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Rail Steam and Speed The Rocket & the birth of steam locomotives by McGowan SC
Rail Steam and Speed The Rocket & the birth of steam locomotives by Christopher McGowan Soft Cover UNCORRECTED PROOF 2004 380 pages indexed
On October 6th, 1829, in a small village just outside Liverpool, England, ten thousand spectators gathered to witness one of the most remarkable events of the Industrial Age: a battle among locomotives that became known as the Rainhill Trials. The competition that captured the public's imagination was staged by the fledgling Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company, which sought to capitalize on the growing population and industry in the region. As the thirty-five-mile track between the towns neared completion, the company wanted to find a locomotive design that could satisfy its needs for both speed and dependability. A staggering prize of five-hundred pounds, as well as a contract to supply engines to the company, was offered to the locomotive that could maintain a speed of at least 10 mph.
Five machines were entered in the competition, but Thomas Brandreth's horse-powered Cycloped attained a top speed of only 5 mph, while Timothy Burstall's Perseverance-which looked like a giant, iron bottle standing upright atop four wagon wheels-creaked along at a walking pace. But the three-way race between Robert Stephenson's Rocket, Timothy Harworth's Sans Pareil, and the crowd favorite, John Braithwaite and John Ericsson's Novelty, astonished the gathered crowds. Over several days, in a carnival-like atmosphere, spectators were thrilled by the unfamiliar clank of machinery, huge billows of steam, and unprecedented speeds of 30 mph.
Bringing the excitement of this great drama to life, Christopher McGowen recounts not only the Rainhill competition but also the origins of modern transportation, richly texturing his account with social and engineering history, character sketches, and fascinating anecdotes. Rail, Steam, and Speed describes the evolution of the steam locomotives, how they work and were developed, as well how they revolutionized transportation and helped stoke the furnaces of the Industrial Revolution.
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