StephensonHe was born on June 9, 1781 near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. His father was a machinist in a coal mine. OwnStephensonhe worked in the mine and learned to read and write in his spare time. He earned a good reputation for managing the primitive steam engines used in the mines and worked in several different coal mines in north-east England and Scotland.
In 1814,Stephensonbuilt his first locomotive, ‘Blucher‘, to transport coal at the Killingworth Colliery near Newcastle. In 1815, he invented a safety lamp for use in coal mines, nicknamed “Geordie“.
In 1821,Stephensonhe was appointed engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railroad. It opened in 1825 and was the first public railway. The following year he was appointed engineer of the Liverpool to Manchester railway. In October 1829, the railway owners organized a competition at Rainhill to find the best type of locomotive for transporting heavy loads over long distances. Thousands came to look. The locomotive ‘Rocket‘ fromStephensonwas the winner, achieving a record speed of 36 miles per hour.
The opening of the Stockton to Darlington railway and the success of ‘Rocket‘They stimulated the laying of railway lines and the construction of locomotives throughout the country.Stephensonhe became an engineer on several of these projects and was also consulted on the development of railways in Belgium and Spain.
Stephensondied on August 12, 1848, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. His only son, Robert, was also a railway engineer and worked with his father on many of his projects.
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