LAST Saturday I went to Hopetown, our new railway museum in Darlington.

I went into the entrance where the original one was ripped out by the ones responsible for the reorganisation of the museum.

After seeing the excellent account of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, I noticed that the iconic Stainmore Summit sign had been taken down.

We have one and York has the other one.

Darlington had the start of the Stainmore route to Tebay.

I also noticed that name plates of the Darlington-built locomotives, A21 60510 Robert the Bruce, D49s 62747 The Percy and 62750 The Pycheley, were missing.

Each one of these nameplates is worth thousands of pounds.

The star of the Tubwell Row museum and the North Road museum was the Darlington built LNER 10000 the Hush Hush, built by Doncaster apprentices and presented to Darlington.

Worryingly, none of these classic items are to be seen in any of the premises.

I noticed that there was no reference to North Road Locomotive Works, Faverdale wagon works or the scrapyard, which is now a play area outside the museum.

I also noticed that all the class model locomotives built by members of the town were not on display.

Then I realised it is not a railway museum anymore.

It is a museum to seaside artefacts.

If you come from Britain or our Commonwealth countries and bring their children to see what their grandparents and forebears built, they have to go over to the old S&D carriage shed.

They will have to go down on their hands and knees to see superb model locomotives disgustingly crammed together in a metal cage.

How much has it cost the council to hire these consultancy cowboys to turn our once first class museum into a laughing stock?

It would never have happened in Swindon, Crewe or Doncaster, as their councils have revered and respected their past.

Also, the council should have had a referendum for the name of the museum.

We would never have come up with “Hopetown” with its silly new railway childish lettering.

Last time we let someone loose without any thought they came up with “A Head of Steam”, which more suited a public house.

This time we are promoting a workingman’s club.

It is North Road Museum.

Always was and still should be.

Disgusted.

Brian I’Anson, Darlington.