The Rainhill Trials weren't what most people think ...

As far as the directors of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway were concerned, the Rainhill Trials wasn't a competition between locomotives … it was a test to prove that any locomotives were a viable option.

In the first of a two-parter on Rainhill, I introduce the engines that competed, and the men behind those engines.

• Thomas Brandreth's Cycloped
• Timothy Burstall's Perseverance
• Braithwaite and Ericsson's Novelty
• Hackworth's Sans Pareil
• And the Stephensons and Booth's Rocket

Come and join Michael Lancashire as he gets distracted, fascinated ... and yes, even sidetracked ... by stories from the railways (or railroads if you're American).

Find show notes and more at https://historyoftherailways.com

Support the show at http://patreon.com/HistoryoftheRailways