1. George Stephenson was an engineer. He built steam locomotives for the first railways. Sometimes people call him 'the Father of the Railway'.engineerlocomotives

2.  George's father was Robert Stephenson. His mother's name was Mabel Carr.  To earn extra money, George mended shoes. He taught himself to mend clocks. He was saving up to get married.  In 1802, George married Frances Henderson. She was a servant at a farm. They had a son called Robert. In 1806 Frances became ill and died.servant

3.  George Stephenson was born in 1781. At this time Britain was starting to change from a land of farms and small villages to a land of factories and big cities. We call this change theIndustrial Revolution. By the time George Stephenson died in 1848, its new railways and factories had made Britain the richest country in the world.Industrial Revolution

4.  George Stephenson's son Robert helped him build railways. Robert was born in 1803 and died in 1859. He became as famous as his father. Robert Stephenson built bridges too, and was a Member of Parliament.Member of Parliament

5.  George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781. His home was at Wylam, near Newcastle- upon-Tyne. Near where he lived there were coal mines. George's father worked at a coal mine. He looked after steam engines, used to pump water out of the mine.coal minessteam engines

6.  Only 3 locomotives took part in thetrials in October 1829. They ran backwards and forwards along a track.trialstrack  'Novelty' was a favourite with the crowd. Another locomotive was called 'Sans Pareil', which means 'without equal'. But both engines kept breaking down.locomotive  George and his son Robert had built the 'Rocket'. It puffed along faster than the others. It did not break down. Everyone agreed, the Rocket had won!

7.  The Rocket had four wheels. It pulled a tender, a water tank on wheels. A fire burning coke heated water in a boiler to make steam. The steam power drove the wheels.tendercoke  The Rocket could pull a train full of people along the new railway.

8.  In 1829, another railway was planned, between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Not everyone was pleased. Some farmers did not want the railway to cross their fields.

9.  George's first locomotive went at only 4 mph. But it pulled wagons weighing 30 tons!  One 'locomotive' at the Rainhill trials was driven by a horse! It fell to bits before the trials began.  George was very strong, and his favourite sport was wrestling!  George's hobby was bird-watching. His father taught him about birds as a boy.

10. Sadly, there was an accident on this great day. William Huskisson, a member of the government, was knocked down by the Rocket. He was the first person to be killed by a train.