NEGOTIATIONS have broken down over the future of Locomotion No 1.

Relationships between Darlington and the National Railway Museum, at York, have soured – with an internal memo by NRM director Judith McNicol accusing the council of being a “fly in the ointment” and playing “fast and loose” with museum rules by campaigning to “keep the loco in Darlo”.

The Northern Echo understands the parties were on the verge of agreeing a memorandum of understanding at which Locomotion No 1 – which is owned by the NRM but has been on display in Darlington for 160 years – was shared between Darlington and Shildon, but those negotiations have now stalled, with the NRM refusing to talk unless Darlington relinquishes the locomotive.

The NRM said the council had “refused” to sign the memorandum or come to an “acceptable compromise” which could have seen the historic engine return to Darlington on short-term loan.

It says it is moving forward with plans to bring it to Shildon before the current loan to Head of Steam comes to an end in March.

Locomotion No 1 was built in 1825 and pulled the inaugural train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which is regarded as the world’s first modern railway.

With the 200th anniversary of the railway approaching, the council has put Locomotion No 1 at the heart of its £20m plans to regenerate the North Road area and launched a campaign to keep the loco last year.

However, the NRM wants the unique railway relic at the heart of its £4.5m revamp of Shildon's Locomotion museum.

The council’s online petition has gained more than 6,000 signatures, received backing from Monty Python star and railway enthusiast Michael Palin and the campaign poster even featured on Coronation Street.

Heather Scott, leader of Darlington council, said: “We are extremely disappointed, especially as the NRM has been putting into the public arena that locomotive is going when we are still hoping to come to some kind of understanding.

“We have looked after Locomotion No 1 for 163 years, so morally and spiritually it belongs to the people of Darlington. Our cross party working group is devastated at the lack of respect shown to us by the NRM, and I urge the NRM to reach an agreement with us on the future return of the engine for 2025 and beyond.”

Ms McNicol, said: “Despite our attempts to maintain a positive dialogue with Darlington Borough Council, they have refused to sign a memorandum of understanding to resolve the issue or to provide an acceptable compromise. This could have seen Locomotion No.1.  return to Darlington on short-term loan in the future.”

Saying the NRM is “committed” to continuing dialogue with the council around ways to work in the future, she added: “As we head towards the deeply significant railway anniversaries of 2025, we want the whole of the UK to turn its attention towards the North-East, to Shildon, to Darlington and to every town along the line that played a part in forging the world’s railway history. To do that, we all need to work together.”

The memo to NRM staff and volunteers says the council's campaign has "spilled over" to some "nasty" commentary, with threats made.

It adds: "The campaign is likely to get even more vocal in the coming weeks as it gets more desperate.”

MP Peter Gibson said: “I’m shocked. Describing Darlington as the ‘fly in the ointment’ is frankly insulting. As someone who has been involved in some of the discussions with senior people at the Science Museum Group, I know those discussions have been professional and progressive.

“The NRM’s attempts to extinguish Darlington’s place in railway history to fit a fictional, manufactured history is at a minimum deeply troubling by a national museum and, at worse, something that will be a cause of deep, deep dismay to the people of the town.”

“Darlington’s rightful place as the cultural, spiritual and historical home of Locomotion No 1 will never be expunged, and I know that the people of Darlington will not rest in their campaign.

“I strongly urge the NRM to dial down the incendiary language and return to the table to continue discussions.”