PLANS have been unveiled to turn a railway museum into one of the North-East's premier tourist attractions.

Staff at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, in North Road Station, which dates from 1842, are putting together a bid for Heritage Lottery Fund finance.

It is hoped to create a visitor attraction aimed at recognising the importance of railways to Darlington, and attract up to 80,000 visitors a year, including tourists, educational groups and railway enthusiasts. Currently, 31,000 people visit each year.

Proposals include:

* Repairing the roof of the main museum, which stands on the route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway line, along which Locomotion made the first steam-powered passenger journey in 1825.

* Rearranging the displays in the museum to tell the story of Darlington before railways, and the impact which their arrival had on the town, and creating an education centre for school groups.

* Moving the study centre into the 1840s goods agent's house in nearby McNay Street, which would allow it to expand.

* Opening up the 1840s goods shed, in co-operation with Darlington Railway Preservation Society, so visitors can witness industrial locomotives with Darlington connections.

* Creating a viewing gallery in the Hopetown Carriageworks, which dates from the 1850s, so visitors can see the A1 Trust working on the new Tornado locomotive, and restoration work carried out by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group.

* Creating a miniature railway around the central field.

* Erecting a footbridge over the demonstration track.

* Building a shed to house buses restored by Aycliffe Bus Preservation Society, and locomotives owned by the preservation group.

* Laying standard gauge track to allow movement of locomotives around the site.

Recently appointed curator John Wilks said talks had been held with the preservation groups at work on the site, as well as the Friends of Darlington (North Road Station) Railway Museum and others.

Consultations have started with the National Lottery fund and it is hoped that if the bid is successful, work could start in 15 months.

Mr Wilks said: "Darlington was a railway town and we are keen to show the impact which railways had on its social, economic and industrial development.

"We hope to create a museum which attracts the people of Darlington and people from outside the area. We want to make it the main tourist attraction for the town."

He said it was hoped to link the development with other railway attractions such as the revamped Timothy Hackworth Museum, at Shildon, Beamish Museum, in north Durham, and the National Railway Museum, in York.