George Stephenson (June 9, 1781 - August 12, 1848) was an English civil engineer who built the first public intercity railway line to use steam locomotives, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened in 1830. He is renowned as the "Father of Railwa
George Stephenson (June 9, 1781 - August 12, 1848) was an English civil engineer who built the first public intercity railway line to use steam locomotives, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened in 1830. He is renowned as the "Father of Railways". He was illiterate until the age of 18. He went to night school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. He designed his first locomotive in 1814, a traveling engine designed for hauling coal, the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive. In 1821, a parliamentary bill was passed to allow the building of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. He surveyed the line assisted by his 18 year old son Robert and construction began the same year. The rails used for the line were wrought-iron, could be produced in longer lengths than cast-iron and were less liable to crack under the weight of heavy locomotives. Through experimentation he concluded that railways should be kept as level as possible. He used this knowledge while working on the Bolton and Leigh Railway, and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, executing a series of difficult cuttings, embankments and stone viaducts to level their routes. The railway was a success and he was offered the position of chief engineer for a wide variety of other railways. Many of the first American railroad builders came to Newcastle to learn from him and many locomotives were purchased from the Stephenson shops. Britain led the world in the development of railways which acted as a stimulus for the Industrial Revolution by facilitating the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods. He was farsighted in realizing that the individual lines being built would eventually be joined together, and would need to have the same gauge. The standard gauge used throughout much of the world is due to him. He contracted pleurisy and died, in 1848 at the age of 67. In 2002, Stephenson was named in the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons.
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