Steam Locomotive

George Stephenson, Britain, patents from 1815. Blucher and Rocket standardized railway traction.

Overview

Stephenson patented improved rails and locomotive designs while building Killingworth colliery engines, then the 1825 Stockton and Darlington railway made passenger and freight service real. Rocket won the 1829 Rainhill Trials with a multi-tube boiler that became standard. Patent fights with rivals like Braithwaite and Ericsson flared, but the technology outgrew any monopoly. Railways shrank continents within decades. Standard gauge, 4 feet 8.5 inches, spread from his rails worldwide.