Locomotion: Museum move for famed steam engine 'to go ahead'

Locomotion No 1 was built in 1825 by George and Robert Stephenson

Controversial plans to move a world famous steam locomotive between museums will go ahead within weeks, its owners have claimed.

Built in 1825, Locomotion No 1 was the first engine to pull a passenger train on a public railway.

Since 1857 it has mostly been in Darlington but the National Railway Museum (NRM), which owns the engine, wants to move it nine miles to Shildon.

Almost 7,000 people have signed a petition for it to stay in Darlington.

The engine is on display at the Head of Steam Museum, owned by Darlington Borough Council, under a loan agreement from the NRM which ends in March.

The NRM, part of the Science Museum Group, intends to move the attraction to Locomotion museum in Shildon by the end of the agreement.

It said there is a strong historical case for Robert Stephenson's famed engine to be moved and wants Locomotion No 1 to be the centrepiece of a multimillion-pound redevelopment to mark 200 years since the first trip on the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825.

A re-enactment of the Locomotion No 1's first journey was staged to mark the centenary in 1925

Sarah Price, head of Locomotion museum, said: "What we want to do at Shildon is to really bring to the fore how important the railway was, how important Shildon was and how important the North East was in telling this global railway story, and a key part of that for us is having Locomotion back at the site where it set off and steamed into history.

"We've always acknowledged the emotional and historic significance of Locomotion to Darlington, but part of what we should be doing for 2025 is to really throw a bright shining light on the achievements of the North East, and we believe that is best done by having Locomotion at Shildon."

The engine was saved from being scrapped in 1857 by the Pease family of Darlington and - aside from a handful of celebratory events and exhibitions- has been in the town ever since.

Locomotion No 1 was once displayed at Bank Top Station in Darlington, as seen in this 1895 postcard

Heather Scott, leader of Darlington Borough Council, said: "We've looked after it for 163 years. Why have they decided they are going to take it away from us when we are coming up to the 2025 celebrations? This is the thing that really upsets the residents because of its connection here."

She said the NRM had offered to let the council's museum have the engine for half of 2025 "which we would probably agree with", but there were still major concerns about "how regularly we would get it back in Darlington" after that.

Talks have broken down but both sides said they want an agreement.