Grand Locomotive Competition

In 1829, before the line was finished, the directors of the railway held a competition at Rainhill, near Liverpool, to find 'the most improved locomotive engine', laying down strict conditions to which the entrants must conform:

1829 GRAND COMPETITION OF LOCOMOTIVES ON THE LIVERPOOL & MANCHESTER RAILWAY

Stipulations & Conditions on which the Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway offer a Premium of £500 for the most improved locomotive engine,

I. The said Engine must 'effectually consume its own smoke' according to the provisions of the Railway Act, 7th Geo. IV.

II. The Engine, if it weighs six Tons, must be capable of drawing after it, day by day, on a well-constructed Railway, on a level plane, a Train of Carriages of the gross weight of Twenty Tons, including the Tender and Water Tank, at the rate of Ten Miles per Hour, with a pressure of steam in the boiler not exceeding Fifty Pounds on the square inch.

III. There must be Two Safety Valves, one of which must be completely out of the reach or control of the Engine-man, and neither of which must be fastened down while the Engine is working.

IV. The Engine and Boiler must be supported on Springs, and rest on Six Wheels; and the height from the ground to the top of the Chimney must not exceed Fifteen Feet.

V. The weight of the Machine, WITH ITS COMPLEMENT OF WATER in the Boiler, must at most, not exceed Six Tons, and a Machine of less weight will be preferred if it draw AFTER it a PROPORTIONATE weight; and if the weight of the Engine, & c, do not exceed FIVE TONS, then the gross weight to be drawn need not exceed Fifteen Tons; and in that proportion for Machines of still smaller weight — provided that the Engine, & c, shall still be on six wheels, unless the weight (as above) be reduced to Four Tons and a Half, or under, in which case the Boiler, & c, may be placed on four wheels. And the Company shall be at liberty to put the Boiler, Tube, Cylinders, & c, to the test of a pressure of water not exceeding 150 Pounds per square inch, without being answerable for any damage the machine may receive in consequence.

VI. There must be a Mercurial Gauge affixed to the Machine, with Index Rod, showing the Steam Pressure above 45 Pounds per square inch; and constructed to blow out a Pressure of 60 Pounds per inch.

VII. The Engine to be delivered complete for trial, at the Liverpool end of the Railway, not later than the 1st of October next.

VIII. The price of the Engine which may be accepted not to exceed £550, delivered on the Railway; and any Engine not approved to be taken back by the Owner. N. B. — The Railway Company will provide the Engine Tender with a supply of Water and Fuel for the experiment. The distance within the Rails is four feet eight inches and a half.

The following is an article published in the Liverpool Tmes on Tuesday October 13th 1829:

The first day of trial, the race-ground presented a scene of extraordinary gaiety and bustle. The day being remarkably fine, thousands of persons of all ranks were assembled from the surrounding towns and districts. Upwards of 10,000 persons were computed to have been present, among whom were a greater number of scientific men, and practical engineers, than have been assembled on any previous occasion.

During the whole of the day the different carriages were exhibiting on the Rail-Way, and it is scarcely possible for any one who has not seen them in motion to form any conception of their astonishing speed. In the early part of the day, the carriage of Mr. Robert Stephenson, of Newcasde, attracted great attention. It ran without any weight attached to it, at the rate of 24 miles in the hour, rushing past the spectators with amazing velocity. It has been stated by several of the papers that it emitted very little smoke; but the fact is, that during the trial it emitted none. Previous to the trial, a little coal was put into it, and then it sent forth a smoke; but after the trial had commenced, it used coke, which as it does not produce any smoke, of course could not emit any. We know that there were some persons on the ground who mistook steam for smoke. After this carriage had moved about for some time, without any weight, cars, containing stones, were attached to it, weighing, together with its own weight, upwards of 17 tons, preparatory to the trial of its speed being made. The precise distance between the point of starting, at or near the weighing shed, to the point of returning, was 1 3/8 mile; but in the adjudication of distances, we are given to understand the judges allowed a furlong at each end for the acquirement and abatement of speed. Our observations apply, however, to the whole distance. With a load of 12 1/2 tons gross, the Rocket travelled the above space of 1 3/8 mile, four times forward and backward, equal to 14 miles, in the space of 75 minutes, exclusive of stoppages; but, including the stoppages, the average rate was 10 1/2 miles per hour. In the fifth course, the rate of speed, with a load, augmented by passengers, until equal to 13 tons was full 15 miles an hour.

Mr. Hackworth, of Darlington, ran his carriage along the course during the day; but no trial of its speed with weights took place.

Mr. Winan's machine, worked by two men, and carrying six passengers, was also on the ground. It moved with no great velocity compared to the Locomotive Steam-Carriages, but with considerable speed considering that it was put in motion by human power. One of the wheels was damaged in the course of the afternoon, by Mr. Hackworth's Locomotive Steam-Carriage.

Mr. Brandreth's horse-power Locomotive Engine exhibited, not in the way of competition, but as exercise. About fifty persons clung round the waggons, giving a gross weight, with the machine, of about 5 tons, and with this weight, the horses (themselves moving scarcely one mile and a quarter an hour) propelled the waggons and load exactly at the rate of five miles an hour.

The engine of Messrs. Braithwaite and Erickson, of London, was universally allowed to exhibit, in appearance and compactness, the beau-ideal of a Locomotive Carriage. Its performance, whilst exercising without a load was most astonishing, passing over a space of 2 3/4 miles in seven minutes and a quarter, including a stop-space of one minute and thirty-three seconds! Had the Rail-Way been completed, the engine would, at this rate, have gone nearly the whole way from Liverpool to Manchester within the hour. Mr. Braithwaite, has, indeed, publicly offered to stake £1000, that as soon as the road is opened, he will perform the entire distance in that time. The velocity with which the Novelty moved, surprised and amazed every beholder. It seemed indeed to fly, presenting one of the most sublime spectacles of mechanical ingenuity and human daring the world ever beheld. It actually made one giddy to look at it, and filled the breasts of thousands with lively fears for the safety of the
individuals who were on it, and who seemed not to run along the earth, but to fly, as it were, 'on the wings of the wind.'

On Wednesday Braithwaite and Erickson's carriage drew the weight assigned by the judges, namely, 6 tons 2 cwt., at the rate of 20 3/4 miles per hour. Unfortunately, however, the bellows burst after the first trip, so that the experiment had to be postponed.

The first systematic trial of the power of the engines, under the inspection of the judges, took place on Thursday, when Mr. Stephenson's carriage, the Rocket, was brought out to perform the task assigned. This engine has a boiler of a new construction, adapted for coke, the invention of Mr. Henry Booth, the treasurer to the Railway Company. The distance appointed to be run was 70 miles; and it was a condition that, when fairly started, the engine was to travel on the road at a speed of not less than 10 miles per hour, drawing after it a gross weight of 3 tons, for every ton weight of itself. Before starting, the machine was weighed, and the weight ascertained to be 4 tons 5 cwt. the gross weight to be drawn, therefore, was 12 tons 15 cwt., which was accordingly placed behind the engine, part of the said weight consisting of the engine tender, with the needful supply of water and fuel. The prescribed distance of 70 miles, it must be remembered, was to be accomplished by moving backwards and forwards, on a level plane of one mile and three-quarters in length; of course the engine had to pass along this plane 40 times, having to make as many stops, and each time to regain the lost speed and momentum. She started on her journey about half-past ten in the morning, and performed the first 35 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes, being upwards of 11 miles an hour. About a quarter of an hour was then consumed in filling the water tank, and obtaining a fresh supply of coke. The second 35 miles were accomplished in less time than the first, being performed in 2 hours and 52 minutes, which is at the rate of upwards of 12 miles an hour, including stoppages, the whole time from the first starting to the final arrival being under six hours and a half. The speed of the carriage over the ground was frequently 18 miles per hour, and sometimes more, and the motion is represented by the gentlemen who accompanied it, as particularly easy and agreable. The engine having to return and stop at the same point so frequently, opportunity was thereby afforded for a considerable number of gentlemen to have the pleasure of a ride; amongst others mounted behind the engine, we noticed Dr. Traill, Mr. Robert Gladstone, Mr. Henry Moss, etc. etc. On the whole, the performance gave great satisfaction, and the work done was far more than the quantum prescribed by the Directors of the Rail-Way.

On Saturday morning. . . the Novelty with her appointed load, started, and performed the first trip of three miles and a half in good style. On the second journey, however, owing to an accident to one of the pipes, all locomotion was suspended; and before the injury, though unimportant, could be repaired, the day was too far advanced to recommence her allotted task. It was evident, from the frequent, though slight, derangements which had occurred to this engine, that a little further time was desirable before her performance should be again brought under the special notice of the judges. Accordingly, it was arranged by mutual consent that the London engine should run the 70 miles with her load on Wednesday (tomorrow). On the Saturday afternoon, however, the injury sustained being repaired, she appeared again on the course, with the Directors' carriage attached to her, in which were about forty ladies and gentlemen, and with which she moved along in beautiful style at the almost incredible speed of upwards of 30 miles per hour! In the course of the day, Mr. Stephenson's engine also performed an equally brilliant feat. Between the occurrence and the repair of the accident to Messrs. Braithwaite's carriage, that of Mr. Stephenson's the Rocket, ran, without load or tender, 7 miles in 14 minutes, which is at the rate of 30 miles an hour; and one of the trips of 3 1/2 miles was performed in 6 minutes and 37 seconds, which is at the rate of 32 miles an hour!

The trials lasted eight days altogether and at the end there was no doubt about it, Stephenson's Rocket was the winner, although some people felt that had there been a railway near London where the Novelty could have been tried out, and perhaps improved before the Trials, the result might have been different.

On 14th June 1830 a locomotive called the Arrozo drew the first train from Liverpool to Manchester.

A month earlier, on 3rd May 1830, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway in Kent was opened, to become the first railway on which passenger trains were hauled by steam locomotives. However, while technically the Kent line can claim historic precedence it was only worked by locomotive for the last two miles into Whitstable, the four miles at the Canterbury end being operated by fixed engines. Even then the incline out of Whitstable proved too much for the locomotive and a stationary engine was installed, leaving only a single mile worked by the locomotive.