George stephenson rocket biography of rory
George Stephenson
| English inventor, creator of one of the first steam locomotives and builder of the first public railway, Darlingon-Stockton. Date of Birth: Country: Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of George Stephenson
- Early Life and Career
- Steam Locomotives and Success
- Later Life and Legacy
Biography of George Stephenson
George Stephenson, an English inventor, is best known as the creator of one of the first steam locomotives and the builder of the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
Considered one of the "fathers of transportation," Stephenson was driven by a thirst for improvement. He built the world's first public railway line between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, which opened in The width of the rails, chosen by Stephenson, became known as "Stephenson's gauge" or "standard gauge," measuring 4 feet 8½ inches ( mm), and remains the standard on railways in many countries to this day and the most common in Western Europe.
Early Life and Career
George Stephenson was born on June 9, , in Wylam, Northumberland, 15 km from Newcastle upon Tyne.
George stephenson rocket biography of rory His only son Robert was also a railway engineer and worked with his father on many of his projects. Tells the story of railways in Britain from the Rocket to the present day. Frances herself died in , possibly from consumption. Due to significant dissatisfaction from landowners, the Liverpool-Manchester project had to be revised, including changes to the route and laying lines through peat bogs.He was the second child of Robert and Mabel Stephenson, both of whom were illiterate. His father worked as a fireman but earned too little to afford George's education. By the age of 17, Stephenson had become an engine cleaner and realized the importance of education. He enrolled in evening school and only learned to read, write, and do arithmetic when he reached adulthood.
In , Stephenson began working on lifting equipment in a coal mine.
George stephenson rocket biography of rory hamilton: His father was an engineman at a coalmine. The line from Hutton Colliery to Sunderland became the first where mechanical traction completely replaced animal power. After working his way up from the most menial agricultural work, Stephenson started his career in the colliery with an equally menial task — picking coal clean of debris. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.
A year later, he married Frances Henderson and moved to the east of Newcastle, where they lived in a one-room cottage. To make extra money, Stephenson repaired clocks and made shoes. Their son Robert was born in , and in , the family moved to the Killingworth area, where Stephenson found employment as an engine operator in a mine.
Sadly, their daughter Fanny, born in , only survived a few weeks. Frances herself died in , possibly from consumption.
In search of new work, Stephenson traveled to Scotland, leaving his son in the care of a local woman.
George stephenson rocket biography of rory and dean He invested in coal mines, ironworks, and quarries, and also experimented with animal husbandry and stock breeding. Stephenson became engineer on a number of these projects and was also consulted on the development of railways in Belgium and Spain. Left to right: a The Stephenson safety-lamp, with cover Smiles Much of the credit for the Rocket goes to Robert, whom Smiles describes as now "devoting himself assiduously to the development of his father's ideas of the locomotive," and making his own "great additions" to those ideasHe quickly returned home, likely due to his father's blindness resulting from a mining accident. George settled in a cottage near Newcastle, where his unmarried sister Eleanor moved in to help raise his child.
Steam Locomotives and Success
Devoting his life to the construction of steam locomotives, Stephenson repaired one of them at his workplace in and gradually advanced in his career.
By the age of 31, he became the chief mechanic of coal mines. In , Stephenson presented an original design for a mining lamp, known as the "Geordie lamp." In , he designed his first locomotive, called "Blücher," for hauling coal wagons on a mine railway.
George stephenson rocket biography of rory mcilroy Stephenson moved to Killingworth Colliery as an engineman, but his fascination with machines continued, and in his spare time he took apart the colliery engines to discover how they worked. Mixed-method engraving, published George was fascinated by machines from an early age. George Stephenson, an English inventor, is best known as the creator of one of the first steam locomotives and the builder of the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway.The rail vehicle, named after Prussian General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, could haul a total weight of up to 30 tons. Over the next five years, Stephenson introduced 16 new machines.
In , Stephenson married Betty Hindmarsh. The marriage seemed happy but childless. Betty passed away in In the same year, Stephenson was involved in the design and construction of a kilometer railway line.
The line from Hutton Colliery to Sunderland became the first where mechanical traction completely replaced animal power. In , George founded the world's first locomotive manufacturing plant. By , the plant had produced a locomotive called the "Active," later renamed "Locomotion No. 1." For the first time in the world, a passenger carriage named "Experiment" was included in the train.
During the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, Stephenson concluded that it was best to avoid large irregularities in the terrain.
Engaged in the design of the Liverpool-Manchester and Bolton-Leigh lines, he included several cuttings, embankments, viaducts, and bridges in the project. He also intended to use iron rails on stone supports.
George stephenson rocket biography of rory davis In the same year, Stephenson was involved in the design and construction of a kilometer railway line. A year later, he married Frances Henderson and moved to the east of Newcastle, where they lived in a one-room cottage. Stephenson had married in , but his wife had died of consumption in Together they had one child, Robert, but Frances suffered from consumption and died inDue to significant dissatisfaction from landowners, the Liverpool-Manchester project had to be revised, including changes to the route and laying lines through peat bogs. In , when the Liverpool-Manchester line was almost completed, several locomotives from different manufacturers, including Stephenson's "Rocket," were tested.
Only the "Rocket" successfully passed all the trials. The grand opening of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway took place on September 15, , but was overshadowed by the death of William Huskisson, who attempted to cross the tracks and was hit by the "Rocket."
Later Life and Legacy
In , Stephenson established an engineering consultancy in London.
Often taking a conservative approach, Stephenson frequently proposed more reliable route options or structures in his scientific and technical center, which often turned out to be more expensive than his opponents' alternatives. For example, in the battle for the right to build the West Coast Main Line, Stephenson lost to Joseph Locke.
Stephenson, who had almost retired from his work, became the first President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in
On January 11, , Stephenson married Ellen Gregory at St.
John's Church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He contracted pleurisy and died on August 12, , at Tapton House in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
It is claimed that Tsar Nicholas I of Russia met Stephenson in during a visit to England, rode on a steam locomotive, and even tried his hand at stoking.
The locomotive "Locomotion No.
1" was used for its intended purpose until It is currently displayed as an exhibit at the Darlington Railway Museum.