the threat of bombing. In 1975 Darlington built its railway museum around Locomotion No. 1. As ownership of the railways changed, the locomotive became a British Rail historic item, all of which were transferred as the National Collection in 1968 to the National Railway Museum (NRM), now part of the Science Museum Group (SMG). The locomotive, as its ownership changed, remained in Darlington from 1857, in later years on display at the Head of Steam museum in Darlington, in the same building as Darlington's North Road station. From 1975, it was formally on loan by the NRM to Head of Steam. The loan agreement expired in March 2021, after which the locomotive was moved to the NRM's outpost museum in Shildon, itself named Locomotion. Some in Darlington objected to the move, as the locomotive had resided in Darlington since preservation, and is depicted on the town's coat of arms and on the badges of its football and rugby clubs, and so it is claimed by some that the locomotive is only owned by the NRM due to an accident of history. An agreement was reached between Darlington Borough Council and the Science Museum Group which will see Locomotion return to Darlington for extended visits in the lead-up to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025. As the original locomotive is too fragile to return to steam, a working replica was built in 1975, and was resident at Beamish Museum. After a period on display at the Locomotion museum, it moved to Head of Steam in April 2021, replacing the original. Originally only at Darlington on loan from Beamish, ownership of the replica was transferred to Darlington Borough Council, which will see the replica returned to service in time for the S&D's 200th anniversary. See also Locomotive No. 1, the first locomotive in New South Wales Tom Thumb, the first American steam locomotive Stockton Flyer, a sculpture inspired by Locomotion No. 1 References External links Darlington Railway Centre and Museum Photograph of Locomotion at the Darlington Railway Museum Postcard of Locomotion at the Darlington Bank Top station in 1959 http://www.spartacus-educational.com/RAlocomotion.htm Photo (1975) of locomotive Locomotion No.1 on display at Darlington main station Locomotives of the Stockton and Darlington Railway 0-4-0 locomotives English inventions Individual locomotives of Great Britain Preserved steam locomotives of Great Britain Early steam locomotives Railway accidents in 1828 Railway accidents and incidents in County