Legacy Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway

1 legacy

1.1 rocket
1.2 duke of wellington
1.3 william , emily huskisson

legacy

the accidents on opening day gave liverpool , manchester railway huge amounts of publicity, , increased public awareness of potential of rapid transport. l&m s passenger service proved successful. in october duke of wellington s special train put use dedicated first-class train, making 4 journeys each day between liverpool , manchester in each direction. on 4 december 1830 goods operations on l&m began, planet hauling 75 tons of freight liverpool manchester. in first 6 months of 1831 l&m carried 188,726 passengers , 35,800 tons of goods; in year opening in september 1830 september 1831, 500,000 passengers carried. @ george stephenson s insistence new locomotives bought l&m fitted handbrakes 1831.

the original crown street terminus proved unable handle growing popularity of railway, , replaced liverpool lime street railway station in 1836. more advanced locomotives no longer needing stop midway take on water parkside station closed, , little trace of remains. liverpool , manchester railway remains operational northern of 2 liverpool manchester lines. opening of l&m considered dawn of age of mechanised transport; in words of industrialist , former british rail chairman peter parker, world branch line of pioneering liverpool–manchester run .

spurred l&m s success, within month of opening schemes announced link liverpool , manchester other major cities, including london, leeds, birmingham , bradford, uniting key industrial centres of england. london , birmingham railway (also built george stephenson), first railway link north , south of england, completed in 1838. 1840 1,775 miles (2,857 km) of track had been laid in britain. railway regulation act 1844 limited passenger fares one penny ( ⁄240 of pound) per mile on entire british railway network, enabling mass population movements, migration cities , long-distance commuting, , social revolution of mass rapid transit began. in 1846 alone 272 new railways authorised in britain, , 1850 on 6,200 miles (10,000 km) of railways in place , britain s transformation industrial superpower complete. expertise of britain s railway pioneers became major export, , british engineers (including stephenson) supplied locomotives , rails railways being built across europe , north america.

rocket

rocket remained in use l&m after accident, albeit used other internal engineering duties. more advanced planet design better suited heavy loads, , rocket became redundant. in 1834 used experiments new drive systems, after put in storage. in 1836 sold midgeholme colliery, , used haul coal until 1844.

rocket in 2004. design has been substantially modified since 1830s retains original wheels.

subsequently recognised design later locomotives derived, rocket came considered 1 of important symbols of industrial revolution. returned robert stephenson , company in 1851 intention of displaying @ great exhibition, did not take place. loaned patent office display in 1862. moved science collection of south kensington museum in 1876 (renamed science museum in 1885), has remained there ever since other brief display @ national railway museum.

in 1929 replica rocket commissioned robert stephenson , company henry ford, using stephenson s original construction techniques. intended centrepiece of henry ford museum, remains. functioning replica built in 1970s national railway museum. in 1999, mark 170th anniversary of rainhill trials, trials re-enacted on llangollen railway using replica , replicas of novelty , sans pareil, other serious contenders in 1829. rocket again won.

as of 2010 original rocket 1 of main exhibits of science museum s showpiece making modern world gallery. although altered, retains original wheels crushed huskisson.

duke of wellington

huskisson s supporters refused offer return duke of wellington s cabinet after death, , @ beginning of november wellington announced parliament constitution needed no improvement , resist measure of parliamentary reform long in office . fearing serious social unrest, large numbers of tory mps rebelled in vote on governmental expenses. on 15 november 1830, 2 months after opening of liverpool , manchester railway, wellington lost vote of no confidence , replaced prime minister week later earl grey. grey set reforming britain s corrupt , antiquated electoral procedure, issue on huskisson had resigned. in 1832 representation of people act (commonly known reform act) passed.

wellington spent remainder of life implacably opposed railways, complaining encourage lower classes travel . avoided them more decade, before agreeing in 1843 accompany queen victoria trip on london , south western railway (designed joseph locke, driver of rocket on 15 september 1830). died of stroke on 14 september 1852; estimated 1 , half million people attended funeral.

william , emily huskisson

william huskisson s death made him 1 of famous british politicians of period. within year first biography published, volume of collected speeches. policies on free trade , minimal government interference major influence on robert peel , william ewart gladstone (who grew in liverpool , father sir john gladstone had been close colleague of huskisson) , consequently on later emergence of liberal party , doctrine of gladstonian liberalism. forty years after death huskisson still sufficiently well-remembered featured in novels, including middlemarch , novels of mrs henry wood, no accompanying explanation. australian town of huskisson, new south wales named him. huskisson dock, named in honour in 1852, remains in operation part of port of liverpool. in 1880 huskisson railway station in liverpool opened, closing passengers 5 years later remaining operational goods depot until 1975. today principally remembered manner of death, , monuments him stand in pimlico, chichester cathedral, , liverpool. in 1982, @ time of high racial tension following toxteth riots, memorial in liverpool pulled down group of local people in mistaken belief commemorated slave trader; re-erected around 20 years later in duke street, near had stayed final nights in liverpool.

emily huskisson returned eartham , lived quiet life, dedicated keeping alive husband s memory. died in 1856. never returned liverpool, , never again travelled train.

on ruins of parkside station stands white stone memorial, once badly damaged vandals since restored. original inscription memorial has been removed safekeeping, , displayed in national railway museum.

original tablet huskisson memorial, in national railway museum.

this tablet

a tribute of personal respect , affection

has been placed here mark spot on 15th of sept 1830 day of opening of rail road

the right hon william huskisson m.p.

singled out decree of inscrutable providence midst of distinguished multitude surrounded him.

in full pride of talents , perfection of usefulness met accident occasioned death;

which deprived england of illustrious statesman , liverpool of honored representative changed moment of noblest exultation , triumph science , genius had ever achieved 1 of desolation , mourning;

and striking terror hearts of assembled thousands, brought home every bosom forgotten truth that

in midst of life in death.

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