In this the 190th anniversary of the first passenger railway service*, and there’s a proposal for a LEGO model of Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive.
(c) Steve Mayes
The proposal is for a LEGO kit that will be based on the replica of the locomotive that’s held at the National Railway Museum in York, familiar to many by its striking yellow paintwork.
The replica is closer to the original than the original itself, as the original was heavily modified shortly after it went into service to take advantage of improvements proven on later locomotives.
The LEGO version has been designed by Steve Mayes, who has designed other LEGO kits, and this one has been put on the public voting website.
If it gets enough support, then the design will be put forward to go into commercial production.
The model contains 1,300 parts and the base measures approx 60cm long. It’s not designed to work with any existing LEGO train gauges – its a much larger size and is intended as a stand-alone Ultimate Collectors Series type model.
You can vote in favour of the model being made here.
(c) Steve Mayes
*Yes, other services existed before this, but the Rocket is considered the locomotive that brought a number of key innovations together for the first intercity service.
Why do people write out the Stockton to Darlington railway which is 200 years old on 27th September 2025.
That IS the world’s first passenger railway to use steam.
Without the Locomotion used on the S&DR there would have been no Rocket.
So the Rocket brought together several improvements but that is to the locomotive and not to the actual railway service.
The Stockton to Darlington railway opened as a coal railway in 1825 and although it carried passengers, they were hauled by horses not steam locomotives – the first of those didn’t start until 1833.
So the Manchester-Liverpool line, which opened in 1830 is the first passenger steam service.