Stephenson did farm work, including cow herding. At age 10, he’s driving the horses that carry the coal carriages on the tramway going past his family’s one room cottage.
At age of 14, he worked at a coal mine and often took the machines to pieces to see how they worked, When Stephenson figures out how to repair a broken pumping engine, he’s put in charge of all the mine equipment. He then proceeds to breaking down and reassembling machines and engines whenever possible, and develops an intricate understanding of steam driven machinery.
At the age of 18 years old, George Stephenson learns to read and write at night school. It's said that he decides to do this because of the news of the Napoleonic wars.
In 1802, George Stephenson married a servant called Frances Henderson. They had a son Robert in 1803. Sadly, they have a daughter, who at three weeks old dies, followed just months later by Stephenson’s wife.
In 1811 - George Stephenson mends a broken pump engine at the mine, his expertise leading to promotion by the owners. This marks the beginning of his reputation as an expert on steam engines.
In 1814, George designed his first steam locomotive for the railways for Killingworth Colliery near Newcastle. He combines the tramways and the steam engines to make the first commercially viable locomotive. ‘Blucher’ is built to haul coal and is named after the Prussian General who speed-marched his troops to help defeat Napoleon at Waterloo. The top speed of the Blucher is 4 mph.
In 1819 he creates an eight-mile railway in Sunderland — the first railway to be solely machined powered. He patents his own cast iron rails and two years later he’s appointed engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington railway.
In 1825 a new railway was opened between Stockton and Darlington. George and his men built the track and the locomotive for this railway.
At the of opening, on gross load of about 80 tons, was drawn by one engine driven by Stephenson with a signalman on horseback in advance. The train movie off at the rate of from 10 to 12 mph and attained a speed of 15 mph on favourable parts of the line. It later became the first steam loco to carry passengers in the world.
In 1829, railway owners staged a competition to find the best locomotive. Thousands of spectators witness Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ achieve a record 36 mph and take the prize. The Rocket could pull a train load of people along the new railway. With that, Americans flock to him, desperate to take his trains and techniques back with them to the US.
George Stephenson's inventions were especially important as Britain was going through a period of massive change from the late 18th century to the early 19th century. This time is known as the Industrial Revolution.
On August 12, 1848, Stephenson died in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
George Stephenson (Father of Railway)
