Holiday reading

... The original Rocket science

Designed by Robert Stephenson, with input from his father George, the Rocket set the fundamental design template for almost all the locomotives that followed it.

The recently released Stephenson’s Rocket Owners’ Workshop Manual, published in association with the Science Museum, tells the story of the famous steam engine. A key event was the Rocket’s entry in 1829 into the Rainhill Trials, which were held by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to evaluate competing locomotive designs. The Rocket was the only engine to complete the course, and so was declared the winner.

The book’s author Richard Gibbon, a chartered mechanical engineer and former chief engineer of the National Railway Museum in York, combines contemporary and modern accounts of the locomotive, including insights based on his close connection with the original steam engine and several replicas.

The manual is illustrated with many photos and drawings, and provides a fascinating insight into the design and construction of the Rocket. It will be accessible to engineers and enthusiasts and to those seeking an introduction to the history of steam engines.

Stephenson’s Rocket Owners’ Workshop Manual is priced at £22.99 and available from www.haynes.co.uk