THOSE of us old enough to remember the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1975 are particularly appalled by the plan to remove George Stephenson’s iconic Locomotion No. 1 from Darlington.

After 160 years on display in Darlington, and the 200th anniversary of the railway approaching, what sort of message does it send when bigwigs at the National Railway Museum essentially pronounce that their so-called guidance requires the locomotive to be removed?

Are we supposed to believe that the National Railway Museum somehow has Darlington’s best interests at heart? Of course not. The officials behind the proposed move care not one bit for the cultural heritage of our town.

The people of Darlington have no doubt already seen through this shameful charade. We have a proud history of standing up to those who pompously claim to know what is best for us.

The loss of Locomotion No. 1 would be in neither the cultural, historical or economic interests of our town. We must not allow it to happen.

Paul Anthony Taylor, Darlington.