In 1826 the first Durham coal carried by the Stockton and Darlington Railway was loaded onto a ship at Stockton. A railway locomotive steamed along the riverside tracks, pulling waggons filled with coal. Their wheels clattered over the rails until the waggons lined up at the small timber pier on Castlegate Quay. Coal poured from them, crashing into the wooden hold of the collier brig Adamant.

The cheaper transport of coal helped shipbuilding, ironworking and engineering to grow. The Pease family of Darlington, who invested in bringing the railway to Stockton, were central to this change. In 1829 they built Port Darlington as a deep water coal port. The new port grew into Middlesbrough, which soon replaced Stockton as a hub for trade.

The Pease family extended the railway to the coast in 1859, creating the seaside town of Saltburn. It was built with sandy coloured bricks made by the Pease family, each one stamped with their name, leaving their mark on the town like lettering in a stick of rock.