Land Speed Records And a Fatality - 1829-30

The reaction is the same every time: a tingling feeling at the back of the neck and an excitement that has recurred on every visit since childhood.

The "Making of the Modern World" gallery in London's Science Museum [SM] [free admission as of March 2015] contains two exhibits of global importance as far as railways are concerned. One is William Hedley's "Puffing Billy" of 1813, being the oldest surviving steam locomotive in the world, and the other is the original of Stephenson's "Rocket".

Puffing Billy is interesting in her own right, though today she represents technology that has been long superseded. From a modern design perspective she isn't going to win any races, being simply a mine pumping engine, miniaturised, with an arrangement of cranks and clanks sufficient to propel itself along on its own wheels while hauling a load. She [despite their names all steam locomotives are referred to as female] compares with the stationary mine pumping engines that have been recovered from their original locations and reinstalled nearby. Curiously, the SM made nothing of an incoming suggestion a few years ago for a "Puffing Billy 200" event, the opportunity now having passed.

Sixteen years later time-wise, and not far away as regards current location in the gallery, is a machine that, at one time, held the world land speed record.

If Robert Stephenson (for it was Robert who built Rocket while his father, George, was building the Liverpool and Manchester Railway [L&M], despite what it said on the back of the previous issue of the Bank of England £5 note) were to walk through any heritage railway's locomotive shed today, he would immediately recognise principles and features on nearly all the steam locomotives present, which he had originally developed with Rocket back in 1828/9: the multi-tube boiler, cylinders connected directly with the wheels instead of via cranks and gears, steam exhaust blasted up the chimney to draw the fire, and so-on. The technology has persisted.

Legend has it that in preparing for the Rainhill Locomotive Trials (Rainhill is between Liverpool and Manchester) in 1829, Robert was having particular difficulty with sealing the smoke tubes to the firebox tubeplate and wrote a long screed to his father about all his troubles. George, who was only semi-literate, read what he could, wrote two words on the letter and sent it back: "try again"!

There is another story that one wag, on being asked whether or not he would ride behind her, replied, "I would sooner ride behind a military rocket than that b_____ thing!" With appropriate measures of humour and cheek, that is how Rocket earned her name.

On 6^th October 1829 at Rainhill, Rocket, painted yellow, was the locomotive that became everyone's little darling. She was the only loco actually to complete the trials. Timothy Hackworth in particular was angered when his locomotive entrant, "Sans Pareil", failed due to poor quality cylinder castings and had to retire - castings that had been made at Robert Stephenson's foundry! "Novelty" was just that - "Nor goots ['no guts' spoken with a Northumbrian accent]" scowled George Stephenson. "Cycloped" was little more than an "also ran", being propelled by a horse facing backwards to the direction of travel rather than by steam-powered machinery.

Rocket was one of several locomotives that drew the trains on September 15^th 1830, the opening day of the L&M. One Fanny Kemble, a well-known stage actress at the time, recorded many details after her footplate ride on Rocket alongside George Stephenson, and revealed that she was "most horribly in love" with him as a result of her trip.

Train braking systems had not been developed at that time. Stopping Rocket involved putting the engine into reverse and applying steam to the pistons. As a consequence what was supposed to be a glorious day of celebration spawned tragedy when William Huskisson, then the MP for Liverpool, was unable to reach safety in time as Rocket and her train approached. Despite several warning shouts beforehand he was run over by the engine, severely injuring his leg. Sister locomotive "Northumbrian" was soon unhitched from her train and then set off for Manchester at high speed, carrying the unfortunate Mr Huskisson towards the hope of medical attention there and setting a new land speed record. However, the run was in vain and he died later from his injuries, becoming the first person in the world to be killed by being knocked down by a passenger train. A fortnight later the Albion newspaper published an anonymously-written poem about the occurrence:

To celebrate national science and worth

Festivity crowning his will

Thus, fearless of danger, he kindly went forth,

To patronise talent and skill.

The wave of the hand and the smile of the eye

We ne'er shall encounter again;

To the kind recognition, in passing us by,

We turn in remembrance and pain.

At that date there was an ancient law in place in the UK called the "deodand". The principle was that a piece of equipment that had been the prime cause of loss of life was usually broken up soon after and disposed of, literally 'giving it to God'. However, Rocket was not broken up and remained in service on the L&M, being progressively repaired and modified until traffic increased to the point where she couldn't cope, and more powerful locomotives took over. A reproduction appeared in the American silent movie star Buster Keaton's 1923 film "Our Hospitality"; ironically, perhaps, in this portrayal the replica Rocket is stoned by frightened locals.

For a while Rocket stood in her much-modified condition outside London's Patent Office. Today she is a centrepiece of the gallery at the SM, though it is perhaps troubling how many visitors walk by without realising her significance and giving her a second glance.

A must-have 1:27 scale plastic construction kit of the locomotive in her original form turned up on a well-known internet auction site in 2014. The completed model is now on display to visitors to the bothy as a talking point.

Reommended reading: "The Last Journey of William Huskisson", by Simon Garfield, a Faber paperback book.