125-512: The Rainhill trials was an important competition run from the 6 to 14 October 1829, to test George Stephenson 's argument that locomotives would have the best motive power for the then nearly-completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Ten locomotives were entered, of which five were able to compete, running along a 1 mile (1.6 km) length of level track at Rainhill , in Lancashire (now Merseyside ). Stephenson's Rocket
250-556: A 5-mile long (8.0 km) tramroad . Sometime before 1 October 1824 a committee was formed by local businessmen, including William Hulton , Benjamin Hick and Peter Rothwell to promote a railway in the area. The committee is first recorded on that date as requiring its 63 members to pay money into a bank for the "making of a railway or railways or tram road from Bolton to the Leeds and Liverpool canal..." Several routes were proposed and
375-538: A convincing list of all 16. Of those identified, most were built for use at Killingworth or for the Hetton colliery railway . A six-wheeled locomotive was built for the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway in 1817 but was withdrawn from service because of damage to the cast-iron rails. Another locomotive was supplied to Scott's Pit railroad at Llansamlet , near Swansea , in 1819 but it too was withdrawn, apparently because it
500-520: A cylinder. Despite the failure it was purchased by the L&;MR, where it ran for two years before being leased to the Bolton and Leigh Railway . The last locomotive to drop out was Novelty which used advanced technology for 1829 and was lighter and considerably faster than the other locomotives in the competition. It was the crowd favourite and reached a then-astonishing 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) on
625-607: A daughter, was born in July 1805. She was named Frances after her mother. The child died after just three weeks and was buried in St Bartholomew's Church, Long Benton north of Newcastle. In 1806 George's wife Frances died of consumption ( tuberculosis ). She was buried in the same churchyard as their daughter on 16 May 1806, though the location of the grave is lost. George decided to find work in Scotland and left Robert with
750-474: A farmer's daughter from Black Callerton, whom he met secretly in her orchard. Her father refused marriage because of Stephenson's lowly status as a miner. George next paid attention to Anne Henderson where he lodged with her family, but she rejected him and he transferred his attentions to her sister Frances (Fanny), who was nine years his senior. George and Fanny married at Newburn Church on 28 November 1802. They had two children Robert (1803) and Fanny (1805) but
875-464: A few months later a passenger service to Liverpool started. Walker (1832) reports that from 1 June 1832 passenger service levels for all days except Sunday were: On Sundays there was only one departure at 5.30 pm. Journeys in the opposite direction were not described by Walker but he does report the fare as being "Inside, 5s; Outside, 3s 6d". By 1834 the B&;LR had leased the running of
1000-460: A fissure from which firedamp was issuing. The two designs differed; Davy's lamp was surrounded by a screen of gauze, whereas Stephenson's prototype lamp had a perforated plate containing a glass cylinder. For his invention Davy was awarded £2000, whilst Stephenson was accused of stealing the idea from Davy, because he was not seen as an adequate scientist who could have produced the lamp by any approved scientific method. Stephenson, having come from
1125-431: A garland of flowers to the engineer, who treated it, in the newspapers view, rather unceremoniously by placing it on the furnace-pipe (presumably the chimney) where the flowers soon underwent a lamentable change. The engine was sent back to one of Mr. Hulton's collieries from whence it returned hauling six waggons containing about 2 tons of coal which it drew with great ease at about 7 mph (11 km/h). The locomotive
1250-458: A local woman while he went to work in Montrose . After a few months he returned, probably because his father was blinded in a mining accident. He moved back into a cottage at West Moor and his unmarried sister Eleanor moved in to look after Robert. In 1811 the pumping engine at High Pit, Killingworth was not working properly and Stephenson offered to improve it. He did so with such success that he
1375-596: A more gaseous atmosphere. He made reference to an incident at Oaks Colliery in Barnsley where both lamps were in use. Following a sudden strong influx of gas the tops of all the Davy Lamps became red hot (which had in the past caused an explosion, and in so doing risked another), whilst all the Geordie Lamps simply went out. There is a theory that it was Stephenson who indirectly gave the name of " Geordies " to
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#17327696231251500-541: A much higher risk of failing. Towards the end of 1824 the bill was presented to Parliament together with Steel's survey and an estimated construction cost of £43,143 (equivalent to £4,780,000 in 2023 ). The bill had considerable opposition in Parliament, but the Bolton and Leigh Railway Act 1825 ( 6 Geo. 4 . c. xviii) received royal assent on 31 March 1825 after clauses had been inserted refusing permission to cross
1625-556: A much more reliable locomotive than the others. Novelty almost matched it in terms of efficiency, but its firebox design caused it to gradually slow to a halt due to a buildup of molten ash (called "clinker") cutting off the air supply. The restaged trials were run over the Llangollen Railway , Wales , and were the subject of a 2003 BBC Timewatch documentary. This restaging should not be taken as accurate as there were major compromises made for television and because of
1750-635: A penny a sheet, and at one point there was a suggestion to move George's body to Westminster Abbey . The centenary of George's birth was celebrated in 1881 at Crystal Palace by 15,000 people, and it was George who was featured on the reverse of the Series E five pound note issued by the Bank of England between 1990 and 2003. The Stephenson Railway Museum in North Shields is named after George and Robert Stephenson. George Stephenson's Birthplace
1875-617: A reassuring name rather than a cutting-edge technical adviser. He was the first president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on its formation in 1847. By this time he had settled into semi-retirement, supervising his mining interests in Derbyshire – tunnelling for the North Midland Railway revealed coal seams, and Stephenson put money into their exploitation. George first courted Elizabeth (Betty) Hindmarsh,
2000-750: A rift between them which was never healed. Despite Stephenson's loss of some routes to competitors due to his caution, he was offered more work than he could cope with, and was unable to accept all that was offered. He worked on the North Midland line from Derby to Leeds , the York and North Midland line from Normanton to York, the Manchester and Leeds , the Birmingham and Derby , the Sheffield and Rotherham among many others. Stephenson became
2125-660: A single-track line from the end of the Bolton and Leigh Railway near Twiss (now Twist) Lane in Westleigh to Kenyon , where a junction would be made with the L&MR which was at an advanced stage of construction. The 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (4.0 km) line crossed the Leeds and Liverpool Canal before heading south towards Kenyon. Stations were built at Bradshaw Leach and Kenyon . As soon as it opened on 3 January 1831, goods trains could access 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (45.9 km) of line between Bolton and Liverpool and
2250-559: A speed of 24 miles per hour (39 kilometres per hour) on one stretch. The first purpose-built passenger car, Experiment , was attached and carried dignitaries on the opening journey. It was the first time passenger traffic had been run on a steam locomotive railway. The rails used for the line were wrought-iron , produced by John Birkinshaw at the Bedlington Ironworks . Wrought-iron rails could be produced in longer lengths than cast-iron and were less liable to crack under
2375-438: A surveyor on the L&MR, and he was assisted in the survey by Robert Daglish. The plans for the line reflected contemporary railway engineering practice in the north-east of England, where Stephenson came from, by including inclined planes which would require cable haulage by stationary engines. Steel's proposed line was approved by Stephenson and accepted by the committee. The committee had decided that if they tried to cross
2500-439: A top speed of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)) hauling 13 tons, and was declared the winner of the £500 prize (equal to £55,577 today). The Stephensons were given the contract to produce locomotives for the L&MR. The Times carried a full report of the trials on 12 October 1829 from which the following extract are taken: THURSDAY – THIRD DAY: Mr. Stephenson's engine, "The Rocket," weighing 4 tons 3 cwt., performed, to-day,
2625-524: A travelling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway named Blücher after the Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (It was suggested the name sprang from Blücher's rapid march of his army in support of Wellington at Waterloo ). Blücher was modelled on Matthew Murray 's locomotive Willington , which George studied at Kenton and Coxlodge colliery on Tyneside, and
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#17327696231252750-609: A variation of the Large Logo Rail Blue livery where the BR logo was replaced by Rocket 150 motif on a yellow background. In a 2002 restaging of the Rainhill trials using replica engines, neither Sans Pareil (11 out of 20 runs) nor Novelty (10 out of 20 runs) completed the course. In calculating the speeds and fuel efficiencies, it was found that Rocket would still have won, as its relatively modern technology made it
2875-443: A very elegant and commodious coach, intended at some future period to convey passengers on the railway. This was filled with ladies amongst whom was Mrs. Hulton. Then followed seven other wagons, decorated with flags, and crowded with passengers, including the musicians of the Bolton old band, who occupied the two last waggons, and played a variety of appropriate airs, during the procession". The procession started at 12.15 pm with
3000-464: A very low wage, so there was no money for schooling. At 17, Stephenson became an engineman at Water Row Pit in Newburn nearby. George realised the value of education and paid to study at night school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic – he was illiterate until the age of 18. In 1801 he began work at Black Callerton Colliery south of Ponteland as a 'brakesman', controlling the winding gear at
3125-534: Is an 18th-century historic house museum in the village of Wylam , and is operated by the National Trust . Dial Cottage at West Moor , his home from 1804, remains but the museum that once operated there has closed. Chesterfield Museum in Chesterfield , Derbyshire, has a gallery of Stephenson memorabilia, including straight thick glass tubes he invented for growing straight cucumbers . The museum
3250-626: Is in the Stephenson Memorial Hall not far from both Stephenson's final home at Tapton House and Holy Trinity Church within which is his vault. In Liverpool, where he lived at 34 Upper Parliament Street, a City of Liverpool Heritage Plaque is situated next to the front door. Stephenson College , founded in 2001 on the Durham University 's Queen's Campus in Stockton-on-Tees (relocated to Durham in 2018),
3375-475: Is made by Webster of Sunderland and is 6 inches (150 mm) in circumference, it weighs about 5 long tons (5,100 kg) when new and costs £2 10s per hundredweight . This rope when partially worn is transferred to the Daubhill incline. The width occupied by the railway on a level surface is 6 + 2 ⁄ 3 yards (6.10 m) and the track is ballasted with small coal. The OS map of 1849 shows
3500-909: Is named after him. Also named after him and his son is George Stephenson High School in Killingworth, Stephenson Memorial Primary School in Howdon , the Stephenson Railway Museum in North Shields , the Stephenson Locomotive Society , the Stephenson Centre, an SEBD Unit of Beaumont Hill School in Darlington, and the Stephenson Building, home of the school of engineering at Newcastle University . His last home in Tapton, Chesterfield
3625-545: Is not to be confused with the lighthouse-building engineering family of Robert Stevenson , which was active in the same era. Note the spelling difference. Britain led the world in the development of railways which acted as a stimulus for the Industrial Revolution by facilitating the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods. George Stephenson, with his work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway and
3750-498: Is now part of Chesterfield College and is called Tapton House Campus. As a tribute to his life and works, a bronze statue of Stephenson was unveiled at Chesterfield railway station (in the town where Stephenson spent the last ten years of his life) on 28 October 2005, marking the completion of improvements to the station. At the event a full-size working replica of the Rocket was on show, which then spent two days on public display at
3875-467: Is to lay the bricks forming the arch at an angle to the abutments (the piers on which the arches rest). The technique, which results in a spiral effect in the arch masonry, provides extra strength in the arch to compensate for the angled abutments. The bridge is still in use at Rainhill station , and carries traffic on the A57 (Warrington Road). The bridge is a listed structure . George Stephenson moved to
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4000-602: The Grand Junction Railway . Some stations omitted in dotted sections Bolton was situated on the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Leigh straddled a major east–west canal route. To the west ran the Leeds and Liverpool Canal , and this was connected to the centre of Leigh by the Bridgewater Canal running east. The canals provided freight routes to both Liverpool and Manchester. The canals of
4125-651: The Killingworth wagonway. Other locomotives include: In 1821, a parliamentary bill was passed to allow the building of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). The 25-mile (40 km) railway connected collieries near Bishop Auckland to the River Tees at Stockton , passing through Darlington on the way. The original plan was to use horses to draw coal carts on metal rails, but after company director Edward Pease met Stephenson, he agreed to change
4250-561: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) at Kenyon . When the K&;LJR presented its bill to Parliament in 1828, MPs were more amenable towards railway companies and the canal company withdrew its opposition to the railway crossing the canal. In 1829 the K&LJR received royal assent to the Kenyon and Leigh Junction Railway Act 1829 ( 10 Geo. 4 . c. xxxvi) authorising it to build
4375-673: The Rainhill Trials were run in October 1829. Entries could weigh no more than six tons and had to travel along the track for a total distance of 60 miles (97 km). Stephenson's entry was Rocket , and its performance in winning the contest made it famous. George's son Robert had been working in South America from 1824 to 1827 and returned to run the Forth Street Works while George was in Liverpool overseeing
4500-528: The Suez Canal . George Stephenson's daughter was born in 1805 but died within weeks of her birth. Descendants of the wider Stephenson family continue to live in Wylam (Stephenson's birthplace) today. Also relatives connected by his marriage live in Derbyshire. Some descendants later emigrated to Perth , Australia, and Minnesota , with later generations remaining to this day. This Stephenson engineering family
4625-521: The Tender Carriage , as the owner of the Engine may consider sufficient for the supply of the Engine for a journey of thirty-five miles. The fire in the boiler shall then be lighted, and the quantity of fuel consumed for getting up the steam shall be determined, and the time noted." "The Tender Carriage, with the fuel and water, shall be considered to be, and taken as a part of the load assigned to
4750-407: The 'Geordie Lamp', and awarded him £1,000, but Davy and his supporters refused to accept their findings, and would not see how an uneducated man such as Stephenson could come up with the solution he had. In 1833 a House of Commons committee found that Stephenson had equal claim to having invented the safety lamp. Davy went to his grave believing that Stephenson had stolen his idea. The Stephenson lamp
4875-586: The B&LR also authorised branch lines at the Bolton end, to the Union Foundry on Deansgate, to William Hulton 's coal yard at Great Moor Street and to the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal . The branch to the canal was never built and the branches to Great Moor Street and Deansgate opened for freight in 1829. The first section of track between Derby Street Bolton and William Hulton 's collieries at Pendlebury Fold near Chequerbent in Westhoughton
5000-707: The Chesterfield Market Festival. A statue of him dressed in classical robes stands in Neville Street, Newcastle, facing the buildings that house the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne and the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers , near Newcastle railway station . The statue was sculpted in 1862 by John Graham Lough and is listed Grade II. From 1990 until 2003, Stephenson's portrait appeared on
5125-483: The Engine shall perform each trip shall be one mile and three quarters (2.8 km) each way, including one-eighth of a mile (200 m) at each end for getting up the speed and for stopping the train; by this means the Engine, with its load, will travel one and a-half mile (2.4 km) each way at full speed." "The Engines shall make ten trips, which will be equal to a journey of 35 miles (56 km); thirty miles (48 km) whereof shall be performed at full speed, and
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5250-466: The Engine." "Those engines which carry their own fuel and water, shall be allowed a proportionate deduction from their load, according to the weight of the Engine." "The Engine, with the carriages attached to it, shall be run by hand up to the Starting Post, and as soon as the steam is got up to fifty pounds per square inch (3.4 bar), the engine shall set out upon its journey." "The distance
5375-516: The Hargreaves leases on 31 December 1845. The stationary engines played a prominent role on the line for at least 15 years, an interesting example, amongst the few, of the transitional years embodying both techniques of haulage. It is believed the stationary engines remained in operation until about 1846. Cable haulage was discontinued once locomotive performance had improved sufficiently. The railway obtained two subsequent acts of Parliament,
5500-559: The L&MR , on 15 September 1830, drew luminaries from the government and industry, including the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington . The day started with a procession of eight trains setting out from Liverpool. The parade was led by Northumbrian driven by George Stephenson, and included Phoenix driven by his son Robert, North Star driven by his brother Robert and Rocket driven by assistant engineer Joseph Locke . The day
5625-482: The L&MR that ran past Rainhill village was straight and level for over 1 mile (1.6 km), and was chosen as the site for the trials. The locomotives were to run at Kenrick's Cross, on the mile east from the Manchester side of Rainhill Bridge. Two or three locomotives ran each day, and several tests for each locomotive were performed over the course of six days. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people turned up to watch
5750-505: The Leeds and Liverpool canal at Leigh. In 1826 work began on the construction of the railway starting from Bolton levelling the ground for the line up to Chequerbent under the supervision of local engineer, Robert Daglish . The B&LR found it needed to revise some of the clauses set out in the original act of Parliament and they prepared a second bill in 1828. The second act Bolton and Leigh Railway Act 1828 ( 9 Geo. 4 . c. viii) received assent on 26 March 1828. This Act enlarged
5875-466: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, paved the way for the railway engineers who followed, such as his son Robert, his assistant Joseph Locke who carried out much work on his own account and Isambard Kingdom Brunel . Stephenson was farsighted in realising that the individual lines being built would eventually be joined, and would need to have the same gauge. The standard gauge used throughout much of
6000-685: The North-East, spoke with a broad Northumberland accent and not the 'Language of Parliament,' which made him seem lowly. Realizing this, he made a point of educating his son Robert in a private school, where he was taught to speak in Standard English with a Received Pronunciation accent. It was due to this, in their future dealings with Parliament, that it became clear that the authorities preferred Robert to his father. A local committee of enquiry gathered in support of Stephenson, exonerated him, proved he had been working separately to create
6125-610: The Trials, though Sans Pareil was pushed by Lion and Novelty was on a wagon hauled by LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 5000 . As the line was then not electrified, the Advanced Passenger Train was also pushed, but by the latest diesel, Class 56 , 077. The 'Grand Cavalcade' on each of the three days featured up to 40 steam and diesel locomotives and other examples of modern traction, including: Two Class 86 locomotives 86214 Sans Pareil and 86235 Novelty were painted in
6250-487: The almost incredible rate of 32 miles in the hour. So astonishing was the celerity with which the engine, without its apparatus, darted past the spectators, that it could be compared to nothing hut the rapidity with which the swallow darts through the air. Their astonishment was complete, every one exclaiming involuntarily, "The power of steam". After the Rainhill trials Rocket was tested on the Whiston Incline and
6375-463: The attendance of company on the ground was more numerous today than it had been on several of the preceding days. Three times its own weight having been attached to the engine, the machine commenced its task, and performed it at the rate of 16 miles in the hour. Mr. Stephenson's engine, the Rocket, also exhibited today. Its tender was completely detached from it, and the engine alone shot along the road at
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#17327696231256500-415: The average rate of travelling shall not be less than ten miles per hour (16 km/h)." "As soon as the Engine has performed this task, (which will be equal to the travelling from Liverpool to Manchester,) there shall be a fresh supply of fuel and water delivered to her; and, as soon as she can be got ready to set out again, she shall go up to the Starting Post, and make ten trips more, which will be equal to
6625-434: The canal at Leigh, with the ultimate aim of making a connection to the proposed L&MR, they would create so much opposition that their parliamentary bill could fail. There was little precedent for approving railways; local landowners were reluctant to have railways on or near their property; and the canal companies were very influential. The committee decided to put forward a bill they thought could pass, rather than one with
6750-562: The canal network. There was already at least one private railway operating in the area: in 1812 Robert Daglish had constructed a railway to carry coal from Orrell Colliery in Winstanley, near Wigan to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. This railway used " Blenkinsop and Murrays" patent cog and rack steam locomotives to haul the coal wagons. A little further north, the Lancaster Canal had been built in two sections, joined in 1797 by
6875-487: The canal, effectively making the railway little more than a canal feeder. The committee could take some satisfaction in its caution as the Liverpool and Manchester Bill was lost that same year. This first act of Parliament authorised the company to raise the sum of £44,000, by the sale of 440 shares in the company, each valued at £100. The railway was to be a single track with two rope-worked inclines using stationary steam engines, to run from Lecturers Closes at Bolton to
7000-417: The committee contacted the pioneering railway engineer George Stephenson for his views on the scheme. Stephenson was familiar with the area as he was in the process of surveying the route of the future Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Stephenson's response was to commission another engineer, Hugh Steel, to conduct a survey of the viable routes for the railway. Steel had worked with Stephenson as
7125-499: The company's powers, and it authorised the raising of an additional £25,000 to meet the increased costs of construction as well as specifying the track gauge for the railway as being 4 feet 8 inches (1,422 mm) between the inside edges of the rails, as well as 5 feet 1 inch (1,549 mm) between the outside edges. Sometime after this the line became a standard gauge line at 4 feet 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (1,435 mm). The acts of Parliament for
7250-406: The construction of the line. Robert was responsible for the detailed design of Rocket , although he was in constant postal communication with his father, who made many suggestions. One significant innovation, suggested by Henry Booth , treasurer of the L&MR, was the use of a fire-tube boiler , invented by French engineer Marc Seguin that gave improved heat exchange. The opening ceremony of
7375-446: The differences in crew experience, the fuel used, the modifications made to the replicas for modern safety rules, modern materials and construction methods, and following operating experience. Sensible comparisons were made between the engines only after calculations took into account the differences. The replicas had major differences from the 1829 originals. George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848)
7500-403: The early hours of the following morning, they would urgently manufacture some steel parts (wedges) in their nearby workshops, to fix the bent drive wheel before the second day's parade commenced. At the same time, BR agreed to put a team of staff into the sidings at Bold to "straighten" the bent rails. Both activities were achieved on time and the Rocket ran successfully on the following two days of
7625-599: The final set, under which the competition was held, was: "The weight of the Locomotive Engine, with its full complement of water in the boiler, shall be ascertained at the Weighing Machine, by eight o'clock in the morning, and the load assigned to it shall be three times the weight thereof. The water in the boiler shall be cold, and there shall be no fuel in the fireplace. As much fuel shall be weighed, and as much water shall be measured and delivered into
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#17327696231257750-433: The financial loss he suffered by not using his own patented design. Stephenson was hired to build the eight-mile (13-km) Hetton colliery railway in 1820. He used a combination of gravity on downward inclines and locomotives for level and upward stretches. This, the first railway using no animal power, opened in 1822. This line used a gauge of 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) which Stephenson had used before at
7875-417: The first day of competition. It later suffered damage to a boiler pipe which could not be fixed properly on site. Nevertheless, it ran the next day and reached 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) before the repaired pipe failed and damaged the engine severely enough that it had to be withdrawn. The Rocket was the only locomotive that completed the trials. It averaged 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) and achieved
8000-463: The first day of the Trials, disaster struck. The Rocket, to the dismay of the many visitors, failed to run. It came off the rails as it was exiting the Bold Colliery sidings and buckled the rim of one of its large drive wheels. That evening, senior staff from a St Helens road transport company met a former colleague of the builder of the Rocket replica, at a Liverpool Hotel and agreed that, in
8125-568: The first dozen or so locomotives utilised there were purchased from the Stephenson shops. Stephenson's conservative views on the capabilities of locomotives meant he favoured circuitous routes and civil engineering that were more costly than his successors thought necessary. For example, rather than the West Coast Main Line taking the direct route favoured by Joseph Locke over Shap between Lancaster and Carlisle , Stephenson
8250-483: The first public inter-city railway line in the world to use locomotives, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , which opened in 1830 . George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781 in Wylam , Northumberland , which is 9 miles (15 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne . He was the second child of Robert and Mabel Stephenson, neither of whom could read or write. Robert was the fireman for Wylam Colliery pumping engine, earning
8375-432: The first rail cars of coal into Leicester dramatically reducing the price of coal and saving the city some £40,000 per annum. Stephenson remained at Alton Grange until 1838 before moving to Tapton House in Derbyshire. The next ten years were the busiest of Stephenson's life as he was besieged with requests from railway promoters. Many of the first American railroad builders came to Newcastle to learn from Stephenson and
8500-407: The grand opening of the skew bridge in Rainhill over the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The bridge was the first to cross any railway at an angle. It required the structure to be constructed as two flat planes (overlapping in this case by 6 ft (1.8 m)) between which the stonework forms a parallelogram shape when viewed from above. It has the effect of flattening the arch and the solution
8625-470: The journey from Manchester back again to Liverpool." "The time of performing every trip shall be accurately noted, as well as the time occupied in getting ready to set out on the second journey." "The gauge of the railway to be 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm )." Ten locomotives were officially entered for the trials, but on the day the competition began – 6 October 1829 – only five locomotives were available to run: The length of
8750-636: The latter died within months. George's wife died, probably of tuberculosis, the year after. While George was working in Scotland, Robert was brought up by a succession of neighbours and then by George's unmarried sister Eleanor (Nelly), who lived with them in Killingworth on George's return. On 29 March 1820, George (now considerably wealthier) married Betty Hindmarsh at Newburn. The marriage seems to have been happy, but there were no children and Betty died on 3 August 1845. On 11 January 1848, at St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury , Shropshire, George married for
8875-480: The line across it. The method he used was similar to that used by John Metcalf who constructed many miles of road across marshes in the Pennines, laying a foundation of heather and branches, which became bound together by the weight of the passing coaches, with a layer of stones on top. As the L&MR approached completion in 1829, its directors arranged a competition to decide who would build its locomotives, and
9000-401: The line all opened on 11 June 1831 when the line opened for passenger traffic, although "station" meant somewhere people could get on or off the train, the facilities would have been primitive by later standards. At Bolton, for example, the booking office was described as little more than a shed. The original stations were: New stations opened in 1885 at Daubhill and Chequerbent when the line
9125-496: The locomotive drawing the thirteen waggons and the coach from Pendlebury Fold, near Hulton Park, to Top o' th' Pike where the stationary engine was situated. There were about 150 people on the train which travelled at about 5 mph (8 km/h). On reaching the stationary engine the waggons were detached and "Mrs. Hulton, after a short address, baptised the engine by the name of the Lancashire Witch ". She then presented
9250-501: The master of the craft. George Stephenson had two children. His son Robert was born on 16 October 1803. Robert married Frances Sanderson, daughter of a City of London professional John Sanderson, on 17 June 1829. Robert died in 1859 having no children. Robert Stephenson expanded on the work of his father and became a major railway engineer himself. Abroad, Robert was involved in the Alexandria–Cairo railway that later connected with
9375-530: The new alignment of the railway. The last station to open was Atherleigh which the London, Midland and Scottish Railway opened on 14 October 1935 as there had been new housing development in the area. The Bolton and Leigh Railway (B&LR) was the first public railway in Lancashire, being a public railway meant carrying goods either by company wagon or privately owned wagon. The B&LR chose to follow
9500-484: The north end of the line, there were occasional sidings or passing places. Whishaw (1842) gives a description of the line, starting from Bolton Great Moor Street the train is worked by horse-power to the bottom of the Daubhill incline. Here a 20 horsepower (14,914 W) stationary steam engine hauled the train up out of Bolton. Trains running down the incline are worked by gravity. The incline rises 118 feet (36 m) in 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 mi (2.2 km). At
9625-541: The original B&LR line running to the canal as well as the newer K&LJR line running over the bridge. Double track was laid in sections with the section from Pennington to Atherton Junctions opening on 31 May 1880, the section through Bag Lane on 4 July 1880 and the final section through to Bolton on 1 February 1885, south of Pennington on the former K&LJR had been doubled when the Tyldesley Loopline opened in 1864. The original passenger stations on
9750-520: The original route of the L&MR caused by hostility from some affected landowners meant Stephenson encountered difficulty during Parliamentary scrutiny of the original bill, especially under cross-examination by Edward Hall Alderson . The bill was rejected and a revised bill for a new alignment was submitted and passed in a subsequent session. The revised alignment presented the problem of crossing Chat Moss , an apparently bottomless peat bog, which Stephenson overcame by unusual means, effectively floating
9875-551: The parish of Alton Grange (now part of Ravenstone) in Leicestershire in 1830, originally to consult on the Leicester and Swannington Railway , a line primarily proposed to take coal from the western coal fields of the county to Leicester. The promoters of the line Mr William Stenson and Mr John Ellis , had difficulties in raising the necessary capital as the majority of local wealth had been invested in canals. Realising
10000-462: The passing of the second Act the railway took delivery of their first steam locomotive, which had been ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in January 1828. The L&MR subsequently decided their order was premature and the locomotive was transferred to the B&LR by mutual agreement. This was the locomotive named Lancashire Witch at the opening of
10125-657: The people of the North East of England. By this theory, the name of the Geordie Lamp attached to the North East pit men themselves. By 1866 any native of Newcastle upon Tyne could be called a Geordie. Cornishman Richard Trevithick is credited with the first realistic design for a steam locomotive, the " Puffing Devil ", in 1801. Later, he visited Tyneside and built an engine there for a mine-owner. Several local men were inspired by this, and designed their own engines. Stephenson designed his first locomotive in 1814,
10250-431: The pit. In 1802 he married Frances Henderson and moved to Willington Quay , east of Newcastle. There he worked as a brakesman while they lived in one room of a cottage. George made shoes and mended clocks to supplement his income. Their first child Robert was born in 1803, and in 1804 they moved to Dial Cottage at West Moor , near Killingworth where George worked as a brakesman at Killingworth Pit. Their second child,
10375-467: The plans. Stephenson surveyed the line in 1821, and assisted by his 18-year-old son Robert, construction began the same year. A manufacturer was needed to provide the locomotives for the line. Pease and Stephenson had jointly established a company in Newcastle to manufacture locomotives. It was set up as Robert Stephenson and Company , and George's son Robert was the managing director. A fourth partner
10500-454: The potential and need for the rail link Stephenson himself invested £2,500 and raised the remaining capital through his network of connections in Liverpool. His son Robert was made chief engineer with the first part of the line opening in 1832. During this same period the Snibston estate in Leicestershire came up for auction, it lay adjoining the proposed Swannington to Leicester route and
10625-438: The problem caused by the weight of the engine on the primitive rails. He experimented with a steam spring (to 'cushion' the weight using steam pressure acting on pistons to support the locomotive frame), but soon followed the practice of 'distributing' weight by using a number of wheels or bogies. For the Stockton and Darlington Railway Stephenson used wrought-iron malleable rails that he had found satisfactory, notwithstanding
10750-401: The railway to John Hargreaves , an established carrier of Bolton. Hargreaves was granted running rights over the K&LJR and the L&MR so that he ran the services between Bolton and Liverpool. Hargreaves also worked goods services to Manchester. He was required to provide his own locomotive power, carriages, and wagons, except a few for ballasting which belong to the company. Hargreaves
10875-412: The railway using cables . They had appointed George Stephenson as their engineer of the line in 1826, and he strongly advocated for the use of steam locomotives instead. As the railway was approaching completion, the directors decided to hold a competition to decide whether locomotives could be used to pull the trains; these became the Rainhill trials. A prize of £500 (equal to £55,577 today) was offered to
11000-672: The reverse of Series E £5 notes issued by the Bank of England . Stephenson's face is shown alongside an engraving of the Rocket steam engine and the Skerne Bridge on the Stockton to Darlington Railway. Bolton and Leigh Railway The Bolton and Leigh Railway ( B&LR ) was the first public railway in Lancashire. It opened for goods on 1 August 1828, and thus preceded the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) by two years. Passengers were carried from 1831. The railway operated independently until 1845 when it became part of
11125-401: The several Acts" already in force and it gave the company power to borrow an additional £60,000. One of the other purposes was the right to lease the K&LJR for up to 25 years, as well as for the purchase of the line for the sum of £44,750. In 1838 there were 86,320 passengers conveyed on the line, an average of 236.5 per day generating an annual income of £6,831 6s 4d . Shortly after
11250-460: The third act was the Bolton and Leigh Railway Act 1831 ( 1 & 2 Will. 4 . c. xi) to amend and enlarge the existing acts and authorising an additional £16,500 of joint stock capital and the powers to raise an additional £25,000 in loans. The fourth act, the Bolton and Leigh Railway Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 . c. lii) which received royal assent in 1836 was an "Act to amend and enlarge
11375-508: The third time, to Ellen Gregory, another farmer's daughter originally from Bakewell in Derbyshire, who had been his housekeeper. Seven months after his wedding, George contracted pleurisy and died, aged 67, at noon on Saturday 12 August 1848 at Tapton House in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield , alongside his second wife. Described by Rolt as a generous man, Stephenson financially supported
11500-440: The time were the major freight routes: they were faster and could transport greater loads than the carriers using the turnpike road system. However, these canal routes were slow; they became congested, and increasingly more expensive as demand from the rapidly expanding businesses in the area increased. The waterways had a virtual monopoly on the transport links which enabled them to charge exorbitant tolls. As costs rose, it
11625-462: The top of this incline the locomotive is attached and the train works to Leigh. In the other direction a 50 horsepower (37,285 W) stationary steam engine hauls trains (including their locomotives) up from Bag Lane through Chequerbent towards Bolton. This incline rises 243 feet (74 m) but over a greater distance so the slope is less severe overall. The rope for the Chequerbent incline
11750-408: The trials and bands provided musical entertainment on both days. Cycloped was the first to drop out of the competition. It used a horse walking on a drive belt for power and was withdrawn after an accident caused the horse to burst through the floor of the engine. The next locomotive to retire was Perseverance , which was damaged in transit to the competition. Burstall spent the first five days of
11875-479: The trials repairing his locomotive, and though it ran on the sixth day, it failed to reach the required 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) speed and was withdrawn from the trial. It was granted a £25 consolation prize (equal to £2,779 today). Sans Pareil nearly completed the trials, though at first there was some doubt as to whether it would be allowed to compete as it was 300 pounds (140 kg) overweight. However, it did eventually complete eight trips before cracking
12000-410: The turnpike and canal tradition where the service was available to anyone who could pay the toll. Shortly after the line had opened its 'utility' was being reported on favourably, coal was reduced in price in the Bolton area by more than 2s per ton. Business on the line improved when the Kenyon and Leigh Junction Railway (K&LJR) was constructed to link the B&LR from its southern terminus with
12125-467: The weight of heavy locomotives. William Losh of Walker Ironworks thought he had an agreement with Stephenson to supply cast-iron rails, and Stephenson's decision caused a permanent rift between them. The gauge Stephenson chose for the line was 4 feet 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (1,435 mm) which subsequently was adopted as the standard gauge for railways, not only in Britain, but throughout
12250-409: The wheels, in order to shew the command possessed over them by the engineer, in case of any accident or obstruction". The crowd was so large that several people were thrown onto the railway where they were "placed in the most imminent peril" and one man was reported as nearly falling under the wheels of a waggon before it could be stopped, he was reportedly severely hurt. At the bottom of the incline it
12375-426: The winner of the trials. Three notable engineers were selected as judges: John Urpeth Rastrick , a locomotive engineer of Stourbridge , Nicholas Wood , a mining engineer from Killingworth with considerable locomotive design experience, and John Kennedy , a Manchester cotton spinner and a major proponent of the railway. The L&MR company set the rules for the trials. The rules went through several revisions;
12500-415: The wives and families of several who had died in his employment, due to accident or misadventure, some within his family, and some not. He was also a keen gardener throughout his life; during his last years at Tapton House, he built hothouses in the estate gardens, growing exotic fruits and vegetables in a 'not too friendly' rivalry with Joseph Paxton , head gardener at nearby Chatsworth House , twice beating
12625-436: The work required by the original conditions. The following is a correct account of the performance: The engine, with its complement of water, weighed 4 tons 5 cwt., and the load attached to it was 12 tons 15 cwt., and, with a few persons who rode, made it about 13 tons. The Journey was 1.21 mile each way, with an additional length of 220 yards at each end to stop the engine in, making in one Journey 3[?] miles. The first experiment
12750-555: The world is due to him. In 2002, Stephenson was named in the BBC 's television show and list of the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote, placing at no. 65. The Victorian self-help advocate Samuel Smiles had published his first biography of George Stephenson in 1857, and although attacked as biased in the favour of George at the expense his rivals as well as his son, it was popular and 250,000 copies were sold by 1904. The Band of Hope were selling biographies of George in 1859 at
12875-499: The world's railways. Pioneered by Stephenson, rail transport was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the Industrial Revolution . Built by George and his son Robert 's company Robert Stephenson and Company , the Locomotion No. 1 was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. George also built
13000-470: The world. Stephenson had ascertained by experiments at Killingworth that half the power of the locomotive was consumed by a gradient as little as 1 in 260. He concluded that railways should be kept as level as possible. He used this knowledge while working on the Bolton and Leigh Railway , and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), executing a series of difficult cuttings, embankments and stone viaducts to level their routes. Defective surveying of
13125-598: Was Michael Longridge of Bedlington Ironworks . On an early trade card, Robert Stephenson & Co was described as "Engineers, Millwrights & Machinists, Brass & Iron Founders". In September 1825, the works at Forth Street, Newcastle, completed the first locomotive for the railway: originally named Active , it was renamed Locomotion and was followed by Hope , Diligence and Black Diamond . The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825. Driven by Stephenson, Locomotion hauled an 80-ton load of coal and flour nine miles (14 km) in two hours, reaching
13250-469: Was able to haul eight tons up the 1:96 at 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) and 12 tons at 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles per hour (20.1 km/h) up the 1:96 gradient. In May 1980 the Rocket 150 celebration was held to mark the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the trials the year before. A replica of Novelty was built for the event, which was also attended by replicas of Sans Pareil and Rocket (plus coach). On
13375-434: Was again detached from its train and demonstrated some of its abilities, starting and stopping under control even from speeds estimated up to 14 mph (23 km/h). After the demonstration the coach and waggons were attached to the rope of the stationary engine and proceeded down the inclined plane towards Bolton. The waggons were "occasionally moved with great celerity, and occasionally stopped by means of brakes applied to
13500-465: Was also looking at the problem. Despite his lack of scientific knowledge, Stephenson, by trial and error, devised a lamp in which the air entered via tiny holes, through which the flames of the lamp could not pass. A month before Davy presented his design to the Royal Society , Stephenson demonstrated his own lamp to two witnesses by taking it down Killingworth Colliery and holding it in front of
13625-474: Was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer during the Industrial Revolution . Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement. His chosen rail gauge , sometimes called "Stephenson gauge", was the basis for the 4-foot- 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (1.435 m) standard gauge used by most of
13750-448: Was an established carrier on roads and canals before the railway was built and the main carrier from north west England into Scotland, the equal of Pickfords who controlled the trade to the south of Manchester. Hargreaves became a pioneer of excursions by rail, running Sunday trips from Bolton to Liverpool as early as 1841. In 1843 he ran excursions to London and two years later to Manchester. The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) terminated
13875-464: Was believed to contain valuable coal reserves. Stephenson realising the financial potential of the site, given its proximity to the proposed rail link and the fact that the manufacturing town of Leicester was then being supplied coal by canal from Derbyshire, bought the estate. Employing a previously used method of mining in the midlands called tubbing to access the deep coal seams, his success could not have been greater. Stephenson's coal mine delivered
14000-415: Was completed through to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Leigh by end of March 1830. By then the construction of the Kenyon and Leigh Junction Railway which provided a connection with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was already well advanced. The line was just under 8 miles (13 km) in length, and was originally single track with the exception of about 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.8 km) towards
14125-451: Was constructed in the colliery workshop behind Stephenson's home, Dial Cottage, on Great Lime Road. The locomotive could haul 30 tons of coal up a hill at 4 mph (6.4 km/h), and was the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive: its traction depended on contact between its flanged wheels and the rail. Altogether, Stephenson is said to have produced 16 locomotives at Killingworth, although it has not proved possible to produce
14250-471: Was from 14 to 17 miles an hour; and had the whole distance been in one continuing direction, there is no doubt but the result would have been 16 miles an hour. The consumption of coke was very moderate, not exceeding half a ton in the whole 70 miles. At several parts of the journey the engine moved at 18 miles an hour. SATURDAY – FIFTH DAY: In the expectation of witnessing the Novelty perform its appointed task,
14375-441: Was in favour of a longer sea-level route via Ulverston and Whitehaven . Locke's route was built. Stephenson tended to be more casual in estimating costs and paperwork in general. He worked with Joseph Locke on the Grand Junction Railway with half of the line allocated to each man. Stephenson's estimates and organising ability proved inferior to those of Locke and the board's dissatisfaction led to Stephenson's resignation causing
14500-622: Was intended that the waggons should be horse-drawn to the terminus but the crowd man-handled the waggons to their destination. Upon arrival, a considerable number of gentlemen sat down to an excellent dinner at the Commercial Inn, Mr. Hulton in the chair. The coach used by the ladies during the opening was loaned by the L&MR and another carriage was borrowed from them in December 1829 for 'an experiment in passenger carrying' but passengers weren't regularly carried until 1831. The line
14625-457: Was marred by the death of William Huskisson , the Member of Parliament for Liverpool , who was struck by Rocket . Stephenson evacuated the injured Huskisson to Eccles with a train, but he died from his injuries. Despite the tragedy, the railway was a resounding success. Stephenson became famous, and was offered the position of chief engineer for a wide variety of other railways. 1830 also saw
14750-552: Was no wonder that business leaders and industrialists began to look for another means of transporting their goods and products. They looked to the railway to break the canals' monopoly. The canal companies recognised this threat to their business early on: for example, the Leeds and Liverpool canal company minutes of 21 September 1822 mention the issue, and the canal businesses started to take steps to protect their interests. Rail roads, tramroads and railways had been around for some time, mainly used to transport goods, especially coal to
14875-443: Was of 35 miles, which is exactly ten journeys, and, including all the stoppages at the ends, was performed in 3 hours and 10 minutes, being upwards of 11 miles an hour. After this a fresh supply of water was taken in, which occupied 16 minutes, when the engine again started, and ran 35 miles in 2 hours and 52 minutes, which is upwards of 12 miles an hour, including all stoppages. The speed of the engine, with its load when in full motion,
15000-558: Was officially opened on 1 August 1828 The official opening of the completed part of the railway (which the Manchester Guardian reported as being from Checkerbent [ sic ] to the town of Bolton) was witnessed by "an immense concourse of people". They saw a procession of a "new locomotive engine made by Messrs. R. Stephenson and Co. of Newcastle ... to which were attached six waggons filled with people, and decorated with numerous flags and streamers; then followed
15125-445: Was promoted to enginewright for the collieries at Killingworth, responsible for maintaining and repairing all the colliery engines. He became an expert in steam-driven machinery. In 1815, aware of the explosions often caused in mines by naked flames, Stephenson began to experiment with a safety lamp that would burn in a gaseous atmosphere without causing an explosion. At the same time, the eminent scientist and Cornishman Humphry Davy
15250-404: Was realigned to remove the inclines and increase capacity, the track doubling took place during the same period. The new Daubhill station opened on opened on 2 February 1885 on the new alignment of the railway, it was renamed Rumworth & Daubhill on 28 April 1885. The new Chequerbent railway station , sometimes known as Chequerbent for Hulton Park , opened on opened on 2 February 1885 on
15375-409: Was the only locomotive to complete the trials, and was declared the winner. The directors of the L&MR accepted that locomotives should operate services on their new line, and George and Robert Stephenson were given the contract to produce locomotives for the railway. The directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had originally intended to use stationary steam engines to haul trains along
15500-453: Was under-boilered and again caused damage to the track. The new engines were too heavy to run on wooden rails or plate-way, and iron edge rails were in their infancy, with cast iron exhibiting excessive brittleness. Together with William Losh , Stephenson improved the design of cast-iron edge rails to reduce breakage; rails were briefly made by Losh, Wilson and Bell at their Walker ironworks. According to Rolt, Stephenson managed to solve
15625-594: Was used almost exclusively in North East England , whereas the Davy lamp was used everywhere else. The experience gave Stephenson a lifelong distrust of London-based, theoretical, scientific experts. In his book George and Robert Stephenson , the author L.T.C. Rolt relates that opinion varied about the two lamps' efficiency: that the Davy Lamp gave more light, but the Geordie Lamp was thought to be safer in
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