Darlington council in row over plan to move locomotive

A row has erupted between a council and a national tourist attraction over plans to move a famous locomotive.

The National Railway Museum (NRM) wants to relocate Robert Stephenson's Locomotion No 1 from Darlington, where it has been for 160 years, to its museum in Shildon.

Darlington Council said it would "use all and every means available" to oppose the move.

NRM said its return is part of a £4.5m development at its Shildon museum.

The country's first passenger-carrying railway steam locomotive is currently housed at the Head of Steam museum in the town, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

NRM said the engine, which is part of a national collection, had been on loan to Darlington since 1975 and that when the loan period ends in 2021, it will be displayed as the focal point of the Shildon site.

The council recently announced plans for a revamped tourist attraction on the site to capitalise on the Stockton and Darlington Railway's bicentennial celebrations in 2025.

Council leader Heather Scott said moving the 1825 engine to Shildon would seriously undermine these plans as it was "absolutely critical".

"I have absolutely no idea why the NRM has suddenly decided to do this. The number of people who are incensed about the thought of it moving is huge.

"We have the town behind us."

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday the town's MP Peter Gibson described NRM's decision as "cultural vandalism" of "our most precious historical asset".

"Darlington is the birthplace of the railways," he said. "We are the home of Locomotion 1."

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