Longbenton has a long history of coal mining. Meadow Pit, Dyke Pit and First and Second Engine Pits were in operation by 1749. In 1774 an "experimentally-determined" model of the Newcomen atmospheric engine, designed by John Smeaton, was installed there. It was rated at 40 horsepower and used for drainage. In the 1860s Long Benton or Benton Colliery stood at OS grid reference NZ 27093 67438, where Benton Road crossed the Coxlodge Waggonway, a site now occupied by housing on Ferndene Grove. Coal was exported via the wagonway to the Coxlodge Staithes on the Tyne at Wallsend. Later, between 1901 and 1930, much of the route was converted into a tram line operated by the Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Company.