The Rainhill trials were a competition run from 6 to 14 October 1829 to test George Stephenson's argument that locomotives would have the best motive power for the nearly-completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Ten locomotives were entered, of which five were able to compete, running along a 1 mile (1.6 km) length of level track at Rainhill in Lancashire (now Merseyside). Stephenson's Rocket was the only locomotive to complete the trials and was declared the winner.

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Key figuresGeorge StephensonRobert Stephenson