AN 82-YEAR-OLD historian has vowed to press on with his 20-year campaign to have his home town's railway heritage commemorated.

Robert Harbron, chairman of the Norton Heritage Society, said it was shameful there was no dedicated railway heritage centre in Stockton.

The veteran campaigner said that Stocktonmissed out on millions of pounds of tourism cash by failing to properly recognise the pioneering passenger line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The amateur local historian said he has written 16 letters to Stockton Borough Council in four years but received no satisfactory reply.

His group has now directly campaigned for 20 years for the 1825 railway to be recognised.

Mr Harbron argues that Stockton's attempts to mark the railway are insufficient.

Stockton and Yarm both have plaques on their town halls and, in Stockton, there is also a plaque at the former goods store at 48 Bridge Street, where the first rail was laid. Some of the original railway line bedding can be found in Preston Park.

In contrast, Darlington has a dedicated railway museum, refurbished at a cost of £1.7m in 2008. Shildon, in County Durham, has an £11m museum, marking where the train first picked up coal before heading to Darlington.

Mr Harbron said: "We can never give up on this. We've spent 20 years trying to get something done about it, and still we have nothing substantial.

"I remember coming across a party of students from Taipei University who had come all the way from Taiwan. They'd been to London, York and Darlington to find out about this development which changed the entire world. All I could point them to was a plaque on the wall.

"There are two-and-a-half million dedicated train buffs in the UK alone. This is a legacy which could attract thousands of people and rescue our town centre.

"I'm hoping The Northern Echo can reopen the debate about how tomake use of our magnificent heritage."

Mr Harbron said a heritage centre could be built near the restored coal ship, Endeavour Bark, on the Tees.

Councillor Jim Beall, deputy leader of Stockton Borough Council, said he could not give a detailed response without consulting staff at the council.

However, he said: "As a Stockton lad I'm extremely proud of our heritage, as is the whole town. I'll be talking to our officers about this issue."