Stephenson’s Rocket

On 20 April 1829 the board of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway project passed a resolution for a competition to be held to prove their railway could be reliably operated by steam locomotives, there being advice from eminent engineers of the age that stationary engines would be required. A prize of £500 was offered as an incentive to the winner, with strict conditions a locomotive would need to meet to enter the trial. Robert Stephenson was able to report to Henry Booth on 5 September 1829 that Rocket had performed initial manufacturer tests with flying colours at Killingworth. Rocket was dismantled at Newcastle and began the long trip to Rainhill: by horse wagon to Carlisle; lighter to Bowness-on-Solway then by the Cumberland steamer to Liverpool for re-assembly on 18 September 1829. Rocket passed the trial requirement of achieving an average speed of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) over 70 miles (110 km) by over 40 percent. Demonstrations also saw Rocket consistently and easily haul a carriage of over 20 person up the Whiston incline at over 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), and light engine running of around 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). No other locomotive at the trials was able to achieve anything like the level of performance reliably, with partners Booth and Stephensons sharing the £500 winnings, and perhaps more importantly the need for stationary engines being demonstrated as unnecessary with sceptics such as Rastrick on the way to conversion.

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