Hetton Company's Railway

The northern end of The Hetton Company's Railway line was at the Hetton Drops (HER ref. 2808). There were two Coal Depots (HER ref. 2818 and HER ref. 2850) in Sunderland. The southern terminus of the line was Hetton Colliery (HER ref. 2989). The line was opened from Hetton Colliery to Sunderland in 1822 and was the first complete line engineered by George Stephenson. It used stationary engines and self-acting inclines and was the first line in the world designed for locomotives, which worked the first 1½ miles from the colliery. At over 8 miles long it was also the world's longest railway when it opened. With the exception of a short run from Silksworth to the staiths, the line closed in 1959.