Sans Pareil: The Big Engine That Couldn't

How does the best locomotive engineer in the world, using the best locomotive in the world as a prototype, wind up as an underdog? This is the tale of Timothy Hackworth and the Sans Pareil.
The Rocket video, part 1: • Rocket ‘n’ Roll, Part 1
Part 2: • Rocket ‘n’ Roll, Part 2
Part 3: • Rocket ‘n’ Roll, Part 3
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/jago...
Patreon: / jagohazzard

[@ZGryphon]

I'm particularly struck by Hackworth's odd combination of petulance and sportsmanship. He grumbled about sabotage and unfair treatment, quibbled about the rules, and so on, but at the same time helped out one of the competing teams with repairs to their engine.

[@Jablicek]

Perhaps it's not a "real" win if it's by default.

[@furripupau]

I think his "grumbling" was greatly exaggerated by his rivals seeking to paint him in an unfavorable light. I don't know if Hackworth himself ever claimed he was sabotaged, or if that was a word chosen by his rivals to make his complaints about being sold a bad cylinder seem overblown.

[@dougmcelroy3780]

@@furripupau "overblown" . . .ha ha. I see what you did there.

[@greenaum]

Helped the team that wasn't Stephenson's, you should note! I think it might have been "if I can't win, at least I can make those Stephenson bastards lose!" Novelty sort-of being his lifeboat.

[@ZGryphon]

@@greenaum To be fair, we don't know whether Stephenson's team needed any help that day (or would have asked Hackworth for it if they had).

[@oc2phish07]

That was definitely one of your best videos, Jago, and extremely interesting and enjoyable to watch. I would love to see one by you on the histories of the locomotives in the National Railway Museum in York

[@bigblue6917]

That would involve a whole new channel

[@roberthorwat6747]

An unequalled revisit of a moment in time when I first became aware of this locomotive in 1975 during a history lesson at school, taught by Mister Cowley, a very amiable, able and capable gentleman who managed to keep my interest in the Industrial Revolution going for two whole years and get me a Grade 2 CSE pass in the subject. A good teacher was he, but Jago Hazzard, your presentation of this segment of history was sans pareil! Sorry Mr. C.

[@michaeljohnson9421]

The awkwardly odd painting at 5.31 illustrates a curious phenomenon of the early railway era: many artists were not very good at representing these new-fangled machines in action. Wonky wheels, weird perspective, bizarre proportions - you can see all this in much early railway art. It's understandable, in a way. Nobody had ever seen such a large, long thing as a train, or anything which moved so fast, ever before. It took a few years before artists figured out how to handle it.

[@tonylancaster8704]

Me and my late wife had a ride behind the replica Sans Pereil at an open day in the carrage works at York in the early 80,s

[@mfaizsyahmi]

The production quality of this channel is _without equal._

[@al3k0]

Nicely done.

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

neat

[@RossMaynardProcessExcellence]

Wylam colliery seems to have played a major part in the development of the steam locomotive. William Hedley (Puffing Billy) also worked at the colliery. Fascinating video. More on the history please!

[@iankemp1131]

And it also appears that Richard Trevithick built an early steam locomotive for Wylam, not long after his Penydarren locomotive. The wooden rails of the time weren't strong enough to take it, but this spurred the owner to lay iron rails a few years later, leading to the Stephenson and Hedley engines.

[@iankemp1131]

@@dwgray9000 Thanks, really useful information; have you a source for its later career? It confirms the versatility of Trevithick's engines; all four of his locomotives had only brief lives as motive power but in each case the high-pressure steam engine itself was successfully reused for other purposes.

[@pattheplanter]

@@dwgray9000 If I really need people to find a link I put a unique phrase from the page that should come up easily in a search. It is not ideal, of course.

[@RaysRailVideos]

North east has helped build the world

[@RaysRailVideos]

@@dwgray9000 it was only used on a boat for avery short time

[@johnm2012]

Nice to see the gorgeous skew bridge at Rainhill feature in the engraving at 9:58. It was designed by George Stephenson himself at a time when the science of designing one wasn't fully understood. So he built a scale model from wood in the adjacent field and cut it up in order to instruct the masons how to cut the stones. His preliminary experiments were performed by cutting up a turnip with a penknife.

[@userofthetube2701]

Although slightly of topic I think it would have been worth mentioning that one of the designers of Novelty was John Ericsson. A Swedish-American engineer with a very interesting career who would go on to build the famous ironclad USS Monitor.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Ooh!

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Now that is interesting indeed! I would not have guessed that was the case.

[@SportyMabamba]

USS Monitor is my favourite American warship. Looked kind of funky but absolutely cleaned the opposition’s clock in its first combat outing.

[@timeast6412]

Thank for explaining the Rainhill Trial so clearly.May I give a shout out for Richard Trevithick, he often seems to be the forgotten man of the steam pioneers.

[@Trevor_Austin]

Many years ago I was at Shildon with a group of people (Covenanters of the Peppercorn A1 “Tornado”) who were given a presentation by Jane Hackworth-Young, the great-great-grand-daughter of Timothy Hackworth, on Sans Pareil. Needless to say she was somewhat partisan but she did tell us things that were not normally included in a standard talk. She also intimated that the locomotive was knobbled and mentioned the most likely candidates. What she never mentioned was that the boiler was built in the Bedlington Iron Works, a short walk from where I live. Considering that more than 400 locomotives were built in these works there is virtually nothing to show that any industry was ever there. This is also where Daniel Gooch spent his formative years. He married Michael Longridges’s before moving away. These were very interesting times.

[@RaysRailVideos]

Jane is a family friend and she is such a lovely lady full of knowledge of Timothy Hackworth and the railways

[@NapoleonRook]

It would have been a very different looking Industrial Revolution if the horse on a treadmill on a train masterplan had worked.

[@jaakkomantyjarvi7515]

Presumably we would then have been treated to delays due to the "wrong kind of manure".

[@mikewilliamson7246]

A wonderfully useful word is "if'.

[@ShikiKiryu]

I'm endlessly fascinated by early steam locos and the madness and wackiness of victorian engineers with some of their crazy designs they came up with, weird 2 wheel trains, early crazy steam loco designs and bonkers looks to them...would love if you covered more of these, interesting stuff!

[@frglee]

Interestingly, the Rainhill trials (1829) and many other early railway developments took place during the reigns of King George VI and King William IV. Queen Victoria did not ascend the throne until 1837.

[@edwardsadler7515]

The clever person is the one who starts with a blank sheet of paper. It is their fate to have their designs called crazy/weird/etc by those who have only seen later developments built on the achievements of the pioneers. I'm not having a go at you - I too am fascinated by these 'strange' machines. One of the best days out you can have is to visit the Beamish Museum in County Durham and ride (in period carriages and wagons) behind working replicas of Locomotion and other early steam locomotives. Don't wear your best clothes though!

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

Agreed. I too would love to see more videos like this.

[@eliotreader8220]

@@edwardsadler7515 I understand passengers in the early open railway coaches got covered in ash and it was not un heard of for holes to be burnt in their clothes by the red hot cinders from the engines

[@iankemp1131]

@@edwardsadler7515 Indeed, and we don't hear much of the alternative ideas and false starts, such as Brunton's Mechanical Traveller of 1813 which was pushed along by mechanical legs. Unfortunately, it earned its place in history with the first and deadliest boiler explosion of all time, killing at least 13 spectators in 1815 at Philadelphia (Co Durham, not Pennsylvania).

[@PLuMUK54]

Fascinating. Before retirement I was an history teacher. The Rainhill Trials were part of the curriculum, but most of the attention in books was on The Rocket, so much of this was new to me. I realised that I had a "geek streak" when I was in the London Science Museum, turned round and found myself face-to-face with the Rocket. My mouth dropped open, my heart beat faster, and my knees were wobbly. As I reached out to touch it, my hand shook, and there was a lump in my throat! A fully fledged geek was born, and all I wanted was to hug that amazing lump of metal... I wonder if Sans Pareil would affect me like this...or do I just love winner's? 🙂

[@eliotreader8220]

i have a lovely home made book about the contruction of the working replica of the Sans Paril

[@no-one-in-particular]

a history

[@johnmartin1388]

Another excellent piece, Jago. Thank you. You have a unique way of clarifying a complex story into a 10-minute video without sacrificing any of the important detail. What's in a name? In the 1950s - 1960s period ex-LMS Jubilee-class 'Sans Pareil' was generally known by that essential element of train-spotters' kit, 'Sarsaparilla' (pronounced 'Sasparella', of course).

[@trek520rider2]

We used to pronounce Sanspareil as sanzpareel.

[@bertmeinders6758]

The biggest advantage of Rocket was that it could be scaled up a lot, while Hackworth locos became slower in proportion to their size. This was because in a multitube boiler the heating surface increases in proportion to the overall size, while that of a return flue boiler does not. Later, larger Hackworth locos were good for shunting with long idle periods to redover pressure.

[@house.pub.club.theshowoffi632]

Just when I think you couldn’t cater to my specific tastes any more than you already have, you pull out a video on something I’ve literally been reading up on with enthusiasm this week. Bravo!

[@frglee]

If you enjoyed this video as much as me, I can thoroughly recommend a trip to Shildon in County Durham. Along with the National Railway Museum's huge 'Locomotion' exhibition shed, the associated museums commemorating Timothy Hackworth and the world's first 'railway town' are certainly well worth a visit.

[@RaysRailVideos]

Shildon nrm is a good place to visit i agree unless you want to visit Timothy Hackworths house as it is closed and has been for many years thanks to the local council not funding repairs or maintenance to the buildings.

[@emjackson2289]

Its an epic fail IMHO that Newcastle Central to Darlo via Shildon doesn't have, over the summer hols some form of guided tour train running down there. Could even be in the form of *DAH DAH DAAAAAH* a Pacer perhaps fitted out for the task - or merely a Sprinter fitted the same way - because there's so much to hear about & see whilst doing so. Japan does Tourist Trains, so why can't we?

[@MrDavil43]

You're on a hiding to nothing with railway history; get one detail wrong and the pedants will be on to you without mercy! However, I really enjoyed this episode. Please make more even though just about every aspect of railways has been covered in one or more books. Your presentation and humour freshens up the stories. How about the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramway (a.k.a.Brill Tramway)? It never reached either of those places but had many fascinating features.

[@JagoHazzard]

I do want to cover that - it must be the weirdest line ever to (technically) be part of the Underground.

[@vanlampham2557]

@@JagoHazzard doesn’t the name to the locomotive sound a bit familiar… then I mean SANS Pareil

[@vanlampham2557]

@@JagoHazzard also I think it was Richard Trevithick who came with the idea of the pistons exhaust connected to the chimney in his steam car

[@cuebj]

Ah - I can pick a nit to pick here! I recently heard the term 'rivet counters'. Apparently, that's the word for a railway enthusiast pedant. Trying to think where I heard it - it was flipping TV channels and find something about Hornby trains and other old toys last week.

[@Arquinsiel]

@@cuebj It's used with tank nerds too, and I suspect they got it from oldschool Napoleonics wargamers who have "button counters" on rather ridiculously small figures for counting that sort of thing.

[@Darth_Chicken]

Our Latin teacher Mr. Connell-Smith was obsessed with trains and the trick was to get him talking about them. My desk co-student mate 'Hessy' know sweet fa about them and got roasted for not knowing the opening dates of Stockton and Darlington and Liverpool and Manchester railways. That's a couple of facts he DID learn. During a lecure on verb conjugation or similar he would swing around and shout 'Stockton and Darlington' or 'Liverpool and Manchester' at Hessy who by now knew them off by heart. I wasn't good at Latin but it was very entertaining!

[@tonynewton2250]

Fascinating video, many thanks. I was one of the crew who fired and drove the replica of 'Sans Pareil' at the 'Riot of Steam' weekend at Manchester in 2005, which celebrated 175 years of operation of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and have many great memories of that occasion. Despite being involved with the replica for about 4 years, I have learned a tremendous amount from your video. Well done.

[@Caspiankhw]

Thank you for mentioning the Samson, it is Canada's earliest steam engine. It is displayed in Stellarton Nova Scotia beside the Albion, both are beautiful :) I was fortunate enough to be there during the restoration and installation in the new museum.

[@turbo.panther]

Two identical locomotives called 'Sans Pareil' in close proximity - that's just the best thing ever!!!

[@frankbs6436]

Timothy Hackworth is buried in St John's churchyard in Shildon. A little way down the hill you can seek refreshment at a pub bearing his name while parking your children at his school. Shildon, not Darlington, was the starting point for train travel and Locomtion is due to return home there this year.

[@martinjude66]

I was at the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of The Stockton and Darlington railway which started off from the site on which the wonderful Locomotion Museum now stands . I hope to be "spared" for the 200th. Hackworth was a fascinating character who had a massive influence on the area . More like this please

[@jth385]

I remember the 150th anniversary, I was 8 at the time and I witnessed the parade of steam at the freight yard (now the campus of Darlington College and Teesside University) east of the main line just north of Darlington station, what a sight to behold that day.

[@spookydirt]

I don't live in London and I'm not really into trains, yet I look forward to Mr Hazzard's videos more than those of any other youtube channel. Explain that.

[@Blubatt]

Living near Rainhill, I went to the Local School, and they have Houses named after some of the trains and inventors: - Perseverance - Rocket -Sans Pareil -Stephenson -Braithwaite (Named after the inventor of Novelty)

[@DaedalusYoung]

It's a shame the Council doesn't do more with this historic location. The Rainhill Trials exhibition in the library is interesting, but underwhelming. It has nice models of the Rocket, Sans Pareil and Novelty, but that's about it. It seems none of this video was filmed in Rainhill, because there's not much to see.

[@brettpalfrey4665]

Nice one , Jago! I had always thought that the "Novelty" was the one that Rocket had to beat, now I know different! thank you!

[@JagoHazzard]

I think Novelty may merit its own video in the future.

[@jth385]

This is definitely "a tale far from the tube" keep them coming as they are very entertaining, nice to see my home town station of Darlington at the end. Also as a bit of nerdy trivia the Trans Pennine Express Hitachi train seen arriving is built up the road at Newton Aycliffe which is on the original Stockton and Darlington Railway.....

[@SportyMabamba]

Point of order: there are many tubes in the locomotive boilers herein 😉 If you get a chance to tour the Hitachi factory at Newton Aycliffe, definitely do!

[@rayshowsay1749]

Concerning the early Hackworth engines you show and name towards the end of this marvellous video, although _Sans Pareil_ and _Derwent_ are specifically mentioned as being preserved, this was not too clear with _Samson_; it too managed to survive to preservation -- and is today at the Age of Steam Gallery at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton, N.S.

[@willhovell9019]

The Eric Liddell of railway engineering . Proves that engineering solutions are ultimately derived from a number of sources and inventors. Don't forget Richard Trevithick .

[@backblaise1255]

Only time I went to Shildon was for a Deltic Weekend. Wwrw great! I was recovering from illness. The totally relaxed attitude of everyone there was what I needed. Riding in an open brake van, pulled slowly by a Deltic, made everything better. Being shown the driver's toilet (I asked; it's in both sticky out bits) was great. The tea and home-made cakes in the cafe were so good! I need to set my signals back to Shildon.

[@SportyMabamba]

Right Away, Drive’! _waves green flag_

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

I’ve always loved that nonchalant pose of the driver in the contemporary drawings of Sans Pareil

[@gurglejug627]

Dear Mr. Hazzard, one of Britain's earliest traction engines, sometimes used as a stationary engine, is located in the small and little known Hagfors railway Museum, Sweden, along with several British made steam locomotives.

[@ashleyhamman]

I always enjoy when ideas are incredibly experimental, and 1800s trains really epitomize "incredibly experimental". I've long wondered, why do recreations show wood panelling on the boilers of the earliest locos? I've always assumed it's insulation, but never had that confirmed.

[@pattheplanter]

The paint would have blistered off the naked boiler?

[@highdownmartin]

It was boiler lagging. For the same reason as early engines sometimes had the cylinders inside the boiler barrel.

[@ryanparker4996]

Been watching this channel for a while and gotten used to all the environmental shots of London, its such a trip seeing my local train station and museums in a Jago video 😂

[@Sir_David_Beatty]

I love that title, made me chuckle.

[@alexandraclement1456]

Very interesting and please do more of these historical engines.

[@robinforrest7680]

I developed a taste for these early locomotives thanks to Antony Dawson. And now we have even more to learn from. Thanks Jago. Thoroughly enjoyable. I must take a trip to Shildon. Putting Sans Pareil and it’s replica side by side was an inspired move by the museum.

[@iankemp1131]

Great description. In fact, the few years 1825-1831 possibly saw the biggest advance in the steam locomotive, from an unruly assemblage of knitting needles in Locomotion to a basis for most 19th century locomotives in the Planet and Patentee types (inside cylinders). Hackworth's return flue and blast pipe were a vital step on the way, but the former was logically superseded by Rocket's multitubular boiler which was essential to give enough heating surface for high power outputs; 2 tubes are better than 1, but tens or hundreds are even better if you can overcome the increased pressure drop, which the blast pipe does. Hackworth was a good enough engineer to recognise and adopt new and better ideas and duly switched to multitubular boilers himself.

[@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster]

Strange ... No-one in this discussion has mentioned Richard Trevithick hasn't had a mention. The Stephensons - father and son - were friends and 'Geordie' George borrowed ideas from him. It was on a working tour of South America that Robert Stephenson came across Trevithick, then a struggling mine engineer. Robert gave Trevithick the funds to return to Britain but the Cornishman died in relative obscurity, while Robert Stephenson went on to become MP for a London borough and influenced I K Brunel, becoming firm friends (see "Robert Stephenson - Railway Engineer" by Robert Addyman and Victoria Haworth (publ. North Eastern Railway Association, and the Robert Stephenson Trust), September 2005. .

[@iankemp1131]

@@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster Good point. Trevithick was the true pioneer but was ahead of his time. Catch-me-who-can in 1808 had a neat appearance like Rocket but Trevithick then moved on to other things. He used return flue boilers (as did Hackworth) so was in advance of the Stephensons for many years until they made the big advance to a multitubular boiler in Rocket. Trevithick seems to have been great at inventing things but not so good at making money from them; the Stephensons managed both. There is an excellent biography of Trevithick by Anthony Burton which I enjoyed reading a few months ago.

[@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster]

@@iankemp1131

[@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster]

His 'butterfly' attitude towards his own creations might explain the predicament he was in down in South America. The coverage on Trevithick in the NERA book is extensive if you ever come across it. I've almost run out of space but a new book on Northern steam is due out for Christmas so one or two of the others is going to have to 'bite the bullet - decisions, decisions, eh?

[@iankemp1131]

@@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster Burton's biography indicates that he came very close to success in South/Central America. He had installed steam engines in Peruvian silver mines but then got overtaken by the Bolivar revolution. He then did similar things in Costa Rica and had just made a remarkable 60 mile overland journey through mountainous wilderness to reach the Atlantic, losing most of their money and possessions on the way when their river raft overturned, hence the need for Stephenson's help. He returned home to try to get more mine investors, for the first time for 11 years! Altogether a remarkable life story, he had his finger in so many pies. The mines proved very profitable long-term but too late for him to benefit.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Thank you Jago! ... "Sans Parreil" is French for "Without Equal" which suits the tale of Timothy Hackworth :-)

[@caw25sha]

I thought it literally meant without parallel but being a mere rosbif I'm probably wrong.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

@@caw25sha That is also very close. With the French ... It is always "Nuance" :-)

[@AtheistOrphan]

As indeed mentioned in the video.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

@@AtheistOrphan yes sir~

[@kiwitrainguy]

@@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp Nuance is also a French word.

[@steven.ghodgson765]

As a Darlington lad and worked in North Rd Loco Works way back in time, it was nice to see your presentation. More please on old locos if you can.

[@kimvibk9242]

The Rainhill Trials would make an excellent topic for a movie...technical advances, competition and (possibly) conspiracy...or maybe I am just a train nut.

[@colin8794]

Love to see more on the early trains, this was very interesting thank you…

[@roderickmain9697]

While at school we had an end of year quiz and one of the questions asked was "What was the name of the first steam engine to run on rails?". Myself and one other disputed the answer of "Rocket" as we knew Trevethick had "got there" first and Hackworth and Stephenson had examples of their own, way before Rainhill. BTW, would recommend visiting the museum at Rainhill - just for interest. The road bridge that features in some of the early drawings of the trial still exists - still going over the liverpool - manchester railway.

[@caw25sha]

Making your teacher look an idiot. Result!

[@highpath4776]

Was it Catch-Me-Who-Can ?

[@thomasburke2683]

In my day, teachers were always right, even when they were wrong. I hope that has changed since.

[@iankemp1131]

@@highpath4776 Right designer, but it was Trevithick's Pen-y-darren locomotive of 1804, 4 years before his Catch-me-who-can. At least that is the first proven one, though it seems there was an abortive experimental engine for Coalbrookdale in 1802. So I suppose the answer to the original question is "there isn't one", as neither of these engines had names!

[@roderickmain9697]

@@thomasburke2683 To be fair, he looked a little non-plussed as there were two of us complaining - even though the rest of the class wondered what we were talking about. Since then, when setting quizzes for local quiz nights, I've always liked to include some question that everybody thinks they know the right answer to but is in fact wrong.

[@bigblue6917]

Thanks for the video. I remember watching Anthony Burton's excellent The Rainhill Story: Stephenson's Rocket on the 150th anniversary of the trials. Very enjoyable. And, of course, 2029 is the 200th anniversary. If he is still with use Anthony Burton will be 95. I know it is eight years away but a date for your future videos diary.

[@thomasburke2683]

Several months less than eight years now. If I remember correctly, the 1979 celebration was about August? Won't be long coming!

[@iankemp1131]

Anthony Burton also wrote a very good book on Trevithick who was the original pioneer of steam locomotives thanks to his use of high-pressure steam.

[@bigblue6917]

@@iankemp1131 Trevithick was set a task which if he had been able to complete it out would have changed the course of history and the fate of Horatio Nelson. The first steam powered boat sailed on a Scottish canal before the Battle of Trafalgar. There was a plan to attack the Franco-Spanish fleet with fire ships towed by steam power boats. As it turned out the technology was not advanced enough for the plan to work. But if it had worked and succeeded may be we would have had Trevithick Square in London instead of Nelson Square. Would HMS Trevithick have been involved in sinking the Bismarck?

[@nicolasansom2681]

I love the way you talk about these great characters and all the bickering and intreague that took place

[@Bearthedancingman]

I really enjoy these earliest locomotives. Thank you for the deeper than usual look into this one.

[@tokyoarrow]

Train station at the end is darlington, my hometown! The locomotion used to be housed at “head of steam” museum which was just at the end of my street growing up. I used to really love going there to see all the old trains. Shildon stole the locomotion from us lol

[@Sim0nTrains]

Really enjoyable and informative video Jago, wouldn't mind seeing more videos like this. There is also a replica of Novelty at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) as well

[@MalcolmCrabbe]

Found this video interesting, informative and entertaining - please do more on this subject of early locos and railways.

[@CheshireTomcat68]

Yes, more old locos pls!

[@Morganstein-Railroad]

Going away for Christmas this year. To my brother's house in Bristol tomorrow morning. No internet access, so I'll miss your videos for a week or so. Merry Christmas and happy new year, Jago, and regards to your family. Alan, Swansea UK.

[@jonahwillis2781]

This is the first video of yours that I've ever seen, and wow, I am impressed! I you feel inspired and/or motivated to make more videos like these, then I would love to see them!

[@barryphillips7327]

The pioneering days of the steam locomotive!

[@TadeuszCantwell]

Love a bit of history on a Sunday morning.

[@DeannaAllison]

Thank you! That was really interesting - I didn't know about Sans Pareil, and I was born in the Stockton & Darlington neck of the woods.

[@Jimyjames73]

Nice to see some of the old Locos that are still around 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@johnjephcote7636]

Apropos Royal George, there is a photo by H C Casserly of an old 1830s 0-6-0 Hackworth loco lying at South Hetton Colliery, adapted once as a snowplough and possibly once named Bradyll. (Page 321 Railway Magazine Sept/Oct 1948).

[@nigelcole1936]

Thank you for video which is without equal and for your perseverance with make such fascinating material. I enjoyed my visits to NRM Shildon and seeing Sans Pareil and its replica. A very interesting history of early steam please do make more on early steam Jago.

[@MasterOfTheLemons]

Great video! I never knew the designer of Sans Pareil was so interesting. Some good dry humor in this too; I chuckled when you brought up that there are two identical engines, both “without equal”. Though I must ask, what is the station at the end of the video, with the three overhead canopies? It’s really cool.

[@anticat900]

A great video, I too like the history of the early locomotives, their carriages and their engineering. Particularly the really really early designs before the Rocket and its rivals here and more on the 'novelty' too would be nice. It didn't seem to take long from the rocket to the standardised design to come through, any oddities on the way would be nice to see?

[@antonydicesare4632]

A very late sunday evening/early monday morning treat, fantastic jago.

[@Saraseeksthompson0211]

This is one of the most interesting videos you’ve made. I really enjoyed it. Well done!

[@RaysRailVideos]

Brilliant vid, nice to see you in my home town. One thing though the replica does not work it hasnt for many years and the museum has no interest in repairing it and steaming it, which is a real shame.

[@QALibrary]

Very interesting video can we have more of these types of video please

[@robertkemp9023]

Excellent video. A lot of detail I was not aware of. Thanks for all the research, Do produce some more.

[@emjackson2289]

"Sans Pareil: The Big Engine That Couldn't" - a phrase so often associated with Britain's railways over the Era's.

[@FlyingScud]

These are excellent videos, Jago. The early Broad Gauge would be a fascinating subject, especially Brunel's specs for a loco with a boiler on one carriage and the driving wheels on another. Total failure - unexpected for Brunel. A trip to Shildon is in order! Thank you.

[@Charliecomet82]

Fun Fact for us Yankees: one of the designers/builders of "Novelty" was John Ericsson, who ended up in the USA, where he designed the "Monitor."

[@lapiswake6583]

Again, a wonderful and interesting video. I'm a bit surprised you didn't also visit the Head Of Steam museum at Darlington North Road station, to get a shot of Derwent yourself.

[@JagoHazzard]

Alas, the time got away from me. I plan to revisit in the future.

[@charliepearce8767]

Ahhh...The good old days ! I remember them well ....

[@simonwhitlock9189]

This video struck a pleasing chord in me as until the age of six my family lived in Wylam, what wonderful memories this brings back, thank you so much and may I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a glorious New Year,cheers.

[@JagoHazzard]

Thanks! And may I wish the same to you!

[@AlanLancasterAlanRLancaster]

Met a descendant of Timothy Hackworth, Jane Hackworth-Young many years ago. She told me of the museum at Shildon, the house and works. I also learned of his winter journey to Russia, to present a locomotive ordered by the Tsar (can't remember which one, in the mid-19th Century). After landing in St Petersburg they had to pack a number of large horse-drawn sledges with track and loco parts to head inland to the Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's village), chased by wolves. Needless to say, the Tsar was suitably impressed ... There was no indication or explanation why the Russian track gauge was similar to the Irish or Spanish rather than the 4'-8" in Western Europe. Still, it made life awkward for the Germans in WWII ...

[@kiwitrainguy]

The Russian railways were started by a man who had been involved with the railways in the Southern (Confederated) states in the USA. Both of these railways had a track gauge of 5 feet. In the decades following the US Civil war the track gauge of the Southern US states was converted to 4' 8.5" to conform with the rest of the railways in the USA.

[@hammerandspannerman1]

I too have an interest in these early locos. A visit to the pocklington tramway in Beamish is a must the atmosphere in the locomans bothy is like nothing else. Do t forget there is another early loco in the South East Invicta from the Crab & Winkle line which was in the heritage centre in Canterbury but I believe is now in Whistable.

[@Ikwigsjoyful]

I've been saving the watching of this particular video for a day when I really needed (or deserved) a treat; it did not disappoint! Yes, please and thank you, to more videos about early railways and early engines!

[@peterjohncooper]

Excellent. I've watched dozens of videos about the Rainhill Trials but you still managed to find a different viewpoint. And well told as always.

[@mrsulzer5913]

And to make matters worse for Hackworth returning from Rainhill, another Stephensons Rocket was waiting for him on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, an 0-6-0 engine with angled cylinders and trevithick style firebox

[@Richardincancale]

Here in Paris I live in a street named after Marc Seguin who is claimed to be the inventor of the tubular boiler. Is this really true or were there ‘great minds thinking alike’ across the channel? (The area where I live is a ‘railway island’ bounded on the east by the lines to gate de l’Est, on the west by the lines to Gare du Nord, on the north there was the Petit Ceinture and the south the aerial metro line 2. A little village!)

[@highpath4776]

I think it was the French, We tend to forget the other experiments and constructions that happened in places we dont have a direct link with

[@kenthepen4857]

Not sure who invented it, but wasn't Henry Booth, working with Stephenson on Rocket's boiler, the first to patent it?

[@iankemp1131]

It seems that Marc Seguin produced 2 engines with multitubular boilers in France in 1829, the same year as Rocket, though with a different firebox layout. Parallel invention, and maybe both developing the return flue idea further? Though it seems that Trevithick's original Penydarren engine of 1804 used a return flue.

[@philroberts7238]

A video on the early development of English and French railways (and others in Europe and elsewhere) would be of interest. Rocket itself was looking decidedly old-fashioned before it was 10 years old.

[@highpath4776]

@@philroberts7238 Stephenson Built Rocket to win the contract, not necessarily to build a range of locomotives - they designs they used on the liverpool and manchester differed. Anthony Dawson does a good series of Books and Videos on early locomotives (less so of railways themselves). I would like to see Jago do a vid review of the Stockton and Darlington, and the museums in the area

[@benjamingibson4720]

I've loved this video and its great to see you popping up to my local area.

[@iankemp1131]

Nice to see a follow-up to the 3-part series on the Rocket, even if a couple of years later! Lots of nice shots from the Shildon Museum which has a good section on Hackworth.

[@stevewfreeman]

Fascinating piece of history

[@roboghostdog]

Walked out on a Sunday! Well done. Making one work on the holy day.

[@majackson14]

Lovely shot of Bank top station 👍🏼👍🏼

[@crazypickles8235]

Please make more of these early edwardian period videos! I love learning about the Liverpool and Manchester

[@philroberts7238]

Edwardian is early 20th Century - these were earlyish 19th. So Regency period, mainly. I agree, though - good vids.

[@RogersRamblings]

Another informative and enjoyable foray into ferroequine history.

[@EvilAlchemist720]

Thank you for this documentary! Well researched and informative

[@neilbain8736]

An excellent bit of history, one of the best yet. A suggestion for locomotive history may be Lion, at one time the oldest working locomotives on the planet. She's ex Liverpool & Manchester from 1842, I think, and was running in the 1980's. She'll be well known as the lead roll in the Titfield Thunderbolt, an Ealing Classic.

[@thomasburke2683]

Titfield Thunderbolt, the classic of all classics!

[@Aengus42]

Spiffing stuff Jago! I love the birth of steam too. Any chance of some G.W.R. Brunel broad guage, his "billiard table" and other frats? Every time i see high speed rail being built, planned or opened i think what they'd be like if his seven feet & a quarter inch guage had been adopted as standard gauge. Think how fast & stable high speed trains would be now! Such a shame!

[@annaeborall934]

Like the video? Loved it! How about one on Novelty and perhaps include the first steam fire engine built by John Braithwaite. I often walk under the viaduct at Chelmsford which as engineer to Eastern Counties Railway he was also responsible for. It's an amazing structure with the embankments and bridges. How about considering viaducts for future videos.

[@rollinwithunclepete824]

Great video once again. Might I say this video is, like all your others, sans pareil? I'd love to see whatever video subject you hit upon, Jago!

[@theenigmaticst7572]

Thanks for mentioning the Bolton and Leigh Railway in passing, Mr Hazzard - a small line, but it does have its own footnote in the history of the early railways! As you mention below, Novelty certainly would merit a video, especially due to its engineers, and a video focusing on them and their design would be great to see!!!

[@trek520rider2]

Safety valves. According to L.T.C.Rolt in Red For Danger safety valves used to be adjustable and they had to pass an act outlawing such valves. Until then when a locomotive was struggling up an incline they would send a lad out to screw down on the safety valve to get some extra pressure. Now and again a boiler would blow up thanks to this.

[@iankemp1131]

Yes, and Rolt also noted that these Salter safety valves were still used on traction engines after this and quoted his experience working with an elderly driver pulling up tree roots. "When a tree refused to budge, the driver simply screwed down the nut and waited till the pressure was enough to overcome stubborn roots. I watched these proceedings from a distance."

[@preachintime-odbc-pcola5376]

Good history, that nobody in USA ever heard of. More please

[@musicforaarre]

Yes ! More videos about ancient locomotives. Extremely interesting. Aarre Peltomaa

[@MervynPartin]

Nice one Jago- Yes, do some more like that. And have a Merry Christmas

[@ESmith-ik8vu]

Thank you once again. Right you are, unequalled video.

[@concernedcitizen5826]

Really enjoyed that, thank you. I have seen Sans Pareil at Shildon and you have told it's story very well indeed. Thank's for the education, just subscribed.

[@mastersofpuppets92]

The BBC did a rematch of the Rainhill trials. Its on KZbin and well worth a watch.

[@steves5172]

One of your best yet! Very informative, well done!