Stoke Bank is an inclined stretch of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between and . It is named after the village of Stoke Rochford, close to Stoke Summit, which at above sea level is the highest point of the ECML between and . It is not however, the highest point of the entire ECML, which is Grantshouse Summit between Berwick and Edinburgh at .
The climb up the bank begins roughly north of Peterborough, which is close to sea level, and ascends to Stoke Summit over a distance of approximately with gradients of up to 1 in 178 (0.56%). Shortly after the summit, the line runs through the Stoke Tunnel. It then descends for around 5 miles at 1 in 200 (0.5%) before reaching Grantham station, and then continues on a more gradual descent for around 15 miles, until reaching , which is also near sea level.
Stoke Bank is most famous for being the scene of a number of high speed runs by various trains. Most famously, 4468 Mallard broke the world speed record for a steam locomotive of on 3 July 1938. In July 1998, a trackside sign was erected at the 90 1/4 mark milepost to commemorate the record.
On 5 March 1935, the LNER Class A3 2750 Papyrus steam locomotive set a record-breaking speed of while descending Stoke Bank. During this historic run, Papyrus maintained an average speed of over , demonstrating the remarkable capabilities of non-streamlined steam engines. This achievement briefly made Papyrus the fastest steam locomotive in Britain and cemented its legacy as the fastest non-streamlined steam locomotive in British history, a title it retains to this day.
On 23 May 1959, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley set the post-war steam record speed of . As with Mallard record, this was descending southward from Stoke Bank, but unlike Mallard run, which was a special attempt, this was with a full train of passengers returning from an excursion to Doncaster Works.
On 2 February 1978, the fastest speed achieved by a Class 55 "Deltic" diesel locomotive was attained by 55 008 The Green Howards, which was on a special record-breaking run, hauling 10 coaches (343 tons gross). The train achieved a speed of whilst descending Stoke Bank.
On 17 September 1989 the British speed record for an electric locomotive was achieved on Stoke Bank, by a (91 110, formerly 91 010) which reached .