Isle of Man Railroad Coin The Rocket One Crown 1998 BU

The Rocket is considered by many to be the forerunner of all the later generations of steam locomotives. It was designed and built by George Stephenson with the help of Henry Booth and his son, Robert, for the 1829 Rainhill Trials. The Trials were held by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to find the best locomotive engine for their railway line that would serve the two northern English cities. On that day, some 15,000 people came along to see the race of the locomotives. During the race, the Rocket reached speeds of 24mph during the 20 laps of the course. This was due to several new design features. It was the first locomotive to have a multi-tube boiler with 25 copper tubes rather than a single flue or twin flue. Plus, the blast pipe increased the draught to the fire by concentrating exhaust steam at the base of the chimney. This all meant that the boiler generated more power (steam), so the Rocket was able to go faster and thus secure its place in history. The Rocket can be found at the Science Museum in London.