The talk will start by exploring the socio-economic reasons why the locomotive supplanted the horse: a cost of living crisis combined with the cost of horses and trebling due to demands of the British army. Locomotives presented significant cost-saving in terms of horses and man-power although the initial outlay was higher increased productivity meant these costs were quickly recouped. First deployed in Leeds, Blenkinsop & Murray’s locomotive quickly caught attention in the North East of England and in Lancashire with one example even being built in Wales and another proposed for use in Scotland. Examples were also built in what is today Poland and one in modern day Belgium. Fenton, Murray & Jackson went on to build locomotives during the 1830s and early 1840s for home and abroad, paving the way for other builders such as Todd, Kitson & Laird to supply the burgeoning trade in the late 1830s.
Presented by Anthony Dawson