The Rocket

Rocket was built to compete in the Rainhill trials, to select a suitable motive power to operate the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
It was the nineteenth engine built by Robert Stephenson and Company, and was developed from earlier Stephenson engines including the 'Lancashire Witch'.
The success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway led to steam railways being established across Europe.
Rocket later became a ballast engine until it was sold for use in the Midgeholme colliery.
The locomotive was significantly modified shortly after the Rainhill trials and a replica of Rocket in its original form can be seen at the Museum, as well as our working replica which has been all over the world since its creation in 1979.
Name: London & Midland Railway 0-2-2 Rocket
Class: unclassified
Built: 1829
Designer: Robert Stephenson
Weight: Locomotive 4 1/2 tons
Cylinders: 3 19" x 26"
Driving wheel Diameter: 4' 8.5"
Boiler Pressure: 50 lb / sq in