• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Naming of Stephenson's "Rocket"

Status
Not open for further replies.

shakey1961

Member
Joined
21 Dec 2014
Messages
155
Please move this to the appropriate section.

A thought crossed my mind today. Stephenson's Rocket was built in 1829, but there were no Rockets as we know them today, other than maybe fireworks.

When was the phrase "it goes like a Rocket" first used?

So, does anyone have any idea why George Stephenson would use the word Rocket?

Just a thought.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

shakey1961

Member
Joined
21 Dec 2014
Messages
155
But were there actual Rockets? I'm curious if it was just a term for something that went fast. In 1829 there had been no Rockets as we know them.
 

Spamcan81

Member
Joined
12 Sep 2011
Messages
1,071
Location
Bedfordshire
Please move this to the appropriate section.

A thought crossed my mind today. Stephenson's Rocket was built in 1829, but there were no Rockets as we know them today, other than maybe fireworks.

When was the phrase "it goes like a Rocket" first used?

So, does anyone have any idea why George Stephenson would use the word Rocket?

Just a thought.

The word "rocket" came into the English language in the 17th century so Stephenson would have been aware of the word's existence.
 

Spamcan81

Member
Joined
12 Sep 2011
Messages
1,071
Location
Bedfordshire
But were there actual Rockets? I'm curious if it was just a term for something that went fast. In 1829 there had been no Rockets as we know them.

The Royal Arsenal first demonstrated solid fuel rockets in 1805 and developed them as a weapon - Congreve Rockets - for use in the Napoleonic Wars. Stephenson was no doubt aware of their existence and their speed prior to the building of his locomotive.
 

Peter C

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2018
Messages
4,514
Location
GWR land
I assume a form of "rocket" may also have existed as a form of firework at the time? Or is that too early? I would have said that they are pretty quick. And the bright yellow colour of Rocket when it was built may have been like the bright colours of a firework?
I don't actually know though. Just a guess.

-Peter
 

Midnight Sun

Member
Joined
16 Sep 2018
Messages
310
Please move this to the appropriate section.

A thought crossed my mind today. Stephenson's Rocket was built in 1829, but there were no Rockets as we know them today, other than maybe fireworks.

When was the phrase "it goes like a Rocket" first used?

So, does anyone have any idea why George Stephenson would use the word Rocket?

Just a thought.
Congreve rockets were in use at the time by the British Army (Royal Horse Artillery) . These artillery rockets were in service from 1806 to 1867. Congreve "rockets' red glare , the bombs bursting in air" " is in the U.S. National Anthem "The Star Spangled Banner".
 

DerekC

Established Member
Joined
26 Oct 2015
Messages
2,107
Location
Hampshire (nearly a Hog)
According to NASA's "Brief History of Rockets" the first recorded use was in 1232 in the Battle of Kai Keng, in which the Chinese repelled the Mongols by means of "arrows of flying fire". So 700 years before the construction of "The Rocket"!
 

WesternLancer

Established Member
Joined
12 Apr 2019
Messages
6,996
Please move this to the appropriate section.

A thought crossed my mind today. Stephenson's Rocket was built in 1829, but there were no Rockets as we know them today, other than maybe fireworks.

When was the phrase "it goes like a Rocket" first used?

So, does anyone have any idea why George Stephenson would use the word Rocket?

Just a thought.
Wasn't the original idea to call it 'Pacer' but this got dropped after a focus group discussion? :lol:
 

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,715
Location
Glasgow
I would suggest it was for the connotations of speed, engines for the Liverpool & Manchester built after Rocket included names such as - Meteor, Arrow, Comet and Dart. All speedy-sounding names to me.
 

Cowley

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
15 Apr 2016
Messages
15,688
Location
Devon
I would suggest it was for the connotations of speed, engines for the Liverpool & Manchester built after Rocket included names such as - Meteor, Arrow, Comet and Dart. All speedy-sounding names to me.
Certainly speedier sounding than Pacer! :lol:
 

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,715
Location
Glasgow
PACE? Acronym in common use on Disputes and Prosecutions Forum :)

Oh is that what they meant? I was looking for a rail-connection rather than a legal one!

I'm sure I could provide some evidence to support the claim ;)
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
And there was me thinking it was named after the salad. :D
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,267
Interesting question raised in this thread. As well as military purposes I wondered if “rockets” were in the public consciousness at the time because of developments in coastal rescue techniques, using rockets for “line throwing”...
 

Mcr Warrior

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Jan 2009
Messages
11,648
Possibly "rockets" were in the public consciousness following their use during the Napoleonic wars, which at the time leading up to the Rainhill Trials would have only been some 15 or so years previously.
 

Dr Hoo

Established Member
Joined
10 Nov 2015
Messages
3,912
Location
Hope Valley
The early nineteenth century saw widespread and rapid engineering development. Many of the names associated with that era had dealings with each other and numerous ideas were copied, poached and adapted.

Quite a few people who were closely associated with the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich also worked with the Stephensons or the Stephensons employed their technology in things like machine tools and interchangeable parts. The Royal Arsenal also produced the William Congreve Rockets that were widely seen as having helped to beat Napoleon and win the Peninsular War.

Key names included Joseph Bramah, Samuel Bentham and Henry Maudslay. The latter in particular was noted for having developed an advanced marine engine that powered the first steam-driven British naval vessel, called Lightning.

It is also worth noting that Henry Booth's early locomotive in the North East was named Blücher after the German general famous for his rapid advance in support of the British at the Battle of Waterloo.

Matthew Murray was another machine tool engineer who built a steam locomotive. This was named Salamanca after a battle in the Peninsular War

So; plenty of links in both mechanical engineering and popular consciousness between rockets, military endeavours, other things noted for speed and steam engines.
 

webbfan

Member
Joined
31 Dec 2019
Messages
54
Location
leicestershire
The early nineteenth century saw widespread and rapid engineering development. Many of the names associated with that era had dealings with each other and numerous ideas were copied, poached and adapted.

Quite a few people who were closely associated with the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich also worked with the Stephensons or the Stephensons employed their technology in things like machine tools and interchangeable parts. The Royal Arsenal also produced the William Congreve Rockets that were widely seen as having helped to beat Napoleon and win the Peninsular War.

Key names included Joseph Bramah, Samuel Bentham and Henry Maudslay. The latter in particular was noted for having developed an advanced marine engine that powered the first steam-driven British naval vessel, called Lightning.

It is also worth noting that Henry Booth's early locomotive in the North East was named Blücher after the German general famous for his rapid advance in support of the British at the Battle of Waterloo.

Matthew Murray was another machine tool engineer who built a steam locomotive. This was named Salamanca after a battle in the Peninsular War

So; plenty of links in both mechanical engineering and popular consciousness between rockets, military endeavours, other things noted for speed and steam engines.

Forgive me but I suspect lot more thought went into this exchange of posts than the naming of rocket. Can imagine Robert Stephenson writing a letter to organisers of trials to submit his engine, reached the bit where name wanted, paused for 2 secs then thought Rocket would do.
 

102 fan

Member
Joined
14 May 2007
Messages
769
The 6th Doctor inspired the name in the last episode of 'The Mark of the Rani' aired on the 9 February 1985........
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top