.
This sequence took 30 minutes to complete.
The cycle described above applied when the railway was operated as a working concern by the NCB. The cycle shown below describes how the inclines are operated now as a demonstration.
After the above stages have been completed, the cycle starts again at stage 1
| Haulage Sequence Index | Stage 1 |
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This page last updated 29th March 2006 |