The locomotives that defined rail travel

Locomotion No.1

The story of the passenger railway system starts with Locomotion No.1. Designed by father and son duo, George and Robert Stephenson in 1825, it was built at their factory in Newcastle for the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It was the first locomotive to operate and haul a passenger train on a public railway, and 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of this event.

Leaving Darlington on 27^th September 1825, it drew a crowd of around 40,000 people, showing you just how significant this event was in the minds of the public at the time. The train travelled 26 miles to Stockton, at a speed of 15mph, carrying 450 people to its destination station. The short, slow trip revolutionised the transport industry, and the railway network began to grow quickly!

Stephenson’s Rocket

With the experience they gained, Robert Stephenson & Co. entered a design for the 1829 Rainhill Trials. This event was held to find suitable motive power to run on the newly constructed Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Their entry, ‘Rocket’, was the only one to complete the trials, reaching speeds of 24mph. With this performance, ‘Rocket’ set the precedent for pioneering locomotive design, making it possibly the most famous early locomotive in the world. 

‘Rocket’ was the first locomotive to feature a multi-tube boiler, and it had a blast pipe that increased the amount of exhaust steam at the chimney base. This added a draught to the fire, generating more steam and increasing the speed of the engine. The design was developed over the years, forming the engineering principles which steam locomotives still rely on today.

‘Lion’

By 1838, locomotive design had already moved on, and 0-4-2 No. 57 ‘Lion’ was one of a pair of ‘luggage’ locomotives, including sister engine “Tiger”, built to a Stephenson patent by Todd, Kitson & Laird of Leeds, also for the L&MR. 

‘Lion’ now proudly resides at the Museum of Liverpool for visitors to get an up-close look at this iconic locomotive.