Rainhill Trial Locomotive
"Rocket" (this page)
Rainhill Trials Locomotive "Sans
Pareil"
Rainhill Trials Locomotive "Novelty"
Rules for Taking Part in the Rainhill Trials
The famous "Rocket" two cylinder steam engine was built by
Robert Stephenson & Co in 1829 at
the Forth Sreet Works in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, works number 19. She
was originally named "Premium Engine", but was renamed as
"Rocket". It
won the Rainhill Trials in October 1829, which were organised by the Liverpool &
Manchester Railway to evaluate whether or not haulage by steam
locomotives would be viable.
The revolutionary aspect of the design of "Rocket" was its
boiler, which had a number of flues running through it, greatly
increasing the heating area when compared to other designs. This
technology quickly became standard across the whole world.
Robert Stephenson's "Rocket".
Driving wheels 4' 8" diameter. Secondary wheels 2' 6"
diameter. Cylinders 8" x 17"
O/S.
This locomotive won the Rainhill Trials, which took place between the
6th and 14th of October 1829. As a result the Liverpool &
Manchester Railway bought the engine for £500 and it became
"No.1" "Rocket" in their fleet.
Originally the cylinders were mounted at 35 degrees to the horizontal
(as shown in the drawing), but they were lowered sometime around
1831. This greatly changed the appearance of the locomotive.
In November 1837"Rocket" was sold to Lord Carlisle's Brampton
Railway in Cumberland, where it was based at the locomotive shed at Tindale until it
was laid aside around 1840.
The nameplate of the original
"Rocket" steam engine.
Some time around 1850 "Rocket" was returned to the Robert
Stephenson works to be prepared for display at the 1851 "Great
Exhibition", which was held in the famous Crystal Palace building
in Hyde Park (the building was later moved to Sydenham). However, it seems
that "Rocket" was not put on display at this event.
In 1862 the locomotive was donated to the Patent Office Museum in London (now the Science
Museum) by the Thompson family of Milton Hall, near Brampton.
.
The rear view of the original
"Rocket", as preserved in the Science Museum in London.
Photographed 20th November
1983.
Rainhill Trial Locomotive
"Rocket" (this page)
Rainhill Trials Locomotive "Sans
Pareil"
Rainhill Trials Locomotive "Novelty"
Rules for Taking Part in the Rainhill Trials
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