BLUE Peter, one of the country's most famous locomotives, will arrive in Darlington next week, it was confirmed last night.

Plans to move the engine, a national favourite of the golden age of steam, to the town are on schedule and it should be at the North Road railway museum next Wednesday.

Four exhibits will be removed from the museum this week to make way for the train.

Darlington Borough Council has joined forces with local haulage company GCS Johnson to transport the engine on a low-loader from its home in Newbridge Yard, Pickering, North Yorkshire.

Weather permitting, the move will take place as planned, following meticulous preparations over the past six weeks.

Enthusiasts launched a campaign in The Northern Echo in February for help to bring the train to the town.

Once in place, it is hoped that the engine will generate thousands of visits to the museum, which houses George Stephenson's Locomotion.

The museum has recently enjoyed an upturn in visitor numbers, thanks to a string of initiatives, and the Blue Peter will be the main attraction.

It is being loaned to the museum for at least two years by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group.

John Wilkes, of the museum, said: "It is exciting to think that, in a week, we will see the arrival of one of the world's most famous steam locomotives."

The arrival is expected to be featured on the children's television programme Blue Peter.