Young pretender: Hetton locomotive links to George Stephenson disproved
A STEAM locomotive that for decades was assumed to have been built by the eminent engineer George Stephenson has been proved to be not all it seems after a painstaking archaeological study at locomotion in Shildon.
The Hetton Colliery 0-4-0 Lyon first gained prominence as far back as 1902 when the colliery claimed the loco was built by Stephenson in 1822.
Contemporary news reports described it as the ‘world’s oldest working locomotive’, predating Stephenson’s more famous Locomotion No. 1 of 1825.
The colliery railway certainly had Stephenson-built locos based on his earlier Killingworth design, four built in 1820 and another – Lyon – in 1822.
As a consequence of its new-found fame, the locomotive was preserved upon withdrawal in 1912; it even led the 1925 centenary procession for the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
World-leading
However, there has been much debate over the years as to whether Lyon was all it was cracked up to be. This prompted historians Dr Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson – both worldleading specialists in the field of locomotive investigation – to undertake a four-month archaeological study of the loco to finally solve the mystery of its origins.
The results were published in early-July and conclusively prove Lyon was not one of the Stephenson engines, and was in fact built circa 1849 as one of three locomotives constructed at the colliery between 1849 and 1854.
The loco includes components fitted as a result of major modifications carried out in 1882, and replacement buffers fitted in the 1960s.
Its original wooden tender was completely replaced in 1882, and only the frame and wheels remain from this vehicle, with heavy modifications carried out by LNER in 1925.
A key breakthrough came when Dr Bailey and Mr Davidson discovered the technology required to make long sheets of wrought iron plate used in Lyon’s boiler did not exist before the 1840s, thereby ruling out the earlier construction date.
‘True identity’
“I am pleased we have been able to solve the Hetton mystery and confirm the locomotive’s true identity,” said Dr Bailey.
“Although it would have been exciting to uncover links to early Stephenson engines, the benefit to us today is that this remarkable locomotive would undoubtedly have been scrapped were it not for the tall tales surrounding it.
“The result of the Hetton myth is that we have an early and unique example of an industrial steam locomotive, which tells us a great deal about the construction of early engines and components.
“What is most surprising is the myth endured for so long and the durability of the outmoded designs enabled the engine to continue operating for such a long time.”
Dr Bailey and Mr Davidson plan to publish the full results in a paper at the 7th Early Railway Conference in Swansea in 2021.
■ The title of world’s oldest surviving standard-gauge locomotive belongs to the Stephenson Railway Museum’s ex-Killingworth Colliery 0-4-0 – Billy – which was the subject of an archaeological survey by Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson last year.
Their research revealed the loco was built in 1816, making it the third oldest surviving locomotive in the world behind William Hedley’s Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly.
Morayshire