Page 134 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)

The Stephensons

Although the first steam locomotive was built in 1804, it was the ▶ FATHER AND
SON AT WORK
British father-and-son engineers George and Robert Stephenson The Stephensons were

who made steam railways a reality. They built the first public practical engineers, who
had the foresight and
railway in 1825 (see p.126) and created the famous Rocket inventiveness to realize
the potential of railways.
(see p.127)—a locomotive that pulled trains on the first passenger
GET MOVING opened in 1830. ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS
railway, between Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, when it

As well as designing tracks and engines,
SAFETY LAMP
Candles can easily set off explosions in mines because the Stephensons were also bridge engineers.
of flammable gases in the air. So in 1818, George Robert Stephenson’s design for the railway
Stephenson and the British scientist Humphry bridge across the Menai Straits in North Wales,
Davy both came up with designs for safety lamps UK, was revolutionary. The trains ran inside
for miners. In these designs, the flame would be two box-shaped iron tubes, supported by huge
kept covered, out of reach of the gases in the brick pillars. With the load of the trains spread
mines. Stephenson’s lamp was soon widely used through all four sides of the boxes, it was
in mines across the northeast of England until very strong. Stephenson’s design was hugely
the advent of electric light. influential and is still used in some bridges today.
Safety lamp based on
George Stephenson’s design

Artist’s impression of
LOCOMOTION George Stephenson’s
The Stephensons built the world’s first public steam 1825 locomotive,
Locomotion No 1
railway between the English towns of Stockton and
Darlington in the UK. George Stephenson was at
the controls when their locomotive, Boiler laid flat
Locomotion No 1, pulled the first train
in 1825. The Stephensons had the
brilliant idea of laying the boiler flat
to deliver power to the
wheels more effectively.

LIFE STORY
1781 1803 1818 1823

George Stephenson is born George’s son, Robert, is born. George Stephenson invents a The Stephensons make a
in Northumberland, UK. His Robert’s mother and baby safety lamp for miners, which company to develop steam
parents are too poor to send sister die the following year. provides light while avoiding railways and set up the
him to school, so he starts the danger of flammable gases world’s first locomotive
working at a local mine. in mines catching fire. works in Newcastle, UK.

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