In order to transport it to the furnaces at Donnington Wood, William Reynolds started to build a tub-boat canal in 1787.

It was completed in 1788, at a cost of £1,640 and was 1.75 miles (2.82 km) long, connecting with both the furnaces and the Donnington Wood Canal.

Although this price was considerably less than the cost of construction, Reynolds was both a shareholder and a director of the new company, and the act of Parliament specifically waived any tolls for his own internal traffic.

Most of the working traffic was in the downward direction of the incline, and was counterbalanced by empty tub-boats returning up to the top level.

The main cylinder was 60 inches (150 cm) in diameter, with a 10-foot (3.0 m) stroke, and it lifted water from a depth of around 600 feet (180 m).

The engine developed 250 hp (190 kW) and normally ran slowly, raising 3,338 imperial gallons (15.17 m3) of water per minute, in three strokes.

They made a variety of objects from dark green glass, including door-stops, rolling pins, jugs and bottles for French wine manufacturers.

[2] The Wombridge engine house survived the demise of the inclined plane, but was destroyed on 27 December 1964, when 82 pounds (37 kg) of gelignite were used to demolish it.