George Stephenson - The First Steam Locomotive Engine By Mary Bellis Updated February 03, 2016. George Stephenson was born on June 9, 1781, in the coal mining village of Wylam, England. His father, Robert Stephenson, was a poor, hard working man, that supported his family entirely from wages of twelve shillings a week. Wagons loaded with coal passed through Wylam several times a day. These wagons were drawn by horses -- locomotives had not yet been invented. George Stephenson's first job was to watch over a few cows owned by a neighbor which were allowed to feed along the road; George was paid two cents a day to keep the cows out of the way of the coal-wagons; and also, to close the gates after the day's work of the wagons was over. George Stephenson - Life in the Coal Mines George Stephenson's next job was at the mines as a picker. His duty was to clean the coal of stone, slate, and other impurities. Eventually, George Stephenson worked at several coal mines as a fireman, plugman, brakeman, and engineer.

However, in his spare time George loved to tinker with any engine or piece of mining equipment that fell into his hands. continue reading below our video 5 Steps to Starting Your Own Business He became skilled at adjusting and even repairing the engines found in the mining pumps, even though at that time he could not read or write. As a young adult, George paid for and attended night school where he learned to read, write, and do arithmetic. In 1804, George Stephenson walked on foot to Scotland to take a job working in a coal mine that used one of James Watt's steam engines, the best steam engines of the day. In 1807, George Stephenson considered emigrating to America; but he was too poor to pay for the passage. He began work nights repairing shoes, clocks, and watches, making extra money that he would spend on his inventing projects. George Stephenson - First Locomotive In 1813, George Stephenson became aware that William Hedley and Timothy Hackworth were designing a locomotive for the Wylam coal mine. So at the age of twenty, George Stephenson began the construction of his first locomotive.

It should be noted that at this time in history, every part of the engine had to be made by hand, and hammered into shape just like a horseshoe. John Thorswall, a coal mine blacksmith, was George Stephenson's main assistant. The Blucher Hauls Coal After ten months' labor, George Stephenson's locomotive "Blucher" was completed and tested on the Cillingwood Railway on July 25, 1814. The track was an uphill trek of four hundred and fifty feet. George Stephenson's engine hauled eight loaded coal wagons weighing thirty tons, at about four miles an hour. This was the first steam engined powered locomotive to run on a railroad and it was the most successful working steam engine that had ever been constructed up to this period, this encouraged the inventor make further experiments. In all, Stephenson built sixteen different engines. First Public Railways George Stephenson build the world's first public railways: the Stockton and Darlington railway in 1825 and the Liverpool-Manchester railway in 1830. Stephenson was the chief engineer for several of the railways.

George Stephenson - Other Inventions In 1815, George Stephenson invented a new safety lamp that would not explode when used around the flammable gasses found in the coal mines. Also in 1815, George Stephenson and Ralph Dodds patented an improved method of driving (turning) locomotive wheels using pins attached to the spokes to act as cranks. The driving rod was connected to the pin using a ball and socket joint, previously gear wheels had been used. Stephenson and William Losh, who owned an ironworks in Newcastle patented a method of making cast iron rails. In 1829, George Stephenson and his son Robert invented a multi-tubular boiler for the now-famous locomotive "Rocket". George Stephenson's First Steam Locomotive | History Today George Stephenson's First Steam Locomotive A milestone in transportation was reached on July 25th, 1814.

Getting up steam: Stephenson's 'Blucher', 1814 Within a few years of his death in 1848 George Stephenson was called ‘the father of the railways’, but that accolade has been challenged because there were other engineers involved in the development of the world’s first railway system. The most notable was Robert Trevithick, a Cornishman, who in 1803 built the first steam locomotive to run on rails, which were essential because an adequately powerful engine was too heavy for roads or wooden tracks. Others followed his lead and Christian Wolmar in his book The Great Railway Revolution suggests that Stephenson, who had a talent for improving other people’s ideas, was not so much the father of the railways as their midwife. Father or midwife, George Stephenson rose to fame from humble beginnings. He was born at Wylam in Northumberland in 1781, the son of illiterate working-class parents. His father worked in the Wylam colliery and so did young George from his early teens.

He never went to school, but at 18 he was teaching himself to read and write (though writing would never be his strong suit) and was also getting basic tuition in arithmetic. He worked at various other collieries in the area in the early 1800s, including the one at Killingworth north of Newcastle, and developed such skill with engines that in 1812 he was appointed ‘engine wright’, or chief mechanic, at Killingworth. There in 1814 he built a locomotive called Blucher (often spelled Blutcher) in honour of the Prussian general, which could haul eight waggons loaded with 30 tons of coal at a speed of four miles per hour. Not content with that, he soon dramatically improved the engine’s steam system to give it greater pulling power. It was this that made Blucher the first fully effective steam railway locomotive. Stephenson went on to devise an improved type of railway track and he built more locomotives for Killingworth and other collieries.

He was becoming a respected figure and in 1821 he persuaded a businessman who was planning a horse-drawn railway from Stockton-on-Tees to Darlington in County Durham to order a steam locomotive for the line. In 1825 the engine, later called Locomotion, took 450 people 25 miles from Darlington to Stockton at 15 miles per hour. This was the first outing of the world’s first public passenger steam train. By 1830 Stephenson’s new locomotive, the Rocket, which could achieve a speed of 36 miles per hour, was operating on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in Lancashire with other ‘iron horses’ built in the factory he had now opened in Newcastle. The railway age had begun and George Stephenson was its guiding spirit. BBC - Primary History - Famous People - George Stephenson George Stephenson Why is George Stephenson famous? Why is he famous? George Stephenson was an engineer . He built steam locomotives for the first railways. Sometimes people call him 'the Father of the Railway'. When did he live? George Stephenson was born in 1781.

At this time Britain was starting to change from a land of farms and small villages to a land of factories and big cities. We call this change the Industrial Revolution . By the time George Stephenson died in 1848, its new railways and factories had made Britain the richest country in the world. Stephenson and son George Stephenson's son Robert helped him build railways. Robert was born in 1803 and died in 1859. He became as famous as his father. Robert Stephenson built bridges too, and was a Member of Parliament . Early life Where did George live? George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781. His home was at Wylam, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Near where he lived there were coal mines . George's father worked at a coal mine. He looked after steam engines , used to pump water out of the mine. George's home The Stephensons were not rich. George lived in a small cottage. The cottage is now looked after by the National Trust . Visitors come from all over the world to see it. Did George go to school? George was interested in machines. He helped his dad. That's how he learned about steam engines.

George didn't go to school. From the age of 8, he went to work. He looked after cows on a farm. He drove horses that worked at the mine. How did George learn to read? When George was 14, he helped his father at the coal mine. George took machines to bits, to see how they worked. He wanted to learn to read, write and count so he could get a better job. He went to school 3 nights a week after work. Family life George's father was Robert Stephenson. His mother's name was Mabel Carr. To earn extra money, George mended shoes. He taught himself to mend clocks. He was saving up to get married. In 1802, George married Frances Henderson. She was a servant at a farm. They had a son called Robert. In 1806 Frances became ill and died. The first railways George the engineer George was very clever. He invented a lamp for miners to use underground. But his real interest was in steam engines . Some steam engines drove machines in factories. One or two were made to run on wheels, along roads. Steam powered road engines were slow and could not go up hills.

George worked out that a steam engine needed to run along rails. First railways In 1814 he made his first 'railway locomotive'. In 1819 George was asked to build a small railway at Hetton Colliery . The track was 8 miles long. In 1820 George married again. His second wife was Elizabeth Hindmarsh. Locomotion No. 1 In 1825 a new railway was opened between the towns of Stockton and Darlington. George and his men built the track and the locomotive . It was the first passenger steam railway in the world. George drove the first train. The engine was called 'Locomotion No. 1'. It pulled a train with 450 passengers at a speed of 15 miles an hour. Liverpool to Manchester In 1829, another railway was planned, between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Not everyone was pleased. Some farmers did not want the railway to cross their fields. George Stephenson built the railway. He built track across a bog called Chat Moss. The owners of the railway wanted to find the best locomotive. They offered a prize of £500.

Trials were held at Rainhill, near Liverpool. Crowds came to watch. Stephenson's rocket The Rainhill trials Only 3 locomotives took part in the trials in October 1829. They ran backwards and forwards along a track . 'Novelty' was a favourite with the crowd. Another locomotive was called 'Sans Pareil', which means 'without equal'. But both engines kept breaking down. George and his son Robert had built the 'Rocket'. It puffed along faster than the others. It did not break down. Everyone agreed, the Rocket had won! The Rocket The Rocket had four wheels. It pulled a tender , a water tank on wheels. A fire burning coke heated water in a boiler to make steam. The steam power drove the wheels. The Rocket could pull a train full of people along the new railway. The railway opens On 15 September 1830, the Manchester to Liverpool railway was opened. People cheered for the Rocket and the other locomotives on the railway. George Stephenson was famous. The first railway accident Sadly, there was an accident on this great day. William Huskisson, a member of the government, was knocked down by the Rocket.

He was the first person to be killed by a train. Robert Stephenson George Stephenson built many railways. His son Robert helped him. George paid for Robert to go to school, and to university in Edinburgh. Father and son did homework together, so George could learn more too. Robert spent three years in South America, before coming home to help build the Rocket. The railway age Robert Stephenson built the first railway from Birmingham to London. It was finished in 1838. The Rocket could pull a train at 36 miles an hour (58 km/h). No one had ever gone so fast before. The railway age had begun. What happened to George? George Stephenson became a rich man. He went to live in Derbyshire. He liked farms and gardens. After his second wife Elizabeth died, he married for a third time. George Stephenson died in 1848. He was buried in Chesterfield. What happened to Robert? Robert Stephenson built railways all over the world. He built bridges too, including the Menai Bridge in North Wales. One of his friends was the famous engineer , Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Robert Stephenson died in London in 1859.

He was buried in Westminster Abbey. George Stephenson - Steam Locomotive Engine for Railways Home » Train Invention » George Stephenson - Inventor of Steam Locomotive Engine for Railways George Stephenson - Inventor of Steam Locomotive Engine for Railways Even though many inventors worked their entire lives on building trains, engines, infrastructure and technical support, the first man who managed to popularize trains in public fashion was Englishman George Stephenson. With his contributions, industry and general public finally accepted the trains as the transportation device of the future, enabling railways to spread first across England, Europe, North America, and then over the entire world. George Stephenson was born on on June 9, 1781 in the Wylam, England as a son of poor and hardworking miner. From his young days he experienced life in the mining village, surrounded by simple wagonways, miners and farmers. He watched for years how horses pulled cart after cart of coal and iron along simple railways that were built in his area, and always imagined new ways to improve this. After the patent of James Watt’s steam engine lapsed, inventors jumped to the opportunity to see if they can adapt it to various industrial and public uses.

While Richard Trevithick managed to build his first steam locomotive in 1804, lack of marketing and the will to continue innovating enabled other inventors to step in and try their luck. In early 1800s he started working in a mine that had one of the early examples of stationary steam machines built by James Watt. He introduced himself to its inner workings, but he lacked the funds and means to create anything on that technical scale. Work in mines and repair shops continued until 1813 when Stephenson heard that William Hedley and Timothy Hackworth begun constructing steam locomotive for the this local mine in Wylam. Not wanting to let this opportunity pass him, he immediately started building his own steam engine, slowly and carefully crafting each of its part by hand. 10 months later, locomotive named “Bucher” was tested by dragging 30 tons of materials on an uphill stretch of railroad that was four miles long. This successful presentation marked the first steam locomotive journey made on railroad that was specifically created for train use.

With this success under his belt, Stephenson focused himself on building more powerful and efficient steam locomotives, as well as taking part in designing first public railway between the cities of Stockton and Darlington (1825) and Liverpool-Manchester (1830). With positive impressions from both of those projects, Stephenson became popular engineer of railroad networks all over England, and designer of 16 types of steam engines. One of the most famous parts of George Stephenson career happened during the end stages construction of Liverpool-Manchester railroad network. Seeing the designs of many inventors, directors of this project formed a competition to determine which locomotive was truly best, cheapest, reliable and easy to maintain, and able to perform in real life situation. Entries were limited by the locomotive weight of 6 tons, and had to be able to successfully finish the trip across 60 miles of newly built railroad track. By combining several state of the art inventions and good overall design, Stephenson “Rocket” won the competition and became one of the most famous train designs of that time, and the basis for creating countless team engine models in the following 150 years.

Copyright© Train History GEORGE STEPHENSON AND HIS ROCKET STEAM LOCOMOTIVE George Stephenson (June 9, 1781 ï¿½ August 12, 1848) was a British engineer who designed a famous and historically important steam-powered locomotive named Rocket, and is known as the Father of British Steam Railways. George Stephenson was born in Wylam, England , 9.3 miles (15 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1748, a wagonway - an arrangement similar to a railway, but with wooden tracks and designed to support horse-drawn carts - had been built from the Wylam colliery to the River Tyne, running for several miles (several km). The young Stephenson grew up near it, and in 1802 gained employment as an engine-man at a coal mine. For the next ten years his knowledge of steam engines increased, until in 1812 he stopped operating them for a living, and started building them. Stephenson designed his first locomotive in 1814, a travelling engine designed for hauling coal on a coal site.

Named Blucher, it could haul 30 tons of coal in a load, and was the first successful flanged wheel adhesion locomotive (which is to say, it was the first locomotive to use flanged wheels to rest on the track, and that its traction depended only on the contact between the wheel and the track). Over the next five years, he built sixteen more engines. As his success grew, Stephenson was hired to build an 8 mile (13 km) railway from Hetton to Sunderland. The finished result used a combination of gravity pulling the load down inclines and locomotives for level and upward stretches, and was the first ever railway to use no animal power at all. In 1821, a project began to build the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Originally the plan was to use horses to draw coal carts over metal rails, but after company director Edward Pease met with Stephenson he agreed to change plans. Work began in 1822, and in September 1825, Stephenson completed the first locomotive for the new railroad; named at first Active, it was soon renamed Locomotion.

The Stockton and Darlington opened on 27 September 1825. Driven by Stephenson, Locomotion hauled an 80 ton load of coal and flour for nine miles (15 km) over two hours, reaching a speed of 24 miles per hour (39 km/h) over one stretch. The first purpose-built passenger car (dubbed Experiment) was also attached, and held a load of dignitaries for the opening journey. It was the first time passenger traffic had ever been run on a steam-driven locomotive railway. While building the S&D railway, Stephenson had noticed that even small inclines greatly reduced the speed of his locomotives. One might add that even slight declines would have made the primitive brakes next to useless. He came to the conclusion that railways should be kept as level as possible. He used this knowledge while working on the Bolton and Leigh Railroad and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, executing a series of difficult cuts, embankments, and stone viaducts to smooth the route the railways took.

As the Liverpool & Manchester approached completion in 1829, the directors of that company arranged for a competition to decide who would build the locomotives for the new railway. The Rainhill Trials were run in October of that year. Stephenson's entry was Rocket, and its impressive performance in winning the contest made it arguably the most famous railway machine in the world. When the L&MR opened on 15 September 1830, the opening ceremony was a considerable event, drawing luminaries from the government and industry, including the then Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington. The day was marred by the death of William Huskisson (Member of Parliament for Liverpool) who was struck and killed by Rocket, but the railroad was a resounding success. Stephenson became a very famous man, and was offered the position of chief engineer for a wide variety of other railroads. Rich and successful for the remainder of his career, George Stephenson passed away on 12 August 1848 in Chesterfield, England . Stephenson's son, Robert Stephenson, was also a noted locomotive engineer, and was heavily involved in the creation of many of his father's engines from Locomotion onwards.

Joseph Locke was initially apprenticed to George Stephenson, eventually being promoted to chief engineer on some of the schemes he instigated (e.g. the Grand Junction Railway). Stephenson gives his name to George Stephenson College, founded in 2001 on the University of Durham's Queen's Campus in Stockton-on-Tees. Stephenson war der einzige Sohn George Stephensons, der ihm die Erziehung zukommen lieï¿½, an der es ihm selbst gemangelt hatte; er studierte in Edinburgh. 1821 assistierte er seinem Vater bei der Stockton and Darlington Railroad und wurde danach mehr und mehr sein Partner. Mit seiner Lokomotive The Rocket gewann er das legendï¿½re Rennen von Rainhill. Er wurde Geschï¿½ftsfï¿½hrer in den Lokomotivwerken seines Vaters und zum einzigen Ingenieur der Birmingham-London-Linie ernannt, die nach ihrer Fertigstellung 1839 die erste Eisenbahnlinie Londons war.

Er behielt zwar Interesse am Lokomotivbau, begann sich jedoch bald auf den Brï¿½ckenbau zu spezialisieren. Zu seinen berï¿½hmtesten Bauten gehï¿½ren die Conway Bridge, die Brittania Bridge ï¿½ber den Menaikanal und die Victoria Bridge ï¿½ber den St. Lawrence. The ultimate Robot Boat. Solarnavigator uses an advanced SWASSH hull as the platform to mount the world's first autonomous circumnavigation. A successful expedition could pave the way for improved safety at sea. George would have approved. This website is copyright ï¿½ 1991- 2013 Electrick Publications. All rights reserved. The bird logo and names Solar Navigator and Blueplanet Ecostar are trademarks ï¿½. The Blueplanet vehicle configuration is registered ï¿½. All other trademarks hereby acknowledged and please note that this project should not be confused with the Australian: 'World Solar Challenge'ï¿½which is a superb road vehicle endurance race from Darwin to Adelaide. Max Energy Limited is an educational charity working hard to promote world peace.

George Stephenson George Stephenson References George Stephenson, the son of a colliery fireman, was born at Wylam , eight miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne , on 9th June, 1781. The cottage where the Stephenson family lived was next to the Wylam Wagonway , and George grew up with a keen interest in machines. (1) George's first employment was herding cows but when he was fourteen he joined his father at the Dewley Colliery. George was an ambitious boy and at the age of eighteen he began attending evening classes where he learnt to read and write. (2) According to Maurice W. Kirby : "Stephenson also received instruction in arithmetic, a subject which he mastered quickly, although theoretical calculation remained beyond his capacity. Writing, too, proved to be a persistent difficulty, and in later life he was obliged to employ a secretary to write for him". (3) Stephenson married Frances Henderson, the daughter of a poor farmer, on 28th November 1802. His only son, Robert Stephenson , was born the following year.

Like many colliery workers, he took on a variety of freelance jobs, notably clock-mending. Samuel Smiles has pointed out: "He also diligently set himself to study the principles of mechanics, and to master the laws by which the engine worked. For a workman, he was even at that time more than ordinarily speculative, often taking up strange theories, and trying to sift out the truth that was in them." (4) Francis Stephenson, who was twelve years older than her husband, died of consumption in May 1806 soon after giving birth to a daughter who also died. He left his young son Robert in the care of relatives and went to Scotland in search of better-paid work but he was forced to return when his father was blinded in a mining accident. (5) In 1808 he found employment as an engineman at Killingworth Colliery. Every Saturday he took the engines to pieces in order to understand how they were constructed. This included machines made by Thomas Newcomen and James Watt . By 1812 Stephenson's knowledge of engines resulted in him being employed as the colliery's engine wright.

The following year the mine-owners asked Stephenson to build a steam engine. (6) Locomotives In 1813 Stephenson became aware of attempts by William Hedley and Timothy Hackworth , at Wylam Colliery , to develop a locomotive. Stephenson successfully convinced his colliery manager, Nicholas Wood , his to allow him to try to produce a steam-powered machine. By 1814 he had constructed a locomotive that could pull thirty tons up a hill at 4 mph. Stephenson called his locomotive, the Blucher , and like other machines made at this time, it had two vertical cylinders let into the boiler, from the pistons of which rods drove the gears. (7) Where Stephenson's locomotive differed from those produced by John Blenkinsop , Hedley and Hackworth, was that the gears did not drive the rack pinions but the flanged wheels. The Blucher was the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive. Stephenson continued to try and improve his locomotive and in 1815 he changed the design so that the connecting rods drove the wheels directly. These wheels were coupled together by a chain.

Over the next five years Stephenson built sixteen engines at Killingworth. Most of these were used locally but some were produced for the Duke of Portland's wagonway from Kilmarnock to Troon. (8) Roger Osborne , the author of Iron, Steam and Money: The Making of the Industrial Revolution (2013) has argued: "Stephenson was a brilliant builder of locomotives, his greatest contribution was to bring engines and railways together. He improved the tracks, which were still liable to buckle or break even if they were made of cast iron, and worked to distribute the weight of the engines through more axles." (9) Working at a colliery, George Stephenson was fully aware of the large number of accidents caused by explosive gases. In his spare time Stephenson began work on a safety lamp for miners. By 1815 he had developed a lamp that did not cause explosions even in parts of the pit that were full of inflammable gases. Unknown to Stephenson, Humphry Davy was busy producing his own safety lamp.

(10) Steam Railways The owners of the colliery were impressed with Stephenson's achievements and in 1819 he was given the task of building a eight mile railroad from Hetton to the River Wear at Sunderland . While he was working on this Stephenson became convinced that to be successful, steam railways had to be made as level as possible by civil engineering works. The track was laid out in sections. The first part was worked by locomotives, this was followed by fixed engines and cables. After the railway reached 250 feet above sea level, the coal wagons travelled down over 2 miles of self-acting inclined plane. This was followed by another 2 miles of locomotive haulage. George Stephenson only used fixed engines and locomotives and had therefore produced the first ever railway that was completely independent of animal power. (11) On 19th April 1821 an Act of Parliament was passed that authorized a company owned by Edward Pearse to build a horse railway that would link the collieries in West Durham, Darlington and the River Tees at Stockton. Stephenson arranged a meeting with Pease and suggested that he should consider building a locomotive railway.

Stephenson told Pease that "a horse on an iron road would draw ten tons for one ton on a common road". Stephenson added that the Blutcher locomotive that he had built at Killingworth was "worth fifty horses". (12) The Blutcher That summer Edward Pease took up Stephenson's invitation to visit Killingworth Colliery. When Pease saw the Blutcher at work he realised George Stephenson was right and offered him the post as the chief engineer of the Stockton & Darlington company. It was now now necessary for Pease to apply for a further Act of Parliament. This time a clause was added that stated that Parliament gave permission for the company "to make and erect locomotive or moveable engines". Stephenson wrote to Pease: "I am glad to learn that the Parliament Bill has been passed for the Darlington Railway. I am much obliged by the favourable sentiments you express towards me, and shall be happy if I can be of service in carrying into execution your plans". (13) Stephenson began working with William Losh, who owned an ironworks in Newcastle . Together they patented their own make of cast iron rails.

In 1821 John Birkinshaw, an engineer at Bedlington Ironworks, developed a new method of rolling wrought iron rails in fifteen feet lengths. Stephenson went to see these malleable rails and decided they were better than those that he was making with Losh. Although it cost him a considerable amount of money, Stephenson decided to use Birkinshaw's rails, rather than those he made with Losh, on the Stockton & Darlington line. In 1823 Edward Pease joined with Michael Longdridge, George Stephenson and his son Robert Stephenson , to form a company to make the locomotives. The Robert Stephenson & Company, at Forth Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne , became the world's first locomotive builder. Stephenson recruited Timothy Hackworth , one of the engineers who had helped William Hedley to produce Puffing Billy , to work for the company. The first railway locomotive, Locomotion , was finished in September 1825. The locomotive was similar to those that Stephenson had produced at the collieries at Killingworth and Heaton. (14) Work on the track began in 1822.

George Stephenson used malleable iron rails carried on cast iron chairs. These rails were laid on wooden blocks for 12 miles between Stockton and Darlington. The 15 mile track from the collieries and Darlington were laid on stone blocks. While building this railway Stephenson discovered that on a smooth, level track, a tractive force of ten pounds would move a ton of weight. However, when there was a gradient of 1 in 200, the hauling power of a locomotive was reduced by 50 per cent. Stephenson came to the conclusion that railways must be specially designed with the object of avoiding as much as possible changes in gradient. This meant that considerable time had to be spent on cuttings, tunnels and embankments. (15) The Stockton & Darlington line was opened on 27th September, 1825. Large crowds saw George Stephenson at the controls of the Locomotion as it pulled 36 wagons filled with sacks of coal and flour. The initial journey of just under 9 miles took two hours.

However, during the final descent into the Stockton terminus, speeds of 15 mph (24 kph) were reached. Opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway The Durham County Advertiser reported: "The hour of ten arrived before all was ready to start. About this time the locomotive engine, or steam horse, as it was more generally termed, gave note of preparation. The scene, on the moving of the engine, sets description at defiance. Astonishment was not confined to the human species, for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air seemed to view with wonder and awe the machine, which now moved onward at a rate of 10 or 12 mph with a weight of not less than 80 tons attached to it... The whole population of the towns and villages within a few miles of the railway seem to have turned out, and we believe we speak within the limits of truth, when we say that not less than 40 or 50,000 persons were assembled to witness the proceedings of the day." (16) Liverpool & Manchester Railway The Stockton & Darlington line successfully reduced the cost of transporting coal.

By 1825, locomotives on the railway were hauling trains of up to eighty tons at speeds of fifteen miles an hour. The reduction in his transport costs enabled Pearse to cut the price of his coal from 18s. to 8s. 6d. a ton. One newspaper reported that the "Stockton & Darlington rail-road, a work which will for ever reflect honour on its authors, for the new and striking manner in which it practically demonstrated all the advantages of the invention." (17) In 1826 Stephenson was appointed engineer and provider of locomotives for the Bolton & Leigh railway. He also was the chief engineer of the proposed Liverpool & Manchester railway. Stephenson was faced with a large number of serious engineering problems. This included crossing the unstable peat bog of Chat Moss , a nine-arched viaduct across the Sankey Valley and a two-mile long rock cutting at Olive Mount . (18) The directors of the Liverpool & Manchester company were unsure whether to use locomotives or stationary engines on their line. To help them reach a decision, it was decided to hold a competition where the winning locomotive would be awarded £500.

The idea being that if the locomotive was good enough, it would be the one used on the new railway. The competition was held at Rainhill during October 1829. Each competing locomotive had to haul a load of three times its own weight at a speed of at least 10 mph. The locomotives had to run twenty times up and down the track at Rainhill which made the distance roughly equivalent to a return trip between Liverpool and Manchester. Afraid that heavy locomotives would break the rails, only machines that weighed less than six tons could compete in the competition. Ten locomotives were originally entered for the Rainhill Trials but only five turned up and two of these were withdrawn because of mechanical problems. Sans Pariel and Novelty did well but it was the Rocket , produced by George and his son, Robert Stephenson , that won the competition. (19) The Liverpool & Manchester railway was opened on 15th September, 1830.

Fanny Kemble was an invited guest to the proceedings: "The most intense curiosity and excitement prevailed, and though the weather was uncertain, enormous masses of densely packed people lined the road, shouting and waving hats and handkerchiefs as we flew by them. We travelled at 35 miles an hour (swifter than a bird flies). When I closed my eyes this sensation of flying was quite delightful. I had been unluckily separated from my mother in the first distribution of places, but by an exchange of seats which she was enabled to make she rejoined me when I was at the height of my ecstasy, which was considerably damped by finding that she was frightened to death, and intent upon nothing but devising means of escaping from a situation which appeared to her to threaten with instant annihilation herself and all her travelling companions." (20) The prime minister, the Duke of Wellington , and a large number of important people attended the opening ceremony that included a procession of eight locomotives.

Unfortunately, when the train stopped at a halfway point to take on water, one of the government ministers, William Huskisson , got down from his carriage and stepped on to the parrallel track where he was hit by a locomotive travelling in the opposite direction. He died later that day. (21) Painting of a train on the Manchester to Liverpool railway (1831) Thomas Southcliffe Ashton has argued that "it was only with the newly constructed Liverpool and Manchester Railway, that the potentialities of steam transport were fully realized". (22) It soon became clear that large profits could be made by building railways and railways quickly became the basic infrastructure for the nation's transport. As they were built and run by individual companies at their own risk, the result was a fairly haphazard network, including many duplications of routes. (23) Businessman George Stephenson continued to work on improving the quality of the locomotives used on the railway lines he constructed. This included the addition of a steam-jet developed by Goldsworthy Gurney that increased the speed of the Rocket to 29 mph. In 1838 Stephenson purchased Tapton House, a Georgian mansion near Chesterfield.

Stephenson went into partnership with George Hudson and James Sanders and together they opened coalmines, ironworks and limestone quarries in the area. Stephenson also owned a small farm where he experimented with stock breeding, new types of manure and animal food. He also developed a method of fattening chickens in half the usual time. He did this by shutting them in dark boxes after a heavy feed. (24) Stephenson's second wife, Elizabeth Hindley, died in 1845. George Stephenson married for a third time just before he died at Tapton House, Chesterfield on 12th August, 1848.

Question: What was the name of George Stephenson's first steam engine, which first ran on the Manchester and Liverpool Railway in 1830?
Answer: The Rocket