1890 Stephenson Steam Locomotive
Stephenson's Rocket is an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement. It was built for and won the Rainhill Trials of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, (L&MR), held in October 1829 to show that improved locomotives would be more efficient than stationary steam engines. Rocket was designed and built by Robert Stephenson in 1829, and built at the Forth Street Works of his company in Newcastle upon Tyne. Though Rocket was by no means the first steam locomotive, it was the first to bring together several innovations to produce the most advanced locomotive of its day. It is the most famous example of an evolving design of locomotives by Stephenson that became the template for most steam engines in the following 150 years. The locomotive was preserved and displayed in the Science Museum in London until 2018, after which it was briefly exhibited at various sites around the U.K. until it came to rest at the National Railway Museum in York. Since 2023, it has been based at the Locomotion Museum in Shildon.
For consignment, some early transportation history with a 1890 Stephenson Steam Locomotive replica, and to prove yet again, we never know what's going to come through the doors next. Our fine example is a museum quality non-functional reproduction, painstakingly assembled by our consignor who does an in-depth study of each original car and then produces a reproduction. This 3/4 scale reproduction was built using a small scale model purchased in London, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Design
The original locomotive had a tall 16 ft smokestack chimney at the front, a cylindrical boiler in the middle, and a separate firebox at the rear and our replica matches exactly. The large front pair of wooden wheels are driven by two external cylinders set at an angle of 38. The smaller rear wheels are not coupled to the driving wheels, giving an 0-2-2 wheel arrangement. One of the cylinders drives a small 1.25 inch diameter feedwater pump which would pump water from the tender to the boiler, a valve could be adjusted to control the amount of water needed.
Driving wheels
Stephenson's most visible decision was to use a single pair of driving wheels, with a small carrying axle behind. This was the first 0-2-2 and first single driver locomotive. The use of single drivers gave several advantages. The weight of coupling rods was avoided and the second axle could be smaller and lightweight, as it only carried a small portion of the weight. The Rocket placed just over 2 12 tons of its 4 12 ton total weight onto its driving wheels, a higher axle load than Sans Pareil, even though the 0-4-0 was heavier overall at 5 ton, and officially disqualified by being over the 4 12 ton limit. Early locomotive designers had been concerned that the adhesion of a locomotive's driving wheels would be inadequate, but Stephenson's past experience convinced him that this would not be a problem, particularly with the light trains of the trials contest. This same design is seen here today, although replicated in wood and steel
Firebox
The firebox was separate from the boiler and was double walled, with a water jacket between them. Stephenson recognised that the hottest part of the boiler, and thus the most effective for evaporating water, was that surrounding the fire itself. This firebox was heated by radiant heat from the glowing coke, not just convection from the hot exhaust gas. Locomotives of Rocket's era were fired by coke rather than coal. Local landowners were already familiar with the dark clouds of smoke from coal fired stationary engines and had imposed regulations on most new railways that locomotives would 'consume their own smoke'. The smoke from a burning coke fire was much cleaner than that from coal. It was not until 30 years later and the development of the long firebox and brick arch that locomotives would be effectively able to burn coal directly. The Rocket's first firebox was of copper sheet and of a somewhat rectangular shape from the side. The throat plate was of firebrick, possibly the backhead too. When rebuilt around 1831, this was replaced by a wrought iron backhead and throat plate, with a drum wrapper. This gave a larger internal volume and encouraged better combustion within the firebox, rather than inside the tubes. These early fireboxes formed a separate water space from the boiler drum and were connected by prominent external copper pipes. Again, this is a non operational unit, but the craftsmanship has us wondering at first glance if we could open our can of beans and ride the rails with our hobo pals.
A very nice simple reproduction of the early days of steam locomotives. This exacting reproduction does not operate and shows as nearly perfect. A perfect centerpiece for any train enthusiast's collection or start your own 1 man or woman Concours De Elegance...CHOO CHOO!
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