Hetton Lyon’s Stephenson ‘ origins’ exposed as ‘ fakenews’
NOTonly did George Stephenson play no part inbuilding Hetton Colliery’s celebrity0- 4- 0 Lyon, but the locomotive is far frombeing one of the oldest in theworld, as long claimed, experts have announced.
A seven- month investigation by Dr Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson into the engine, based at the Locomotion museum at Shildon, has established that it was not constructed in 1822, as wrongly believed for 120 years, but at the colliery in County Durham in 1849.
The project began in April 2019 and sawworld renowned specialists Michael and Peter conduct a forensic- like examination of the locomotive and tender alongside detailed archival research.
On July 7, the findings of the study were announced byMichael in an exclusive online presentation for media and those closely involved in the project.
He reported that the study has proved that Lyon was not built by George Stephenson as previously claimed and is therefore not one of the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotives, held up to now to predate Stephenson’s Rocket ( 1829) and Locomotion No. 1 ( 1825). By contrast, the locomotive was built circa 1849 and named Lyon after John Lyon under whose land, Hetton Collierymined its coal. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the locomotive has any parts dating back to the colliery’s original Stephenson locomotives, Michael announced.
The study has concluded that
Lyon was one of three sister engines constructed at the colliery between 1849- 54, named Fox and Lady Barrington, also after adjacent local landowners. The trio were driven by three brothers: Jimmy, Jack and Dick Ford.
Although the fate of Fox is unknown, Lady Barrington’s boiler exploded in December 1858 killing Jimmy and his son.
Origin
Peter and Michael confirmedthat Lyon spent its operational lifeofmore than 60 years hauling coal wagons at the colliery.
The ‘ mystery’ about the origins of Lyon began following an early example of ‘ fake news’when exaggerated claims of the engine’s historical pedigree, issued by the colliery in 1902, led to extraordinary national interest, said a statement from the National Railway Museum.
News reports at the time described Lyon as the“world’s oldest working locomotive”. As a result of its newfound fame, the locomotive was preserved after being withdrawn from service in 1912 rather than scrapped.
Lyon found yet more fame when, watched by more than 100,000 people, it led the 1925 centenary procession for the Stockton & Darlington Railway after LNER restored it at Darlington North Road works for the purpose, so that it could head the 1925 cavalcade, which was as the engines travelled from Stockton to Darlington.
“Whether through accident or more likely, as a deliberate plan to impress the colliery owners, Lyon’s fabricated history lasted for many years and it is only now, with more modern records and research techniques, that the myth can be conclusively laid to rest,” said the statement.
Industrial archaeologist Michael expanded: “The press release of 1902 was, to use Donald Trump’s expression, ‘ fake news’.
“This claim went viral: so many people wanted to see the loco that it was decided to keep it in operation, and for years, visitors came from all over to see it.
“Such was its fame as the oldest working loco that they didn’t have the heart to scrap it,” he said. “I don’t think anyone ever challenged that it wasn’t built in 1822. The whole parade was based around this ‘ early Stephenson’ locomotive.
Result