Northumbrian
Northumbrian was Robert Stephenson's 1830 development of Rocket for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, the engine that hauled the directors' inaugural train at the line's opening on 15 September 1830. The engine carried the fatally-injured William Huskisson MP at speed to Manchester after his accident at Parkside, achieving a sustained 36 mph during the run, but Huskisson died of his injuries that evening.
The principal improvements over Rocket were the cylinder angle (nearly horizontal rather than 35°-inclined), the separate water-jacketed firebox (more substantial than Rocket's), and the introduction of a separate smokebox at the front of the boiler. These improvements all became standard on subsequent locomotive designs and represented the rapid maturation of British locomotive practice in the post-Rainhill year. The general arrangement directly anticipates the Planet Class of later 1830 and the locomotive practice that followed.
Northumbrian was completed in summer 1830, the first of a class of similar engines that Stephenson built for the L&MR opening. The engine entered service for the line's opening on 15 September 1830, hauling the directors' inaugural train from Liverpool to Manchester. The day was marked by tragedy at Parkside, where Huskisson, the Liberal politician for Liverpool, was struck by Rocket when crossing the line. Northumbrian was diverted to carry him at speed to medical assistance at Eccles.
The engine continued in L&MR service through the early 1830s alongside Rocket, Planet, and the other early L&MR engines. By the mid-1830s newer Stephenson designs were displacing the early engines from the principal services, and Northumbrian was progressively assigned to lighter duties before being scrapped in approximately the late 1830s. No original component is known to survive.
Design and development
Following Rocket's success at the Rainhill Trials in October 1829, Robert Stephenson continued refining the design for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway which was nearing completion. Northumbrian was completed in summer 1830, the first of a class of similar engines that Stephenson built for the L&MR opening.
The principal improvements over Rocket were the cylinder angle (nearly horizontal rather than 35°-inclined), the separate water-jacketed firebox (more substantial than Rocket's), and the introduction of a separate smokebox at the front of the boiler. These improvements would all become standard on subsequent locomotive designs and represented the rapid maturation of British locomotive practice in the post-Rainhill year.
Service and withdrawals
Northumbrian entered service for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway opening on 15 September 1830. The engine hauled the directors' inaugural train from Liverpool to Manchester, the principal opening-day service. The day was marked by tragedy: at Parkside, William Huskisson MP (the Liberal politician for Liverpool) was struck by Rocket when crossing the line. Huskisson was severely injured and Northumbrian was diverted to carry him at speed to medical assistance at Eccles, achieving a sustained 36 mph during the run, but Huskisson died of his injuries that evening.
Northumbrian continued in L&MR service through the early 1830s alongside Rocket, Planet, and the other early L&MR engines. By the mid-1830s newer Stephenson designs were displacing the early engines from the principal services, and Northumbrian was progressively assigned to lighter duties before being scrapped at some point in the late 1830s.
Identification features
The engine had a more modern outline than Rocket, the cylinders nearly horizontal rather than inclined at 35°, the firebox more substantial and clearly separated from the rear of the boiler, and the smokebox at the front of the boiler distinct from the boiler itself. The general arrangement directly anticipates the Planet Class of later 1830 and the locomotive practice that followed.