Citizendia
Your Ad Here

A contemporary drawing of Rocket
A contemporary drawing of Rocket
Rocket as preserved in the Science Museum, London.
Rocket as preserved in the Science Museum, London. For science museums in general check out Science museum. The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part
A replica coach and Rocket at the Rocket 150 event
A replica coach and Rocket at the Rocket 150 event

Stephenson's Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built in Newcastle at the Forth Street Works of Robert Stephenson and Company in 1829. The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways run in October of 1829 in Rainhill, Merseyside (between Liverpool A steam locomotive is a Locomotive powered by Steam. The term usually refers to its use on Railways but can also refer to a "road locomotive" Locomotive wheel arrangement is how the wheels of the locomotive are arranged by type position and connections Robert Stephenson and Company was a Locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823 For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display

Contents

Design innovations

A common misconception is that Rocket was the first steam locomotive. In fact the first steam locomotive to run on tracks was built by Richard Trevithick 25 years earlier, but his designs were not developed beyond the experimental stage. Richard Trevithick ( April 13, 1771 &ndash April 22, 1833) was a British Then followed the first commercially successful twin cylinder steam locomotives (The Salamanca) built by Matthew Murray in Holbeck for the Middleton Railway between Middleton and Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Salamanca was the first commercially successful Steam locomotive, built in 1812 by Matthew Murray of Holbeck, for the edge Matthew Murray (1765 &mdash 20 February 1826) was a Steam engine and Machine tool manufacturer who designed and built the first commercially Holbeck ( is a district in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The district begins on the southern edge of the Leeds City Centre and mainly The Middleton Steam Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway Middleton is an old Pit village in south Leeds, it is 4 miles (6 km south of Leeds City Centre, West Yorkshire, England Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of George Stephenson, as well as a number of other engineers, had built steam locomotives before. George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 &ndash 12 August 1848) was an English Civil engineer and mechanical engineer Rocket was in some ways an evolution, not a revolution.

Rocket's claim to fame is that it was the first 'modern' locomotive, drawing together several recent strands of technological improvement, some tried elsewhere and some still experimental, to produce the most advanced locomotive of its day, and the template for most steam locomotives since. A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. In fact, the standard steam locomotive design is often called the "Stephensonian" locomotive.

Rocket used a multi-tubular boiler, which made for much more efficient and effective heat transfer between the exhaust gases and the water. A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases from the fire pass through one or more tubes within the boiler Previous locomotive boilers consisted of a single pipe surrounded by water. Rocket had 25 copper tubes running the length of the boiler to carry the hot exhaust gases from the firebox. This was a significant development, as it greatly increased the amount of steam produced, and subsequent designs used increased numbers of boiler tubes. Rocket also used a blastpipe, feeding the exhaust steam from the cylinders into the base of the chimney so as to induce a partial vacuum and pull air through the fire. The blastpipe is part of a Steam Locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the Smokebox beneath the Chimney Credit for the invention of the blastpipe is disputed between Sir Goldsworthy Gurney and Timothy Hackworth. Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875 was a Surgeon, Chemist, Lecturer, Consultant, Architect, builder and prototypical Timothy Hackworth ( 22 December 1786 &ndash 7 July 1850) was a Steam locomotive engineer who lived in Shildon, County The blastpipe worked well on the multi-tube boiler of Rocket but on earlier designs with a single pipe through the boiler it created so much suction that it tended to rip the top off the fire and throw burning cinders out of the chimney, vastly increasing the fuel consumption. [1]

A closer view
A closer view

Rocket had two cylinders set at 35 degrees from the horizontal, with the pistons driving a pair of 4ft 8ins diameter wheels. Most previous designs had the cylinders positioned vertically, which gave the engines an uneven swaying motion as they progressed along the track. Subsequently Rocket was modified so that the cylinders were set horizontally, a layout used on nearly all designs that followed. The second pair of wheels was 2ft 6ins in diameter, and uncoupled from the driving wheels, giving an 0-2-2 wheel arrangement. The firebox was separate from the boiler and was double thickness, being surrounded with water. Copper pipes led the heated water into the boiler. [1]

There have been differences in opinion on who should be given the credit for designing Rocket. George Stephenson had designed several locomotives before but none as advanced as Rocket. George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 &ndash 12 August 1848) was an English Civil engineer and mechanical engineer At the time that Rocket was being designed and built at the Forth Banks Works, he was living in Liverpool overseeing the building of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR was the world's first inter-city passenger Railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance His son Robert had recently returned from a stint working in South America and resumed as managing director of Robert Stephenson and Company. Robert Stephenson FRS (16 October 1803 &ndash 12 October 1859 was an English Civil engineer. Robert Stephenson and Company was a Locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823 He was in daily charge of designing and constructing the new locomotive. Although he was in frequent contact with his father in Liverpool and probably received advice from him, it is difficult not to give the majority of the credit for the design to Robert. A third person who deserves a significant amount of credit is Henry Booth, the treasurer of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Henry Booth (4 April 1788 – 1869 was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR was the world's first inter-city passenger Railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance He is believed to have suggested to Robert Stephenson that a multi-tube boiler should be used. [1]

History

Rainhill trials

Rocket was designed and built to compete in the Rainhill Trials, St. Helens, Merseyside, a competition to select the locomotive type for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, on 6 to 14 October 1829. The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways run in October of 1829 in Rainhill, Merseyside (between Liverpool St Helens ( is a large town in Merseyside, England It is the largest settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100000 The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR was the world's first inter-city passenger Railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance October events and holidays Children's Book Week ( England) - First Week of October National Day ( China People's Republic For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display Of the five entrants, only three of them were seen as serious contenders. All of the other competitors broke down and Rocket was declared the winner. Rocket fulfilled the key requirement of the contest that a full simulated 50 mile (80km) round trip under load be completed with satisfactory fuel consumption. It averaged 12 miles per hour while hauling 13 tons and 29 miles per hour running light. [2]

Opening-day accident

The opening ceremony of the L&MR, on 15 September 1830, was a considerable event, drawing luminaries from the government and industry, including the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington. Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. For the game see 1830 (board game. Year 1830 ( MDCCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS ( c 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 Sr. and Rocket driven by assistant engineer Joseph Locke. Joseph Locke ( 9 August 1805 - 18 September 1860) was a notable English Civil engineer of the 19th century particularly The day was marred by the death of William Huskisson, the Member of Parliament for Liverpool, who was struck and killed by Rocket at Parkside. William Huskisson (11 March 1770 &ndash 15 September 1830 was a British Statesman, financier and Member of Parliament for several constituencies including A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary [1]

Subsequent service

In 1834, the engine was selected for modifications to test a newly-developed rotary steam engine designed by Lord Dundonald (Thomas Cochrane). At a cost of nearly £80, Rocket's cylinders and driving rods were removed and two of the engines were installed directly on its driving axle with a feedwater pump in between. On October 22, of that year, an operational trial was held with disappointing results; one witness observing, that "the engine could not be made to draw a train of empty carriages". Due to inherent design flaws and engineering difficulties associated with their design, Dundonald's engines were simply too feeble for the task. [3]

After service on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Rocket was used near Tindale village on Lord Carlisle's Railway in Cumberland (now Cumbria), England. George Howard 6th Earl of Carlisle KG PC ( 17 September 1773 &ndash 7 October 1848) was an English Statesman Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy [4]

Preservation

In 1862 Rocket was donated to the Patent Office Museum in London by the Thompsons of Milton Hall, near Brampton, in Cumbria. [5]

The locomotive still exists, in the Science Museum (London), in much modified form compared to its state at the Rainhill Trials. For science museums in general check out Science museum. The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part The cylinders were altered to the horizontal position, compared to the angled arrangement as new, and the locomotive was given a proper smokebox. A cylinder is the central working part of a Reciprocating engine, the space in which a Piston travels A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a steam Locomotive. Such are the changes in the engine from 1829 that The Engineer magazine, circa 1884, concluded that "it seems to us indisputable that the Rocket of 1829 and 1830 were totally different engines".

The replica Rocket
The replica Rocket

The Replica

In 1979 a replica Rocket was built by Locomotion Enterprises for the 150th anniversary celebrations. A replica is a copy that is relatively indistinguishable from the original [6] It has a shorter chimney than the original in order to the clear the bridge at Rainhill: the trackbed is deeper than in the 19th century, giving less headroom. A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside This replica is based at the National Railway Museum, York. The National Railway Museum (NRM is a Museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Burton, Anthony (1980). Novelty was an early Steam locomotive built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite to take part in the Rainhill Trials. Invicta is an early steam locomotive built by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1829 The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (LMR 57 Lion is an early 0-4-2 Steam locomotive. The John Bull is an English-built Railroad Steam locomotive that operated in the United States. Locomotion No 1 (originally known as the Active) is an early British Steam locomotive. The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways run in October of 1829 in Rainhill, Merseyside (between Liverpool For the West End theatre founded in 1806 see Adelphi Theatre Sans Pareil was a Steam locomotive built by Timothy The Rainhill Story. British Broadcasting Corporation. ISBN 0563178418.  
  2. ^ Schoolnet article on the Rainhill Trials, accessed 17 June 2007
  3. ^ Cochrane's Rotary Steam Engines. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [1]
  4. ^ Webb, Brian; Gordon, David A. (1978). Lord Carlisle's Railways. Lichfield, Staffordshire: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, p. 101. ISBN 0-901115-43-6.  
  5. ^ Liffen, John (2003). "The Patent Office Museum and the beginnings of railway locomotive preservation", in Lewis, M. J. T. (ed. ): Early Railways 2. London: Newcomen Society, 202-20. ISBN 0-904685-13-6.  
  6. ^ Satow, M. G. (1979). "Rocket reborn". Railway Magazine 125: 472–4.  

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic