|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOME > | TRANSPORT >RAILWAYS >RAINHILL TRIALS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transport Ships Railways Trams Railways Liverpool & Manchester Liverpool Overhead Rainhill Trials Regional Rail Map Stations List Contact |
In the late 1820s, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Company directors were committed to using steam power for their new railway but were divided on whether to use fixed engines or locomotives. George Stephenson (1781–1848) was their “Engineer-in-Chief”. He was pro loco and also owner of a loco factory with son Robert & partners. The board decided to offer a £500 prize for an improved locomotive meeting certain requirements. Much attention had been given to the trials in press and many local and national news reporters came to witness them at Rainhill in October 1829. On a number of days it is recorded there were 10 to 15,000 spectators present. Only five competitors showed up on the first day of the
trials. A two mile stretch of track was
chosen because it was straight and level.
The new railway had double track unlike with one being used for the
trials. At the end of the first day the
judges returned to
Driving a locomotive in 1829 was quite a skill. There were no brakes and drivers had to reverse power to slow down. Novelty, unlike Rocket arrived at Rainhill ‘untested’on track,
because there were no railway tracks in San Pareil’s trial took place on Wednesday the 14th of October. Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) built Rocket funded by George
Stephenson & Henry Booth.
He built the loco at “Forth Street Works”, Cycloped, wh Perseverance did not carry-out a trial as it had been
damaged in transit after the long sea journey to After plenty of time for it’s competitors to show what they could do, Rocket was eventually declared the winner. The directors agreed to award the prize to “Messrs Booth, Stephenson & Stephenson”. The L&MR purchased the loco and placed orders for another four before the end of October 1829. |