Stephenson's Historic “Locomotion”

With much ceremony, the Stockton and Darlington railroad was opened in England, on September 27th, 1825. The first steam engine used on the road was Stephenson's “Locomotion,” with George Stephenson himself officiating as engineer. Its boiler contained a single straight flue, one end of which was the furnace. The cylinders were vertical and were coupled directly to the driving wheels. The two pairs of drivers were coupled by horizontal rods, and the exhaust steam went into the stack. This engine, on the opening day, drew thirty-eight vehicles, upon which were four hundred and fifty passengers and about ninety tons of merchandise. The highest speed obtained was twelve miles an hour, the average four or six miles an hour.