The Open Door Web Site : History : The Industrial Revolution : The Development of the Steam Locomotive continued

If Richard Trevithick was the 'father' of the steam locomotive, then the 'father' of the railways was the first railway engineer, George Stephenson. Stephenson developed the steam locomotive into the powerful workhorse that formed the foundation of the modern railway system. It was Stephenson who pioneered railway construction and undertook all of the tasks involved in building railways, such as locomotive design and production, surveying, levelling and building the railway track.

Stephenson was a self-made man who came from humble origins. He started his working life when he was still very young and, at the age of fifteen, he was already responsible for working the steam pumps at a coal mine. His natural talent for engineering meant that he was eventually placed in charge of the mine's steam engines. He was able to experiment and make improvements to their efficiency. At the same time, Stephenson was interested in the idea of a 'travelling steam engine'. He felt that he could improve the work of other pioneers of steam and locomotive development.

The first steam locomotives had been wasteful of energy. The steam had been lost into the air after it had been used to move the cylinders and the fire lacked a draft of air to make it burn well. Stephenson solved both of these inefficiencies by building an extension to the boiler, called a smokebox. The exhaust steam from the cylinders was fed through this box. A partial vacuum was created at each stroke of the piston.

This partial vacuum drew in air through the boiler tubes. The air, known as steam blast, made the fire hotter and the locomotive became more efficient. Stephenson's first steam blast engine was called Blücher. This engine was used at the Killingworth colliery and it produced double of the power of the engine it replaced. The steam blast was able to pull 30 tonnes of wagons at around 7 kilometres per hour. Stephenson's second engine patented in 1815 was an improvement on the Blücher in both construction and design.

George Stephenson (1781 - 1848)

George Stephenson was born in Wylam, near Newcastle. He had no formal education and he taught himself to read by attending night classes. His first job was a fireman. Later, in 1812, he became a colliery engineer at Killingworth. Between 1814 and 1826 he designed and built steam engines to pull coal. In 1815 he designed a miner's safety lamp. Stephenson shared the credit for this invention with Humphrey Davy who had, independently, come up with the same design.

By 1821 Stephenson was managing his own factory in Newcastle. It was here that he designed and constructed the Stockton to Darlington railway line which became the first to carry passengers. Between 1826 and 1830 he supervised the construction of the Manchester to Liverpool railway. Stephenson drove the first passenger train himself. It reached a record speed of 35 m.p.h..

Stephenson's "Rocket"

George Stephenson and his son, Robert, were perhaps most famous for their entry into a competition to design a railway engine which would pull both freight and passengers. The "Rocket" won them £500 in prize money.