Iron railway sleeper produced by the Coalbrookdale Company, Shropshire, England.

The success of the iron industry at Coalbrookdale was mainly due to the discovery of local iron ore reserves. The Abraham Darby dynasty pioneered smelting the ore using the region’s plentiful coke, instead of charcoal. This allowed improved quality and increased production, enabling many new uses for iron. The Coalbrookdale Company produced railway lines, bridges, boat plating and steam locomotives. The same Coalbrookdale foundries produced the vast ribs for the region's famous iron bridge.