The Rainhill Trials The people who owned the Liverpool and Manchester railway didn’t know what sort of engines to use on their new railway so they decided to hold a competition where the winning locomotive would win £500 and if it was good enough, it would be used on the new railway. The competition was held at Rainhill in October 1829. The locomotives would have to run up and down the track at Rainhill twenty times and because the owners were afraid that heavy locomotives would break the rails, no heavy engines would be allowed. Ten locomotives entered the competition but only five turned up and two of those broke down. The rocket, built by George Stephenson and his son Robert, won the competition and it was decided that the Rocket would be used on the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The Liverpool and Manchester railway opened in September 1830. Many important people were at the opening ceremony and there was a procession of eight locomotives including The Northumbrian, The Rocket, The North Star and The Phoenix. After the group of special visitors were given a ride on the Northumbrian, William Huskisson, one of Liverpool’s MPs crossed from his own carriage to speak to the Duke of Wellington. People shouted to warn him when they realised that the Rocket which was being driven by Joseph Locke, was about to pass the Northumbrian. Huskisson was unable to escape and was knocked down by Rocket and one of his legs was badly injured and torn. A doctor tried to stop the bleeding but couldn’t so George Stephenson, Robert Stephenson’s father used the Northumbrian to take him to hospital. Inspite of attempts to save him, Huskisson died later that day. With the large crowds waiting, they decided to carry on with the procession but when the Northumbrian got to Manchester the passenger carriages were pelted with stones. .