WYLAM Parish Council is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closure of the town’s northern railway line.

The Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway began life in the 1700s as a wagonway for transporting coal.

Passenger trains were incorporated onto the line in 1876, transporting people and cargo into Newcastle via Heddon, without using any of the city’s bridges.

However, the axe fell on the North Wylam Loop, as it later became known, during the modernisation of the railways in the 1960s.

The line closed on March 11, 1968, despite some fierce local opposition and the fact the station was still busy.

The parish council has organised a community history project to commemorate the date.

Coun. Colin Percy said: “As the closure was relatively recent, the council thought we would be able to gather memories of the station, the trains, and indeed wider Wylam life, starting with a small event on the day itself.

“Even going round the local shops and pubs as part of this proved to be productive in itself.

“The memories also came flooding back at the Friends of Wylam spring fair on March 10, the day before the anniversary.

On the anniversary day, 20 people met on the site of the former North Wylam Station, now the Tyne Riverside Country Park car park, and enjoyed a short talk and looked at old photographs.

The parish council hopes to take the topic forward with the help of other interested parties, including Wylam Library.

The council intends to hold a display and workshop at a summer fair organised by Wylam Community Playng Fields Association in June, followed by a permanent display and record in the railway museum next to the library.

Coun. Percy added: “The parish council is working closely with the National Trust, researching life in Wylam around the time of George Stephenson’s birth,

“We’re also looking into how his birthplace and Wylam as a whole can be better promoted.”