 In the first years the Alloa pits sent out 56,000 tons annually, about the same as minerals from Charlestown and considerably more than Fife pits that were not connected to the Forth by waggonways.However the wooden rails were subject to heavy wear from the wheels of the wagons.The next attempt at improvement was the adopting of cast iron, by plating the wooden rails with cast iron in pieces of four feet long, of an inch and a quarter square; each piece of rail having three projecting ears with holes, through which a pin was driven to fix the iron rail in its place.