The directors of the Liverpool & Manchester company were unsure whether to use locomotives or stationary engines on their line. To help them reach a decision, it was decided to hold a competition where the winning locomotive would be awarded £500. The idea being that if the locomotive was good enough, it would be the one used on the new railway. The three judges of the competition were John Rastrick, Nicholas Wood and John Kennedy.

Eight conditions were laid down for the locomotives that entered the competition. This included the rule that the maximum weight was to be six tons. All wheels had to be sprung and the cost of the locomotive had to be less than £550. The gross weight of the train was stated to be not less than three times the engine’s weight. To qualify for the first prize the locomotive had to reach speeds of 10 mph (16 kpm).

The competition began at Rainhill on 6th October, 1829. On the first day over 10,000 people turned up to watch the competitors. The locomotives had to run twenty times up and down the track at Rainhill which made the distance roughly equivalent to a return trip between Liverpool and Manchester.

The Winner 

 
MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Description of the Competing Engines

Blogged with the Flock Browser