the ner made several improvements to line during the 1870s, including the opening of a chord in 1877 that allowed passenger trains to continue beyond haswell to sunderland by continuing onto the route of the d&sr. one of the most significant of these improvements involved the realignment of the 1 in 34 incline at bank, in 1874, to allow locomotives to replace rope haulage on this stretch of the line, though it still remained problematic for trains using the line.