On the edge of Shildon is the hamlet of Brusselton.
Two hills barred the way from the south Durham coalfield to the start of the railway at Shildon.
George Stephenson overcame this by setting up stationary steam engines on the hilltops to haul the coal wagons over.
One engine was at Etherley, this brought the wagons from Witton Park and lowered them down the slope to West Auckland.
From there horses took the wagons to the Brusselton incline.
At the top of this in an engine house were two 30 horsepower engines (later upgraded to a new 80 horsepower engine) acting in tandem.
A large drum hanging above the road holding a rope pulled the wagons over the incline and to the locomotive waiting in Shildon.

A boiler house, chimney and railwaymen's houses sat on the north side of the road but have since been demolished.
The engineman's house on the south side of the road still survives.
A passenger service began over the incline in 1833 and a record set in 1839 with 2,120 tonnes of coal taken in 67 trips in a day.

The enginemen at the top of the incline were told when wagons (a mile and a half distant) were ready to make the ascent by means of a disc on the end of a tall pole.
When the disc was set spinning the wagons were ready.
To observe the spinning disc a telescope was set up.
This is believed to be the first recorded railway signalling system in the world.
In the event of fog, long wires with bells or rappers attached were used.

There were concerns about runaway wagons in the event of the rope snapping.
The wagons' brakes could only be activated on board.
For this reason young boys were employed to stand at the side of the track and run alongside in the event of a runaway wagon, jump aboard and apply the brake.
At the bottom of the incline men were positioned with tree trunks and huge blocks of wood to cause a deliberate derailment in the event of an emergency by throwing them on the line.

To the west of Brusselton there were three bridges, the most westerly taking the railway under the Dere Street Roman road.
The bridge is now gone but a 1925 article from the Northern Echo offers a description of what early rail passengers would have experienced.

"Descending the incline we come to the Roman road, as it is called, which was formerly carried over the railway by a bridge.
These early railway bridges had not much headway, and the conductors of the coaches found it necessary when approaching them to shout to the passengers on the top 'heads down'."

— Northern Echo (1925)
On 23 April 1839 construction of the Shildon Tunnel (the south portal is grade II listed) was started.
It was opened in 1842 and was completed at a cost of £100,000.
The completion of the tunnel in 1842 saw Brusselton bypassed, with the winding engines serving local collieries.
In 1859 the engine was sold and the site became derelict.

Volunteers from the Brusselton Incline Group are working to uncover the industrial archaeology still on site.
As of November 2014 the volunteers had uncover 306 stone sleepers.
The rails were laid on stone blocks weighing 75lbs when the line was laid in 18 These were replaced with heavier stones in the 1830s which made the railway more stable.
On the edge of Shildon is the hamlet of Brusselton. Two hills barred the way from the south Durham coalfield to the start of the railway at Shildon. George Stephenson overcame this by setting up stationary steam engines on the hilltops to haul the coal wagons over. One engine was at Etherley, this brought the wagons from Witton Park and lowered them down the slope to West Auckland. From there horses took the wagons to the Brusselton incline. At the top of this in an engine house were two 30 horsepower engines (later upgraded to a new 80 horsepower engine) acting in tandem. A large drum hanging above the road holding a rope pulled the wagons over the incline and to the locomotive waiting in Shildon.
A boiler house, chimney and railwaymen's houses sat on the north side of the road but have since been demolished. The engineman's house on the south side of the road still survives. A passenger service began over the incline in 1833 and a record set in 1839 with 2,120 tonnes of coal taken in 67 trips in a day.
The enginemen at the top of the incline were told when wagons (a mile and a half distant) were ready to make the ascent by means of a disc on the end of a tall pole. When the disc was set spinning the wagons were ready. To observe the spinning disc a telescope was set up. This is believed to be the first recorded railway signalling system in the world. In the event of fog, long wires with bells or rappers attached were used.
There were concerns about runaway wagons in the event of the rope snapping. The wagons' brakes could only be activated on board. For this reason young boys were employed to stand at the side of the track and run alongside in the event of a runaway wagon, jump aboard and apply the brake. At the bottom of the incline men were positioned with tree trunks and huge blocks of wood to cause a deliberate derailment in the event of an emergency by throwing them on the line.
To the west of Brusselton there were three bridges, the most westerly taking the railway under the Dere Street Roman road. The bridge is now gone but a 1925 article from the Northern Echo offers a description of what early rail passengers would have experienced.
"Descending the incline we come to the Roman road, as it is called, which was formerly carried over the railway by a bridge. These early railway bridges had not much headway, and the conductors of the coaches found it necessary when approaching them to shout to the passengers on the top 'heads down'."
— Northern Echo (1925)
On 23 April 1839 construction of the Shildon Tunnel (the south portal is grade II listed) was started. It was opened in 1842 and was completed at a cost of £100,000. The completion of the tunnel in 1842 saw Brusselton bypassed, with the winding engines serving local collieries. In 1859 the engine was sold and the site became derelict.
Volunteers from the Brusselton Incline Group are working to uncover the industrial archaeology still on site. As of November 2014 the volunteers had uncover 306 stone sleepers. The rails were laid on stone blocks weighing 75lbs when the line was laid in 18 These were replaced with heavier stones in the 1830s which made the railway more stable.
Shildon