Below is a 1934 replica of the famous "Rocket," the locomotive that in 1829 beat all comers in the Rainhill trials, a demonstration run by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to prove that steam engines could handle the route. Robert Stephenson's Rocket reached speeds of 30 mph and finished. No others did. This replica was used when the BBC series "Timewatch" reran the race 170 years later. It won again. See an animated version by clicking here.
The rocket won the trails by increasing power through a multiple (25 in all) fire-tube boiler which allowed a much larger surface area for heat transfer. Virtually all locomotive steam engines to follow copied this and two other design innovations of the rocket: the simple connecting rod shown gripping the front wheel above and a blast pipe for exhaust steam. Cutaways on the replica show the internals of the boiler and firebox.
