Editing Rainhill trials

{{short description|Locomotive motive power competition (1829)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
[[File:Rainhill Trials in the Illustrated London News.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Later conjectural drawing of the Rainhill trials. In the foreground is ''Rocket'' and in the background are ''Sans Pareil'' (right) and ''Novelty''.]]

The '''Rainhill trials''' were a competition run from 6 to 14 October 1829, to test [[George Stephenson]]'s argument that [[locomotive]]s would have the best [[propulsion system|motive power]] for the then nearly-completed [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]] (L&MR).{{sfn|Cleveland-Stevens|1915|pp=6–7}} Ten locomotives were entered, of which five were able to compete, running along a {{convert|1|mi|km}} length of level track at [[Rainhill]], in [[Lancashire]] (now [[Merseyside]]).

[[Stephenson's Rocket]] was the only locomotive to complete the trials, and was declared the winner. The directors of the L&MR accepted that locomotives should operate services on their new line, and George and [[Robert Stephenson]] were given the contract to produce locomotives for the railway.

==Background==
The directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had originally intended to use [[stationary steam engine]]s to haul trains along the railway using [[cable railway|cables]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batrak |first=Oleksandr  |date=2020-10-22 |title=The Rainhill Trials of locomotives |url=https://www.railway.supply/en/the-rainhill-trials-of-locomotives/ |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=Railway Supply |language=en-US}}</ref> They had appointed George Stephenson as their engineer of the line in 1826, and he strongly advocated for the use of steam locomotives instead.{{sfn|Cleveland-Stevens|1915|pp=6–7}} As the railway was approaching completion, the directors decided to hold a competition to decide whether locomotives could be used to pull the trains; these became the Rainhill trials.{{Sfn|Wolmar|2008|p=36}} A prize of £500 (equal to £{{Inflation|UK|500|1829|fmt=commas}} today) was offered to the winner of the trials.{{sfn|Ferneyhough|1980|p=44}}

Three engineers were selected as judges: [[John Urpeth Rastrick]], a locomotive engineer of [[Stourbridge]]; [[Nicholas Wood]], a mining engineer from [[Killingworth]] with considerable locomotive design experience; and [[John Kennedy (manufacturer)|John Kennedy]], a [[Manchester]] cotton spinner and a major proponent of the railway.{{Sfn|Carlson|1969|p=219}}

== Rules ==
The L&MR company set the rules for the trials. The rules went through several revisions; the final set, under which the competition was held, was:

{{blockquote|"The weight of the Locomotive Engine, with its full complement of water in the boiler, shall be ascertained at the Weighing Machine, by eight o'clock in the morning, and the load assigned to it shall be three times the weight thereof. The water in the boiler shall be cold, and there shall be no fuel in the fireplace. As much fuel shall be weighed, and as much water shall be measured and delivered into the [[Tender (rail)|Tender Carriage]], as the owner of the Engine may consider sufficient for the supply of the Engine for a journey of thirty-five miles. The fire in the boiler shall then be lighted, and the quantity of fuel consumed for getting up the steam shall be determined, and the time noted."}}
{{blockquote|"The Tender Carriage, with the fuel and water, shall be considered to be, and taken as a part of the load assigned to the Engine."}}
{{blockquote|"Those engines which carry their own fuel and water, shall be allowed a proportionate deduction from their load, according to the weight of the Engine."}}
{{blockquote|"The Engine, with the carriages attached to it, shall be run by hand up to the Starting Post, and as soon as the steam is got up to fifty pounds per square inch ({{convert|50|psi|bar|disp=output only|sigfig=2}}), the engine shall set out upon its journey."}}
{{blockquote|"The distance the Engine shall perform each trip shall be one mile and three quarters ({{convert|1.75|mi|km|disp=output only|sigfig=2}}) each way, including one-eighth of a mile ({{convert|0.125|mi|m|disp=output only|sigfig=2}}) at each end for getting up the speed and for stopping the train; by this means the Engine, with its load, will travel one and a-half mile ({{convert|1.5|mi|km|disp=output only|sigfig=2}}) each way at full speed."}}
{{blockquote|"The Engines shall make ten trips, which will be equal to a journey of {{convert|35|mi}}; {{convert|30|mi|km|spell=in}} whereof shall be performed at full speed, and the average rate of travelling shall not be less than ten miles per hour ({{convert|10|mph|km/h|disp=output only|sigfig=2}})."{{efn|The only other passenger railway in the world at that time, the [[Stockton and Darlington Railway]], had an average speed of only about {{convert|8|mph|km/h}}.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}}}}}

{{blockquote|"As soon as the Engine has performed this task (which will be equal to the travelling from Liverpool to Manchester), there shall be a fresh supply of fuel and water delivered to her; and, as soon as she can be got ready to set out again, she shall go up to the Starting Post, and make ten trips more, which will be equal to the journey from Manchester back again to Liverpool."}}
{{blockquote|"The time of performing every trip shall be accurately noted, as well as the time occupied in getting ready to set out on the second journey."<ref>{{Cite book
 | last1 = Stephenson
 | first1 = Robert
 | author-link = Robert Stephenson
 | last2 = Locke
 | first2 = Joseph
 | author2-link = Joseph Locke
 | chapter = Account of the Competition for Locomotive Engines
 | publication-date = 1831
 | date = February 1830
 | title = Observations on the Comparative Merits of Locomotive and Fixed Engines as Applied to Railways
 | publication-place = Philadelphia
 | place = Liverpool
 | publisher = Carey & Lea
 | pages = 107
 | url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/StephensonLocke_L&M1831.pdf
 | access-date = 2008-08-30
}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote|"The gauge of the railway to be {{railgauge|ussg}}."}}

== Entries ==
Ten locomotives were officially entered for the trials, but on the day the competition began – 6 October 1829 – only five were available to run:<ref>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in World History |volume=3 |first=Kenneth E. |last=Hendrickson, III |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |date=25 November 2014}}</ref>

*''[[Cycloped]]'', a horse-powered locomotive built by [[Thomas Shaw Brandreth]].
*''[[Novelty (locomotive)|Novelty]]'', the world's first [[tank locomotive]], built by [[John Ericsson]] and [[John Braithwaite (engineer)|John Braithwaite]].
*''[[Perseverance (Rainhill Trials)|Perseverance]]'', a [[vertical boiler]]ed locomotive, built by [[Timothy Burstall]].
*''[[Stephenson's Rocket|Rocket]]'', designed by [[George Stephenson|George]] and [[Robert Stephenson]]; built by [[Robert Stephenson and Company]].
*''[[Sans Pareil]]'', built by [[Timothy Hackworth]].{{sfn|Wolmar|2008|p=36}}

{{gallery
|align=center
|title=The entrants at the Rainhill trials
|width=200 | height=150
|File:Cycloped horse-powered locomotive.jpg |Brandreth's ''[[Cycloped]]''
|File:Novelty locomotive.jpg |Ericsson and Braithwaite's ''[[Novelty (locomotive)|Novelty]]''
|File:Perseverance locomotive.jpg |Burstall's ''[[Perseverance (Rainhill Trials)|Perseverance]]''
|File:Stephenson's Rocket drawing.jpg |[[Stephenson's Rocket|Stephenson's ''Rocket'']]
|File:Sans Pareil.jpg |Hackworth's ''[[Sans Pareil]]''
}}

== Competition ==
The length of the L&MR that ran past Rainhill village was straight and level for over {{convert|1|mi|km}}, and was chosen as the site for the trials. The locomotives were to run at Kenrick's Cross, on the mile east from the Manchester side of Rainhill Bridge.<ref name=dickson/> Two or three locomotives ran each day, and several tests for each locomotive were performed over the course of six days.{{sfn|Wolmar|2008|p=36}} Between 10,000 and 15,000 people turned up to watch the trials, and bands provided musical entertainment.<ref name=dickson/>

''[[Cycloped]]'' was the first to drop out of the competition. It used a horse walking on a drive belt for power and was withdrawn after an accident caused the horse to burst through the floor of the engine.

The next locomotive to retire was ''[[Perseverance (Rainhill Trials)|Perseverance]]'', which was damaged in transit to the competition. Burstall spent the first five days of the trials repairing his locomotive, and though it ran on the sixth day, it failed to reach the required {{convert|10|mi/h|km/h}} speed and was withdrawn from the trial. It was granted a £25 consolation prize (equal to £{{Inflation|UK|25|1829|fmt=commas}} today).

''[[Sans Pareil]]'' nearly completed the trials, though at first there was some doubt as to whether it would be allowed to compete as it was {{convert|300|lb|kg}} overweight. It completed eight trips before cracking a cylinder. Despite the failure it was purchased by the L&MR, where it ran for two years before being leased to the [[Bolton and Leigh Railway]].

The last locomotive to drop out was ''[[Novelty (locomotive)|Novelty]]'' which used advanced technology for the time, and was lighter and considerably faster than the other locomotives in the competition. It was the crowd favourite and reached a then-astonishing {{convert|28|mph}} on the first day of competition.<ref name="dickson">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wERJAAAAYAAJ |title=Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives Manufactured by the Dickson Manufacturing Company |date= |publisher=M. B. Brown, printer |year=1886 |pages=261-262}}</ref> It later suffered damage to a boiler pipe which could not be fixed properly on site. Nevertheless, it ran the next day and reached {{convert|15|mph}} before the repaired pipe failed and damaged the engine severely enough that it had to be withdrawn.

The ''[[Stephenson's Rocket|Rocket]]'' was the only locomotive that completed the trials. It averaged {{convert|12|mph}} and achieved a top speed of {{convert|30|mph}}) hauling 13 tons, and was declared the winner of the £500 prize (equal to £{{Inflation|UK|500|1829|fmt=commas}} today). The Stephensons were given the contract to produce locomotives for the L&MR.<ref name="Wolmar, Fire and Steam, 36-37" >[[#Wolmar, Fire and Steam|Wolmar, Fire and Steam]], pp.&nbsp;36–37</ref>

''[[The Times]]'' carried a full report of the trials on 12 October 1829 from which the following extract are taken:

{{blockquote|THURSDAY – THIRD DAY: Mr. Stephenson's engine, "The Rocket," weighing 4 tons 3 cwt., performed, to-day, the work required by the original conditions. The following is a correct account of the performance: The engine, with its complement of water, weighed 4 tons 5 cwt., and the load attached to it was 12 tons 15 cwt., and, with a few persons who rode, made it about 13 tons. The Journey was 1.21 mile each way, with an additional length of 220 yards at each end to stop the engine in, making in one Journey 3[?] miles. The first experiment was of 35 miles, which is exactly ten journeys, and, including all the stoppages at the ends, was performed in 3 hours and 10 minutes, being upwards of 11 miles an hour. After this a fresh supply of water was taken in, which occupied 16 minutes, when the engine again started, and ran 35 miles in 2 hours and 52 minutes, which is upwards of 12 miles an hour, including all stoppages. The speed of the engine, with its load when in full motion, was from 14 to 17 miles an hour; and had the whole distance been in one continuing direction, there is no doubt but the result would have been 16 miles an hour. The consumption of coke was very moderate, not exceeding half a ton in the whole 70 miles. At several parts of the journey the engine moved at 18 miles an hour.

SATURDAY – FIFTH DAY: In the expectation of witnessing the Novelty perform its appointed task, the attendance of company on the ground was more numerous today than it had been on several of the preceding days. Three times its own weight having been attached to the engine, the machine commenced its task, and performed it at the rate of 16 miles in the hour. Mr. Stephenson's engine, the Rocket, also exhibited today. Its tender was completely detached from it, and the engine alone shot along the road at the almost incredible rate of 32 miles in the hour. So astonishing was the celerity with which the engine, without its apparatus, darted past the spectators, that it could be compared to nothing but the rapidity with which the swallow darts through the air. Their astonishment was complete, every one exclaiming involuntarily, "The power of steam".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anon |title=Trial of locomotive carriages |work=The Times |publisher=Times Newspapers Limited |date=12 October 1829}}</ref>}}

==Additional trials==
After the Rainhill trials, ''Rocket'' was tested on the Whiston Incline and was able to haul eight tons at {{Convert|16|mph|kph}} and 12 tons at {{Convert|12+1/2|mph|kph}} up the 1:96 gradient.{{Sfn|Dawson|2018|p=74}}

==Re-enactments==
=== ''Rocket'' 150 ===
{{Commons category|Rocket 150}}
In May 1980, the ''Rocket 150'' celebration was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the trials the year before.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sthelenscommunityarchive.org.uk/item/1504/Rocket_150_Rainhill_event_poster| title = Event poster}}</ref>

A replica of ''Novelty'' was built for the event, which was also attended by replicas of ''Sans Pareil'' and ''Rocket'' (plus coach). On the first day of the Trials, the Rocket came off the rails as it was exiting the [[Bold, St Helens#Economy|Bold Colliery]] sidings and buckled the rim of one of its large drive wheels. That evening, senior staff from a [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]] road transport company met a former colleague of the builder of the Rocket replica at a Liverpool hotel and agreed that, in the early hours of the following morning, they would urgently manufacture some steel parts (wedges) in their nearby workshops, to fix the bent drive wheel before the second day's parade commenced.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 1980 |editor-last=Slater |editor-first=J.N. |title=Repairs to "Rocket" replica |magazine=Railway Magazine |location=London |publisher=IPC Transport Press |volume=126 |issue=951 |page=349 |pages=}}</ref> At the same time, British Rail agreed to put a team of staff into the sidings at Bold to straighten the bent rails. Both activities were achieved on time and the Rocket ran successfully on the following two days of the Trials, though ''Sans Pareil'' was pushed by ''Lion'' and ''Novelty'' was on a wagon hauled by [[LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 5000]]. As the line was then not electrified, the [[Advanced Passenger Train]] was also pushed, but by the latest diesel, [[British Rail Class 56#EWS|Class 56]], 077.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kingston |first=Patrick |date=July 1980 |title=An impression of "Rocket" 150 |magazine=Railway Magazine |volume=126 |pages=313–317}}</ref>

The 'Grand Cavalcade' on each of the three days featured up to 40 steam and diesel locomotives and other examples of modern traction,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.edgehillstation.co.uk/resources/rocket-150-grand-cavalcade/| title = Rocket 150 event leaflet}}</ref> including:
* ''[[LMR 57 Lion|Lion]]'', at the time of ''Rocket'' 150 the oldest operable steam locomotive in existence<br>(The British-built US locomotive [[John Bull (locomotive)|''John Bull'']], seven years older, was steamed again in 1981)
* ''[[LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3|LNER Class A3]] 4-6-2 No. 4472 [[Flying Scotsman (locomotive)|Flying Scotsman]]''
* [[LMS Jubilee Class|LMS 5XP Jubilee Class]] 4-6-0 No. 5690 ''[[LMS Jubilee Class 5690 Leander|Leander]]''
* ''[[LNER Class A4]] 4-6-2 No. 4498 [[LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley|Sir Nigel Gresley]]'' 
* ''[[LNER Class V2]] 2-6-2 [[LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow|No. 4471 Green Arrow]]''
* [[GWR 2251 Class|GWR 2551 Collett Goods]] 0-No. 3205
* [[LMS Ivatt Class 4]] 2-6-0 No. 43106
* [[BR Standard Class 9F]] 2-10-0 [[BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star|No. 92220 'Evening Star]]', the last steam locomotive to be built by British Railways
* [[LMS Princess Royal Class]] 4-6-2 [[LMS Princess Royal Class 6201 Princess Elizabeth|No. 6201 ''Princess Elizabeth'']] 

Two [[British Rail Class 86|Class 86]] locomotives 86214 ''Sans Pareil''<ref>{{cite book 
  | last = Marsden | first = Colin 
  | title = Motive Power Recognition :1 – Locomotives 
  | publisher = Ian Allan Ltd | year = 1981 | location = Shepperton 
  | pages = 133 
  | isbn = 0-7110-1109-5
}}</ref> and 86235 ''Novelty''<ref>{{cite book 
  | last = Nixon | first = Les 
  | title = BR Colour Album 
  | publisher = Jane's Publishing Company Limited | year = 1983 | location = London 
  | page = 11 | isbn = 0-7106-0287-1
}}</ref> were painted in a variation of the Large Logo [[Rail Blue]] livery where the BR logo was replaced by the ''Rocket'' 150 motif on a yellow background.

=== 2002 Restaging ===
{{Unsourced section|date=March 2025}}

In a 2002 restaging of the Rainhill trials using replica engines, neither ''Sans Pareil'' (11 out of 20 runs) nor ''Novelty'' (10 out of 20 runs) completed the course. In calculating the speeds and fuel efficiencies, it was found that ''Rocket'' would still have won, as its relatively modern technology made it a much more reliable locomotive than the others. ''Novelty'' almost matched it in terms of efficiency, but its firebox design caused it to gradually slow to a halt due to a buildup of molten ash (called "clinker") cutting off the air supply. The restaged trials were run over the [[Llangollen Railway]], Wales, and were the subject of a 2003 [[BBC]] ''[[Timewatch]]'' documentary.

For the restaging, major compromises were made for television and because of the differences in crew experience, the fuel used, the modifications made to the replicas for modern safety rules, modern materials and construction methods, and following operating experience. Comparisons were made between the engines only after calculations took into account the differences.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

== References ==

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Carlson|first=Robert Eugene|year=1969|title=The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Project 1821–1831
         |publisher=David and Charles|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=0-7153-4646-6|oclc=832435892}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dawson|first=Anthony|date=2018|title=The Rainhill Trials
         |isbn=9781445669755|publisher=Amberley Publishing|location=Stroud|oclc=1020621317}}
* {{cite book |first=Edward Carnegie |last=Cleveland-Stevens|title=English Railways: Their Development and Their Relation to the State
         |url=https://archive.org/details/englishrailwayst00clev  |publisher=Routledge |date=1915|oclc=1044623771|ol=24183356M}}
* {{cite journal
 |last        = Dendy Marshall
 |first       = CF
 |title       = The Rainhill Locomotive Trials of 1829
 |journal     = [[Transactions of the Newcomen Society]]
 |year        = 1929
 |volume      = 9
 |url         = http://www.newcomen.com/excerpts/rainhill/index.htm
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060319083008/http://www.newcomen.com/excerpts/rainhill/index.htm
 |archive-date = 19 March 2006
|df          = dmy-all
}}
* {{Cite book|last=Ferneyhough|first=Frank|date=1980|title=Liverpool & Manchester Railway 1830–1980
     |publisher=Book Club Associates|location=England|oclc=656128257}}
* {{cite book |last=Wolmar |first=Christian |year=2008 |title=Fire and Steam: how the railways transformed Britain
     |orig-year=2007|publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London |isbn=9781843546306|oclc=1149031665|ol=32099184M}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://archive.today/20140305071000/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1741979.html Rocket and its Rivals] – details of 2003 ''Timewatch'' episode at Highbeam.com, archived in 2014

{{early-steam-locos}}

[[Category:Historic transport in Merseyside]]
[[Category:History of rail transport in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1829 in rail transport]]
[[Category:1829 in England]]
[[Category:October 1829]]