A RARE document that was part of an attempt to de-rail the world's first passenger railway has been obtained by one of the regions museums.

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum has obtained a copy of an original petition designed to prevent the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The petition is one of only a few surviving copies.

Before the railway opened in September 1825, local landowners, led by foxhunting enthusiast Lord Darlington, fought to prevent the railway being opened.

It took three attempts to get an Act of Parliament passed permitting work to begin on the line - and three Acts of Parliament before it was completed.

The precise date of the petition, which aimed to persuade MPs to throw the Bill out, is unknown, but it was drafted by lawyers from the Temple and London company, and outlines six "Reasons for opposing the Bill for a Railway from Stockton by Darlington".

The petition claims the railway would spoil lucrative arable land and would be detrimental to the profits of nearby turnpike roads.

It also argues that the, "the Bill is not promoted or supported by any considerable proprietor of property over which the Railway is to pass, but chiefly by bankers, merchants and others wishing to employ money in this speculation".

Councillor Lee Vasey, Darlington Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: "This is a really interesting historical document, that reminds us how different things might have been in Darlington if the authors of this campaign had been successful.

"The fact that such a successful firm of lawyers were used shows there must have been a lot of money behind it.

"And it also shows some of the snobbery of the time - it seems to suggest those opposing the railway were against it because the people supporting it were of a lower class."