RAILWAY track experts marked the final day of their convention in the North-East by visiting what are believed to be the last two companies in the town that maintain a historic link with the railway industry.

Once the industry employed thousands of men in Darlington, but now it is believed that only Henry Williams and Balfour Beatty in the town make products specifically for it.

Williams, at Albert Hill, makes fishplates, which join the rails together, and railside cabinets, while Balfour Beatty makes buffer stops.

The track experts are members of the Permanent Way Institution, an organisation which was founded in 1884 to improve technical knowledge of maintenance and renewal of railway track.

"It is a historic year for the railway industry as it is the 200th anniversary of the first steam engine, and this is the first time in 120 years that the Institution has held its convention in Darlington," said local secretary Trevor Horner.

The convention, which about 200 people attended, started on Friday.

As well as listening to technical presentations, the delegates toured North-East industrial attractions like the Weardale Railway and Beamish Museum.

The social highlight was Saturday night's dinner and dance at the Blackwell Grange Hotel, which was attended by Darlington's mayor Councillor Roddy Francis.