Rainhill trials
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway directors originally planned to use stationary steam engines to haul trains along the railway using cables. They appointed George Stephenson as their engineer of the line in 1826. He strongly advocated for the use of steam locomotives instead. As the railway approached completion, the directors decided to hold a competition to decide whether locomotives could be used to pull the trains. These events became known as the Rainhill trials. A prize of £500 was offered to the winner of the trials.
Three engineers were selected as judges for the event. John Urpeth Rastrick served as a locomotive engineer from Stourbridge. Nicholas Wood acted as a mining engineer from Killingworth with considerable locomotive design experience. John Kennedy worked as a Manchester cotton spinner and was a major proponent of the railway. The L&MR company set specific rules for the trials that went through several revisions before the final set was established under which the competition was held.
Ten locomotives were officially entered for the trials but only five were available to run on the 6th of October 1829. Cycloped was a horse-powered locomotive built by Thomas Shaw Brandreth. Novelty stood out as the world's first tank locomotive built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite. Perseverance featured a vertical boilered design constructed by Timothy Burstall. Rocket carried the names of George and Robert Stephenson while being built by Robert Stephenson and Company. Sans Pareil arrived at the site having been built by Timothy Hackworth.
Cycloped became the first to drop out of the competition after an accident caused the horse to burst through the floor of the engine. Perseverance suffered damage in transit to the competition requiring repairs throughout the first five days. It ran on the sixth day but failed to reach the required speed and was withdrawn from the trial. Sans Pareil nearly completed the trials though it cracked a cylinder after completing eight trips. Novelty reached an astonishing speed on the first day but later suffered damage to a boiler pipe that could not be fixed properly on site.
The Rocket was the only locomotive that completed the trials with an average speed achieved while hauling 13 tons. It declared the winner of the £500 prize and earned the contract to produce locomotives for the L&MR. The Times carried a full report of the trials on the 12th of October 1829 detailing the outcome. Additional tests showed Rocket could haul eight tons up the Whiston incline gradient. George and Robert Stephenson received the official contract to produce locomotives for the railway following their victory.
In May 1980 the Rocket 150 celebration marked the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. A replica of Novelty was built for the event alongside replicas of Sans Pareil and Rocket plus coach. On the first day of the Trials the Rocket came off the rails as it exited the Bold Colliery sidings. In 2002 restaging of the Rainhill trials using replica engines neither Sans Pareil nor Novelty completed the course. Calculations found Rocket would still have won due to its relatively modern technology making it much more reliable than the others.
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Common questions
What were the Rainhill trials and when did they take place?
The Rainhill trials were a locomotive motive power competition held on the 6th of October 1829 to decide if steam locomotives could pull trains for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The event featured ten officially entered locomotives with only five available to run during the competition.
Who won the £500 prize at the Rainhill trials in 1829?
The Rocket was the only locomotive that completed the trials while achieving an average speed hauling 13 tons to win the £500 prize. George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson received the official contract to produce locomotives for the railway following their victory.
Which engineers served as judges for the Rainhill trials?
John Urpeth Rastrick served as a locomotive engineer from Stourbridge, Nicholas Wood acted as a mining engineer from Killingworth, and John Kennedy worked as a Manchester cotton spinner. These three individuals were selected by the L&MR company to judge the specific rules established for the competition.
Why did the Cycloped and Perseverance fail during the Rainhill trials?
Cycloped became the first to drop out after an accident caused the horse to burst through the floor of the engine. Perseverance suffered damage in transit requiring repairs throughout the first five days before failing to reach the required speed on the sixth day.
What happened to the Novelty locomotive during the Rainhill trials?
Novelty reached an astonishing speed on the first day but later suffered damage to a boiler pipe that could not be fixed properly on site. It was built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite as the world's first tank locomotive.