The Comte Jules-Albert de Dion’s steam tractor crossed the finish line first but the judges concluded that his vehicle required too much support to satisfy the competition’s objectives, so the principal prize was shared between the manufacturers Panhard et Levassor and Peugeot, whose petrol cars were considered the most practical overall.
Mallard set the record of 125.88mph on a stretch of slightly downhill railway track at Stoke Band, south of the town of Grantham.
Built by George and Robert Stevenson in Newcastle, and transported to Whitstable by sea, Invicta was the first steam locomotive to haul passengers on a public railway line.
On 21 February 1804, Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive successfully pulled a load of ten tons of iron, as well as several passengers and workmen, along a 9.75 mile route from Penydarren Ironworks in South Wales in just over 4 hours.
The world’s first commercially successful steamship was launched on the Hudson River between New York and Albany.
Great Western’s maiden voyage crossed the Atlantic in a record time of 15 days and five hours.
By the end of the competition Rocket was the only engine to complete the full course without suffering any damage, securing Stephenson the contract to manufacture locomotives for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway that opened the following year.
The British MP William Huskisson died as a result of a fatal accident on the opening day of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
On the 3rd May 1830, the world’s first timetabled steam-powered passenger service began operating on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway.
On the 22nd October 1895, the Granville–Paris Express train ran across the station platform, crashed through a 60cm wall, and fell 10 metres to the street below after it overran the buffer stop at the Gare Montparnasse terminus.
28th June 2015
11th November 2025
11th November 2025
1st September 2018
9th November 2019
