1960: When 138 years of railway history ended for the Sunderland area
More than 130 years of history - which had put Wearside in the record books - came to an end in 1960.
Workers removed the final 90ft of track from the Hetton Mineral railway line in 1960.
Oldest track in the world
The line was said to be the oldest in the world but it ceased to exist on November 15, 1960, months after it closed in 1959.
The eight mile track stretched from Elemore, Eppleton and Hetton Lyons Collieries and on to Sunderland.
It had been kept busy by mineral wagons since 1822. They took coal from Hetton Lyons on to staithes and then to Sunderland where the supplies would be loaded on to ships.
More claims to fame
In another claim to fame, the line was also said to be the first complete line to have been designed by George Stephenson.
And there’s a third claim - that it was the first railway not to use any animal power. Instead, gravity as well as steam locomotives were utilised.
But 1960 brought the end and this was the scene when the last section disappeared.
Tell us if you worked on the line or on one of the collieries it served. Email [email protected]