CHAP. VIII, THE HETTON RAILWAY. 141 



and they regarded it as a compliment that their colliery 

 engineer should be selected for a work so important as 

 the laying down of the Hetton Railway, which was to 

 be the longest locomotive line that had, up to that time, 

 been constructed in the neighbourhood. Mr. Stephenson 

 accepted the appointment, his brother Robert acting as 

 resident engineer and personally superintending the 

 execution of the works. 



The Hetton Railway extended from the Hetton Col- 

 liery, situated about two miles south of Houghton-le- 

 Spring, in the county of Durham, to the shipping-places 

 on the banks of the Wear, near Sunderland. Its length! 

 was about eight miles ; and in its course it crossed! 

 Warden Law, one of the highest hills in the district. 

 The character of the country forbade the construction of 

 a flat line, or one of comparatively easy gradients, 

 except by the expenditure of a much larger capital than 

 was placed at Mr. Stephenson's command. Heavy 

 works could not be executed ; it was, therefore, neces- 

 sary to form the line w^ith but little deviation from the 

 natural conformation of the district which it traversed, 

 and also to adapt the mechanical methods employed for 

 its working to the character of the gradients, which in 

 some places were necessarily heavy. 



Although Mr. Stephenson had, with every step made 

 towards its increased utility, become more and more 

 identified with the success of the locomotive engine, he 

 did not allow his enthusiasm to carry him away into 

 costly mistakes. He carefully drew the line between 

 the cases in which the locomotive could be usefully em- 

 ployed, and those in which stationary engines were 

 calculated to be more economical. This led him, as in 

 the instance of the Hetton Railway, to execute lines 

 through and over rough countries, where gradients 

 within the powers of the locomotive engine of that day 

 could not be secured, employing in their stead stationary 

 engines where locomotives were not practicable. In the 



