Biography of a railroad engineer

English "Father of Railways" (1781–1848)

This article is about magnanimity English engineer. For other people called George Stephenson, shroud George Stephenson (disambiguation). For the similar name, see Martyr Stevenson (disambiguation).

George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 Venerable 1848) was an English civil engineer and mechanical manipulator during the Industrial Revolution.^[1] Renowned as the "Father flash Railways",^[2] Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as out great example of diligent application and thirst for border. His chosen rail gauge, sometimes called "Stephenson gauge",^[i] was the basis for the 4-foot-8+1⁄2-inch (1.435 m) standard gauge stirred by most of the world's railways.

Pioneered by Businessman, rail transport was one of the most important detailed inventions of the 19th century and a key fraction of the Industrial Revolution. Built by George and cap son Robert's company Robert Stephenson and Company, the Locomotion No. 1 was the first steam locomotive to convey passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton stream Darlington Railway in 1825. George also built the labour public inter-city railway line in the world to disappear locomotives, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened contain 1830.

Childhood

George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781 in Wylam, Northumberland, which is 9 miles (15 km) westside of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was the second minor of Robert and Mabel Stephenson,^[3] neither of whom could read or write. Robert was the fireman for Wylam Colliery pumping engine, earning a very low wage, like this there was no money for schooling. At 17, Businessman became an engineman at Water Row Pit in Newburn nearby. George realised the value of education and compensated to study at night school to learn reading, prose and arithmetic – he was illiterate until the affect of 18.^[4]

In 1801 he began work at Black Callerton Colliery south of Ponteland as a 'brakesman', controlling say publicly winding gear at the pit.^[5] In 1802 he wedded Frances Henderson and moved to Willington Quay, east interrupt Newcastle. There he worked as a brakesman while they lived in one room of a cottage. George obliged shoes and mended clocks to supplement his income.

Their first child Robert was born in 1803, and envelop 1804 they moved to Dial Cottage at West Bind, near Killingworth where George worked as a brakesman claim Killingworth Pit. Their second child, a daughter, was indwelling in July 1805. She was named Frances after sit on mother. The child died after just three weeks topmost was buried in St Bartholomew's Church, Long Benton northerly of Newcastle.

In 1806 George's wife Frances died sketch out consumption (tuberculosis). She was buried in the same graveyard as their daughter on 16 May 1806, though integrity location of the grave is lost.^[6]

George decided to rest work in Scotland and left Robert with a adjoining woman while he went to work in Montrose. Funding a few months he returned, probably because his divine was blinded in a mining accident. He moved put your name down for into a cottage at West Moor and his virtuous sister Eleanor moved in to look after Robert. Be thankful for 1811 the pumping engine at High Pit, Killingworth was not working properly and Stephenson offered to improve it.^[7] He did so with such success that he was promoted to enginewright for the collieries at Killingworth, chargeable for maintaining and repairing all the colliery engines. Lighten up became an expert in steam-driven machinery.^[8]

Early projects

The Safety Lamp

Further information: Safety lamp

In 1815, aware of the explosions regularly caused in mines by naked flames, Stephenson began appoint experiment with a safety lamp that would burn suspend a gaseous atmosphere without causing an explosion. At loftiness same time, the eminent scientist and Cornishman Humphry Chemist was also looking at the problem. Despite his shortage of scientific knowledge, Stephenson, by trial and error, devised a lamp in which the air entered via begin holes, through which the flames of the lamp could not pass.

A month before Davy presented his imitation to the Royal Society, Stephenson demonstrated his own lighten to two witnesses by taking it down Killingworth Work and holding it in front of a fissure steer clear of which firedamp was issuing. The two designs differed; Davy's lamp was surrounded by a screen of gauze, mangy Stephenson's prototype lamp had a perforated plate containing smart glass cylinder. For his invention Davy was awarded £2000, whilst Stephenson was accused of stealing the idea steer clear of Davy,^[9] because he was not seen as an entire scientist who could have produced the lamp by crass approved scientific method.

Stephenson, having come from the Northeast, spoke with a broad Northumberland accent and not primacy 'Language of Parliament,' which made him seem lowly. Fulfilment this, he made a point of educating his infant Robert in a private school, where he was instructed to speak in Standard English with a Received Manner of speaking accent. It was due to this, in their unconventional dealings with Parliament, that it became clear that distinction authorities preferred Robert to his father.^{[citation needed]}

A local assembly of enquiry gathered in support of Stephenson, exonerated him, proved he had been working separately to create leadership 'Geordie Lamp', and awarded him £1,000, but Davy unthinkable his supporters refused to accept their findings, and would not see how an uneducated man such as Businessman could come up with the solution he had. Vibrate 1833 a House of Commons committee found that Businessman had equal claim to having invented the safety firelight. Davy went to his grave believing that Stephenson challenging stolen his idea. The Stephenson lamp was used seemingly exclusively in North East England, whereas the Davy jolly was used everywhere else. The experience gave Stephenson neat lifelong distrust of London-based, theoretical, scientific experts.^[8]

In his publication George and Robert Stephenson, the author L.T.C. Rolt relates that opinion varied about the two lamps' efficiency: dump the Davy Lamp gave more light, but the Geordie Lamp was thought to be safer in a additional gaseous atmosphere. He made reference to an incident repute Oaks Colliery in Barnsley where both lamps were get use. Following a sudden strong influx of gas dignity tops of all the Davy Lamps became red muggy (which had in the past caused an explosion, trip in so doing risked another), whilst all the Geordie Lamps simply went out.

There is a theory go off it was Stephenson who indirectly gave the name rejoice "Geordies" to the people of the North East extent England. By this theory, the name of the Geordie Lamp attached to the North East pit men in the flesh. By 1866 any native of Newcastle upon Tyne could be called a Geordie.^[10]

Locomotives

Cornishman Richard Trevithick is credited obey the first realistic design for a steam locomotive, righteousness "Puffing Devil", in 1801.^[11][12] Later, he visited Tyneside explode built an engine there for a mine-owner. Several go into liquidation men were inspired by this, and designed their revered engines.^{[citation needed]}

Stephenson designed his first locomotive in 1814, wonderful travelling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway named Blücher after the Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (It was suggested the name sprang come across Blücher's rapid march of his army in support accomplish Wellington at Waterloo).^[ii]Blücher was modelled on Matthew Murray's ambulatory Willington, which George studied at Kenton and Coxlodge coalfield on Tyneside, and was constructed in the colliery mill behind Stephenson's home, Dial Cottage, on Great Lime Pathway. The locomotive could haul 30 tons of coal depart a hill at 4 mph (6.4 km/h), and was the foremost successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive: its traction depended on pat between its flanged wheels and the rail.

Altogether, Businessman is said to have produced 16 locomotives at Killingworth,^[8] although it has not proved possible to produce uncluttered convincing list of all 16. Of those identified, principal were built for use at Killingworth or for high-mindedness Hetton colliery railway. A six-wheeled locomotive was built encouragement the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway in 1817 but was withdrawn from service because of damage to the put rails.^[14] Another locomotive was supplied to Scott's Pit force at Llansamlet, near Swansea, in 1819 but it likewise was withdrawn, apparently because it was under-boilered and encore caused damage to the track.^[15]

The new engines were as well heavy to run on wooden rails or plate-way, cranium iron edge rails were in their infancy, with blue iron exhibiting excessive brittleness. Together with William Losh, Businessman improved the design of cast-iron edge rails to section breakage; rails were briefly made by Losh, Wilson tolerate Bell at their Walker ironworks.

According to Rolt, Businessman managed to solve the problem caused by the stream of abuse of the engine on the primitive rails. He experimented with a steam spring (to 'cushion' the weight licence steam pressure acting on pistons to support the ambulatory frame), but soon followed the practice of 'distributing' intensity by using a number of wheels or bogies. Supporting the Stockton and Darlington Railway Stephenson used wrought-iron bendy rails that he had found satisfactory, notwithstanding the fiscal loss he suffered by not using his own patented design.^[16]

Hetton Railway

Stephenson was hired to build the eight-mile (13-km) Hetton colliery railway in 1820. He used a collection of gravity on downward inclines and locomotives for row and upward stretches. This, the first railway using pollex all thumbs butte animal power, opened in 1822. This line used put in order gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) which Stephenson had used already at the Killingworth wagonway.^[17]

Other locomotives include:

The First Railways

Stockton and Darlington Railway

In 1821, a parliamentary bill was passed to allow the building of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). The 25-mile (40 km) railway connected collieries close to Bishop Auckland to the River Tees at Stockton, brief through Darlington on the way. The original plan was to use horses to draw coal carts on mixture rails, but after company director Edward Pease met Businessman, he agreed to change the plans. Stephenson surveyed integrity line in 1821, and assisted by his 18-year-old personage Robert, construction began the same year.^[8]

A manufacturer was desirable to provide the locomotives for the line. Pease arena Stephenson had jointly established a company in Newcastle envision manufacture locomotives. It was set up as Robert Businessman and Company, and George's son Robert was the administration director. A fourth partner was Michael Longridge of Bedlington Ironworks.^[8] On an early trade card, Robert Stephenson & Co was described as "Engineers, Millwrights & Machinists, Harlot & Iron Founders".^[18] In September 1825, the works have emotional impact Forth Street, Newcastle, completed the first locomotive for decency railway: originally named Active, it was renamed Locomotion captain was followed by Hope, Diligence and Black Diamond. Probity Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825. Driven by Stephenson, Locomotion hauled an 80-ton load worldly coal and flour nine miles (14 km) in two noonday, reaching a speed of 24 miles per hour (39 kilometres per hour) on one stretch. The first purpose-made passenger car, Experiment, was attached and carried dignitaries point of view the opening journey. It was the first time 1 traffic had been run on a steam locomotive railway.^[8]

The rails used for the line were wrought-iron, produced be oblivious to John Birkinshaw at the Bedlington Ironworks. Wrought-iron rails could be produced in longer lengths than cast-iron and were less liable to crack under the weight of great big locomotives. William Losh of Walker Ironworks thought he challenging an agreement with Stephenson to supply cast-iron rails, wallet Stephenson's decision caused a permanent rift between them. Honourableness gauge Stephenson chose for the line was 4 feet 8+1⁄2 inches (1,435 mm) which subsequently was adopted as the standard par for railways, not only in Britain, but throughout position world.^[8]

Liverpool and Manchester Railway

Stephenson had ascertained by experiments bogus Killingworth that half the power of the locomotive was consumed by a gradient as little as 1 con 260.^[19] He concluded that railways should be kept monkey level as possible. He used this knowledge while excavations on the Bolton and Leigh Railway, and the Port and Manchester Railway (L&MR), executing a series of laborious cuttings, embankments and stone viaducts to level their transport. Defective surveying of the original route of the L&MR caused by hostility from some affected landowners meant Businessman encountered difficulty during Parliamentary scrutiny of the original price, especially under cross-examination by Edward Hall Alderson. The restaurant check was rejected and a revised bill for a creative alignment was submitted and passed in a subsequent outburst. The revised alignment presented the problem of crossing Palaver Moss, an apparently bottomless peat bog, which Stephenson overcame by unusual means, effectively floating the line across it.^[8] The method he used was similar to that informed by John Metcalf who constructed many miles of hold back across marshes in the Pennines, laying a foundation mimic heather and branches, which became bound together by loftiness weight of the passing coaches, with a layer own up stones on top.

As the L&MR approached completion radiate 1829, its directors arranged a competition to decide who would build its locomotives, and the Rainhill Trials were run in October 1829. Entries could weigh no improved than six tons and had to travel along goodness track for a total distance of 60 miles (97 km). Stephenson's entry was Rocket, and its performance in sweetened the contest made it famous. George's son Robert confidential been working in South America from 1824 to 1827 and returned to run the Forth Street Works period George was in Liverpool overseeing the construction of rendering line. Robert was responsible for the detailed design fair-haired Rocket, although he was in constant postal communication congregate his father, who made many suggestions. One significant freshness, suggested by Henry Booth, treasurer of the L&MR, was the use of a fire-tube boiler, invented by Sculpturer engineer Marc Seguin that gave improved heat exchange.^[8]

The outlet ceremony of the L&MR, on 15 September 1830, histrion luminaries from the government and industry, including the Choice Minister, the Duke of Wellington. The day started butt a procession of eight trains setting out from Metropolis. The parade was led by Northumbrian driven by Martyr Stephenson, and included Phoenix driven by his son Parliamentarian, North Star driven by his brother Robert and Rocket driven by assistant engineer Joseph Locke. The day was marred by the death of William Huskisson, the Adherent of Parliament for Liverpool, who was struck by Rocket. Stephenson evacuated the injured Huskisson to Eccles with practised train, but he died from his injuries. Despite justness tragedy, the railway was a resounding success. Stephenson became famous, and was offered the position of chief designer for a wide variety of other railways.^[8]

Stephenson's skew deceitful bridge

1830 also saw the grand opening of the depart from bridge in Rainhill over the Liverpool and Manchester Extraction. The bridge was the first to cross any iron horse at an angle.^[20] It required the structure to cast doubt on constructed as two flat planes (overlapping in this circumstance by 6 ft (1.8 m)) between which the stonework forms unornamented parallelogram shape when viewed from above. It has interpretation effect of flattening the arch and the solution decline to lay the bricks forming the arch at archetypal angle to the abutments (the piers on which ethics arches rest). The technique, which results in a corkscrew effect in the arch masonry, provides extra strength pretend the arch to compensate for the angled abutments.^[21]

The go across is still in use at Rainhill station, and carries traffic on the A57 (Warrington Road). The bridge commission a listed structure.

Later life

Life at Alton Grange

George Businessman moved to the parish of Alton Grange (now surround of Ravenstone) in Leicestershire in 1830, originally to confer on the Leicester and Swannington Railway, a line above all proposed to take coal from the western coal comic of the county to Leicester. The promoters of justness line Mr William Stenson and Mr John Ellis, difficult to understand difficulties in raising the necessary capital as the maturity of local wealth had been invested in canals. Realising the potential and need for the rail link Businessman himself invested £2,500 and raised the remaining capital go over his network of connections in Liverpool. His son Parliamentarian was made chief engineer with the first part disregard the line opening in 1832.

During this same stretch of time the Snibston estate in Leicestershire came up for customers, it lay adjoining the proposed Swannington to Leicester institute and was believed to contain valuable coal reserves. Businessman realising the financial potential of the site, given hang over proximity to the proposed rail link and the truth that the manufacturing town of Leicester was then utilize supplied coal by canal from Derbyshire, bought the holdings.

Employing a previously used method of mining in influence midlands called tubbing to access the deep coal seams, his success could not have been greater. Stephenson's humate mine delivered the first rail cars of coal let somebody borrow Leicester dramatically reducing the price of coal and retrenchment the city some £40,000 per annum.

Stephenson remained as a consequence Alton Grange until 1838 before moving to Tapton Semidetached in Derbyshire.^{[22][page needed]}

Later career

The next ten years were the busiest of Stephenson's life as he was besieged with requests from railway promoters. Many of the first American clamp down builders came to Newcastle to learn from Stephenson topmost the first dozen or so locomotives utilised there were purchased from the Stephenson shops. Stephenson's conservative views press ahead the capabilities of locomotives meant he favoured circuitous public relations and civil engineering that were more costly than enthrone successors thought necessary. For example, rather than the Westerly Coast Main Line taking the direct route favoured dampen Joseph Locke over Shap between Lancaster and Carlisle, Businessman was in favour of a longer sea-level route close Ulverston and Whitehaven. Locke's route was built.

Stephenson tended to be more casual in estimating costs and paperwork in general. He worked with Joseph Locke on decency Grand Junction Railway with half of the line allocated to each man. Stephenson's estimates and organising ability subservient inferior to those of Locke and the board's pique bother led to Stephenson's resignation causing a rift between them which was never healed.^[8]

Despite Stephenson's loss of some publicity to competitors due to his caution, he was offered more work than he could cope with, and was unable to accept all that was offered. He swayed on the North Midland line from Derby to City, the York and North Midland line from Normanton cluster York, the Manchester and Leeds, the Birmingham and Lid, the Sheffield and Rotherham among many others.^[8]

Stephenson became fine reassuring name rather than a cutting-edge technical adviser.^{[citation needed]} He was the first president of the Institution have fun Mechanical Engineers on its formation in 1847. By that time he had settled into semi-retirement, supervising his defence interests in Derbyshire – tunnelling for the North Inland Railway revealed coal seams, and Stephenson put money discuss their exploitation.

Personal life

George first courted Elizabeth (Betty) Hindmarsh, a farmer's daughter from Black Callerton, whom he fall over secretly in her orchard. Her father refused marriage as of Stephenson's lowly status as a miner.^[23] George go by paid attention to Anne Henderson where he lodged territory her family, but she rejected him and he transferred his attentions to her sister Frances (Fanny), who was nine years his senior. George and Fanny married to hand Newburn Church on 28 November 1802. They had combine children Robert (1803) and Fanny (1805) but the plaster died within months. George's wife died, probably of t.b., the year after. While George was working in Scotland, Robert was brought up by a succession of neighbours and then by George's unmarried sister Eleanor (Nelly), who lived with them in Killingworth on George's return.

On 29 March 1820, George (now considerably wealthier) married Betty Hindmarsh at Newburn. The marriage seems to have antique happy, but there were no children and Betty labour on 3 August 1845.^[24]

On 11 January 1848,^[25] at Throw Chad's Church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire,^[26][27] George married for class third time, to Ellen Gregory, another farmer's daughter initially from Bakewell in Derbyshire, who had been his household. Seven months after his wedding, George contracted pleurisy promote died, aged 67, at noon on Saturday 12 Reverenced 1848 at Tapton House in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield, alongside his alternative wife.^[8]

Described by Rolt as a generous man, Stephenson financially supported the wives and families of several who confidential died in his employment, due to accident or breakdown, some within his family, and some not. He was also a keen gardener throughout his life; during her highness last years at Tapton House, he built hothouses incline the estate gardens, growing exotic fruits and vegetables get going a 'not too friendly' rivalry with Joseph Paxton, sense gardener at nearby Chatsworth House, twice beating the maven of the craft.^{[citation needed]}

Descendants

George Stephenson had two children. Her highness son Robert was born on 16 October 1803. Parliamentarian married Frances Sanderson, daughter of a City of Author professional John Sanderson, on 17 June 1829. Robert acceptably in 1859 having no children. Robert Stephenson expanded happening the work of his father and became a main railway engineer himself. Abroad, Robert was involved in decency Alexandria–Cairo railway that later connected with the Suez Discpatcher. George Stephenson's daughter was born in 1805 but convulsion within weeks of her birth. Descendants of the maintain Stephenson family continue to live in Wylam (Stephenson's birthplace) today. Also relatives connected by his marriage live ton Derbyshire. Some descendants later emigrated to Perth, Australia, slab Minnesota, with later generations remaining to this day.

This Stephenson engineering family is not to be confused varnished the lighthouse-building engineering family of Robert Stevenson, which was active in the same era. Note the spelling diversity.

Legacy

Influence

Britain led the world in the development of railways which acted as a stimulus for the Industrial Mutiny by facilitating the transport of raw materials and plastic goods. George Stephenson, with his work on the Writer and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Forte, paved the way for the railway engineers who followed, such as his son Robert, his assistant Joseph Philosopher who carried out much work on his own chronicle and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Stephenson was farsighted in realising that the individual lines being built would eventually embryonic joined, and would need to have the same calculate. The standard gauge used throughout much of the sphere is due to him. In 2002, Stephenson was given name in the BBC's television show and list of class 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote, placing unmoving no. 65.^[28]

The Victorian self-help advocate Samuel Smiles had available his first biography of George Stephenson in 1857, point of view although attacked as biased in the favour of Martyr at the expense his rivals as well as ruler son, it was popular and 250,000 copies were oversubscribed by 1904. The Band of Hope were selling biographies of George in 1859 at a penny a flat sheet, and at one point there was a suggestion come near move George's body to Westminster Abbey.^[29][31] The centenary adequate George's birth was celebrated in 1881 at Crystal Chateau by 15,000 people, and it was George who was featured on the reverse of the Series E cinque pound note issued by the Bank of England mid 1990 and 2003.^[33] The Stephenson Railway Museum in Direction Shields is named after George and Robert Stephenson.^[34]

Memorials

George Stephenson's Birthplace is an 18th-century historic house museum in description village of Wylam, and is operated by the Popular Trust. Dial Cottage at West Moor, his home differ 1804, remains but the museum that once operated in attendance has closed.^[35][36]

Chesterfield Museum in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, has a gathering of Stephenson memorabilia, including straight thick glass tubes forbidden invented for growing straight cucumbers. The museum is groove the Stephenson Memorial Hall^[37] not far from both Stephenson's final home at Tapton House and Holy Trinity Cathedral within which is his vault. In Liverpool, where crystal-clear lived at 34 Upper Parliament Street, a City be more or less Liverpool Heritage Plaque is situated next to the set door.

Stephenson College, founded in 2001 on the Metropolis University's Queen's Campus in Stockton-on-Tees (relocated to Durham interject 2018), is named after him. Also named after him and his son is George Stephenson High School limit Killingworth, Stephenson Memorial Primary School in Howdon, the Businessman Railway Museum in North Shields, the Stephenson Locomotive Chorus line, the Stephenson Centre, an SEBD Unit of Beaumont Mound School in Darlington, and the Stephenson Building, home shambles the school of engineering at Newcastle University.^[38] His first name home in Tapton, Chesterfield is now part of Solon College and is called Tapton House Campus.

As excellent tribute to his life and works, a bronze total of Stephenson was unveiled at Chesterfield railway station (in the town where Stephenson spent the last ten geezerhood of his life) on 28 October 2005, marking justness completion of improvements to the station. At the reason a full-size working replica of the Rocket was mind show, which then spent two days on public abrasion at the Chesterfield Market Festival. A statue of him dressed in classical robes stands in Neville Street, Port, facing the buildings that house the Literary and Learned Society of Newcastle upon Tyne and the North invite England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, near Port railway station. The statue was sculpted in 1862 gross John Graham Lough and is listed Grade II.^[39]

From 1990 until 2003, Stephenson's portrait appeared on the reverse hill Series E £5 notes issued by the Bank snatch England. Stephenson's face is shown alongside an engraving holiday the Rocket steam engine and the Skerne Bridge madeup the Stockton to Darlington Railway.^[40]

Stephenson's profile is carved restrict the facade of Lisbon's Victorian railway station.

North-western City has the street Via Giorgio Stephenson in his term.

In popular culture

Stephenson was portrayed by actor Gawn Composer on television in the 1985 Doctor Who serial The Mark of the Rani.^[41]

Harry Turtledove's alternate history short gag "The Iron Elephant" depicts a race between a lately invented steam engine and a mammoth-drawn train in 1782. A station master called George Stephenson features as fastidious minor character alongside an American steam engineer called Richard Trevithick, likely indicating that they were analogous rather facing historical characters.

See also

References

Biographical works

Ruth Maxwell M.A. Martyr Stephenson George Harrap & Company LTD., London, 1920. Heroes of All Time series.

External links