George Stephenson with his son Robert, and partners Edward Pease and Michael Longridge established the first locomotive works in the world, the Forth Banks Works, in 1823. The original factory occupied eight acres adjacent to Forth Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, much of its machinery being designed and built by George Stephenson. Between 1814 and 1825, George and Robert Stephenson were the only builders of locomotives in the country, the first - Locomotion No 1 – was for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, though it was Rocket’s triumph at the Rainhilll Trials in 1829 which established the works pre-eminence. Between 1824 and 1827, the Forth Street works were not limited to the manufacture of locomotives and there is evidence of wagons, wheels, and engines of all kinds being ordered. Locomotives were also exported to France and America following a visit to the works by engineers from both countries in 1828 and early 1829.
The first passenger locomotive – INVICTA (0-2-2) was built in 1830 for the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. The Planet class (2-2-0s) with inside cylinders under the smokebox and outside frames was adopted as standard on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, further developed in 1833 with a pair of trailing wheels fitted behind the firebox making it a 2-2-2 (the Patentee). The Patentee class was generally accepted as “the best of its day” (Warren, 1923). Orders for these two types were so numerous that many had to be passed on to other locomotive builders such as Tayleur & Co (later Vulcan Foundry). With the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, Charles Tayleur entered into a partnership with Robert Stephenson in 1832, although there is some indication that this lasted no more than a year or two. Associated with this partnership may be the discontinuation of the old series of works’ numbers in 1831 (up to c 40) and the commencement of a fresh series is evidenced in the order books (i.e. Samson old 34, new 14; Jupiter old 35, new 15; Goliath old 36, new 16). Another important development in this period was the appearance of the ‘long boiler’ type that resulted not only in a greater heating surface but a better ratio of tube length to tube diameter without increasing the wheelbase. In 1839 two 2-2-2s were supplied for Brunel’s 7ft gauge of the Great Western Railway. In 1846 when the works had 224 engines on order, railway mania was at its height.
By 1855 over 1000 locomotives had been built, the firm’s order books graphically reflecting both national and worldwide interest in their acquisition. A visitor to Newcastle in 1838 records “the marvellous manufactory of Mr Stephenson alone occupies four hundred workmen for the supply of steam engines to all parts of the world” (Lowe 1975). It is right to say that “where there were railways, very few had no locomotives from this builder” (Lowe 1975). George Robert, Robert Stephenson’s cousin, who had taken on responsibility for the firm’s orders on the latter’s death in October 1859, energetically pursued overseas’ companies through frequent absences abroad, adding the Australian continent, the Far East, Africa and South America to those countries already supplied.
A private company was formed in 1886, voluntarily wound up in 1899, and a new public limited company formed as Robert Stephenson & Co Ltd. The Forth Street works could expand no more and new works were built at Darlington on 54 acres of land. Although modern in their equipment, the works were laid out for small batch orders with locomotives being carefully built and quality coming before quantity. One of the important decisions of the new company was to remove locomotive building to Darlington, leading to the separation of the marine and boiler works. In 1902, the first of a long series of 2-8-0 heavy goods locomotives were built for India, soon followed by an exceptionally large 2-10-0 locomotive for Argentina. This began a remarkable series of engines, which became the prototype for large and successful classes of heavier locomotives.
At the beginning of the First World War some manufacture of munitions was undertaken but it soon became apparent, as military operations progressed, that locomotives for transportation were increasingly demanded. The firm fell victim in the early 1920s to many industrial disputes amongst suppliers leading to the cancellation of orders.
On 1 January 1937, Robert Stephenson & Co Ltd combined with R & W Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, becoming Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. The policy was to concentrate on the building of main line locomotives at Darlington and industrial locomotives at the Forth Banks works of the former Hawthorn Leslie Company. Standard 0-4-0ST and 0-6-0ST continued to be built in large numbers from 1938 for collieries, steel works, chemical plants and many other industries: war time requirements were such that the works were fully extended and very few orders were obtained from abroad.
In 1944 the Vulcan Foundry acquired a substantial holding in the company and later the two firms became members of the English Electric Co Ltd with works at Newton-le-Willows, Darlington, Newcastle, Bradford and Preston forming the main units of the railway traction division. The Forth Banks works, established in 1823, were closed in 1960 and all diesel and electrical locomotive building concentrated at Darlington. The joint company built approximately 1000 steam locomotives. As from 1 January 1962 the works became the English Electric Co Ltd, Stephenson Works, Darlington: retention of the work’s name perpetuating the long association of locomotive building with George and Robert Stephenson. However, the last diesel locomotive left the Darlington Works in 1964.
Date
1859
Scope and ContentCollection of five drawings by John Dobson Wardale, head draughtsman for Stephenson & Co. containing two side elevations of the locomotive engine 'Rocket'; two sectional drawings of the boiler; one side elevation in pen and ink with J.D. Wardale's signature. Some of the drawings have a label on the reverse with text 'J. Halden & Co. Ltd Map Mounters. Newcastle-on-Tyne' which was established in 1878 in London with shops in various cities.
The drawings were made three decades after the Rocket was first constructed to possibly be exhibited alongside the original engine in the newly opened Patent Office Museum (predecessor of the Science Museum). Wardale based the drawings on the measurements taken of the original engine and memories of some of the longer-serving employees at Stephenson & Co. The drawings were an attempt to show the Rocket as it was built in 1829 although some of the later additions were included and the appearance of the firebox was different to the original design.
Extent5 documents
LanguageEnglish
Archival historySold by direction of a descendant of J. D. Wardale. Acquired from Anderson & Garland Auctioneers for the National Railway Museum in 9th December 2003.
Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) was a railway and civil engineer born on 16 October 1803 at Willington Quay, near Newcastle upon Tyne, the only son of George Stephenson (1781–1848), colliery and railway engineer.
He was educated at Bruce's academy at Newcastle upon Tyne. On leaving school in 1819 Stephenson was apprenticed to Nicholas Wood, viewer of Killingworth colliery. In 1821 he assisted his father in the survey of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, and then in 1822 spent six months studying natural philosophy, chemistry, and natural history at Edinburgh University. On leaving Edinburgh, Stephenson settled in Newcastle upon Tyne to manage Robert Stephenson & Co at Forth Banks Works, the locomotive building establishment which his father had founded there in 1823 to build stationary and locomotive engines.
The locomotive ‘Rocket’ was built under his direction and went on to win the Rainhill locomotive trials, held in October 1829, to determine the best means of propulsion on the Liverpool and Manchester line. He was responsible for surveying the line of the proposed London and Birmingham Railway and was appointed Chief Engineer. The railway was the world's first intercity passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for
most of the distance solely by steam locomotives
From 1838 until the end of his life he was engaged on railway work, not only in Great Britain, but all over the world; railways were constructed either under his own direct supervision or under his advice which later became the trunk lines of the countries in which they were laid down. Stephenson’s designs became the dominant type of locomotive in Great Britain. Notable among Stephenson locomotives was the long-boilered engine in which all wheels were placed ahead of the firebox so that there was no restriction on its size. Unsuitable for main line express service, the
type was remarkably successful in the carriage of heavy freight where a reservoir ofsteaming capacity could be used with advantage.
Stephenson was also successful at bridge building, he built the high-level bridge over the Tyne at Newcastle, the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick and the Britannia Bridge over the Conwy and the Menai Strait. Stephenson also proposed the great Victoria Bridge over the St Lawrence River at Montreal, which was begun in 1854 and
completed in 1859 after his death.
On 30 July 1847 Stephenson was elected MP for Whitby. He represented the town until his death.
He died at his home at 34 Gloucester Square, London, on 12 October 1859 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
George Stephenson (1781–1848), colliery and railway engineer, was born at Wylam, Northumberland, on 9 June 1781. He is often credited as being the ‘Father of Railways.’ He was the second son of Robert Stephenson, foreman at the Wylam colliery pumping engine. At fourteen he was appointed an assistant fireman to his father and when he was seventeen Robert Hawthorne employed him in the position of ‘plugman’, or engineman. Robert worked on engines at Willington Quay, Killingworth and Montrose, Scotland, before returning to Killingworth, where in 1812 he was appointed engineman and given responsibility for all the machinery at a number of collieries in the Newcastle area.
Stephenson built his first locomotive, Blucher, in 1814 for Killingworth colliery, and in 1816, he patented the ‘steam spring’ with William Losh, of Walker Ironworks, Newcastle. Losh had previously supported Stephenson’s claim that he invented the first safety lamp for underground mineworkers in 1815. In early 1822, George was appointed engineer to the Stockton and Darlington Railway, after submitting survey plans and cost estimates for the proposed line and in
May 1823, the company was given permission to use steam locomotives on the line.
On 23 June 1823, George Stephenson established the engine manufacturing company Robert Stephenson & Co. with Edward Pease, Thomas Richardson and Michael Longridge, which was to be managed by George’s son, Robert. Work commenced in August 1823 and by the time the Stockton and Darlington line opened for traffic on 27 September 1825, four winding engines had been delivered together with a operational steam locomotive: Locomotion No.1.
In 1824, George was employed to undertake surveys and prepare plans for the proposed Liverpool and Manchester Railway, but the bill was rejected in parliament. A new bill was passed in 1826, and Stephenson was appointed engineer. Stephenson fought strenuously for using locomotive power on the line, and his locomotive Rocket, built under the direction of his son Robert, won the Rainhill locomotive trials, held in October 1829, to determine the best means of propulsion on the Liverpool and Manchester line.
Stephenson was chief engineer to the Grand Junction line connecting Birmingham with Liverpool and Manchester, begun in 1833 and he was also chief engineer to the following railways: Manchester to Leeds, Birmingham to Derby, Normanton to York, and Sheffield to Rotherham, and others, all begun in 1836. The Derby to Leeds Railway (afterwards called the North Midland line) was commenced under his supervision in 1837.
In 1838 Stephenson was elected vice-president of the mechanical science section of the British Association at its Newcastle meeting.
In 1845, Stephenson’s party won a parliamentary battle as supporters of the locomotive against the upholders of the atmospheric railway system, led by I.K. Brunel. In 1847 Stephenson became president of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers, which was founded by him that year in Birmingham. He received in 1835 the honour of knighthood from Leopold I of Belgium and in 1845 he also visited northern Spain in connection with a proposed railway. Stephenson consistently refused all proffered honours in England, however, declining a knighthood on two occasions.
He died of pleurisy at Tapton House, Tapton, near Chesterfield, on 12 August 1848. He was buried on 17 August at Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield.
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