Number 3 in an Occasional Series on Early Railways

We went with our visiting sons to town to see some of the exhibits forming part of the Great Exhibition of the North here in Newcastle this summer.

We started at the Discovery Museum, where for the duration of the exhibition they have Stephenson's Rocket on loan from the London Science Museum, displayed along with the permanent exhibition of Turbinia, the first steam turbine driven ship. Getting them both on one photo was tricky but this is the best I could manage.

The Rocket was built for, and won, the Rainhill Trials held by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1829, and thereby proved the viability of a steam locomotive for pulling "fast" passenger trains (32 mph).

Turbinia was the fastest ship in the world in the late 19th century.

(The Northeast has a lot to answer for!)

(Blipper Dollydoug got a much better photo of the Rocket on its own in her extra here.)

I thought I could make it Number 3 in my occasional series on early railways (see here and here).