Hopton Incline

The Hopton Incline was the steepest stretch of conventional, adhesion-worked standard gauge railway in the UK.^[1][2][3][4] The incline was situated in sparsely populated, exposed limestone uplands in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England.^[5]

It is possible that steeper stretches were to be found in sidings, but the Hopton Incline was on the former Cromford and High Peak Railway's single-track main line as inherited by British Railways.

v t e Cromford and High Peak Railway
Legend
Peak Forest Canal Whaley Bridge Canal Wharf Whaley Bridge Incline Buxton line to Manchester Whaley Bridge Buxton line to Buxton and Hindlow Shallcross Shallcross Incline Fernilee Fernilee Reservoir Bunsall Lower Incline Bunsall Upper Incline Burbage Tunnel Ladmanlow Old Harpur Harpur Hill Ashbourne line to Buxton and Whaley Bridge Hindlow Hindlow Tunnel Hindlow Quarry (Brigg's Sidings) Dowlow Halt Dowlow Works Hurdlow Parsley Hay Ashbourne line Newhaven Tunnel Friden Goods Yard Gotham Curve Minninglow Goods Yard Longcliffe Goods Yard Hopton Incline Hopton Tunnel Middleton Top Middleton Incline Middleton Quarry Recreation Ground unopened connection Ravenstor Ecclesbourne Valley Railway National Stone Centre Steeple Grange Light Railway Steeple House Steeplehouse & Wirksworth Sheep Pasture Incline Cromford Incline Sheep Pasture Bottom (now High Peak Junction) Cromford Canal to Cromford Wharf Cromford Goods Wharf Cromford Canal to Whatstandwell Derwent Valley line to Cromford original High Peak Junction Derwent Valley line to Whatstandwell
Hurdlow Incline deviation (1869)
Dowlow Works Hurdlow Incline bypassed Hurdlow