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Railway Office, Liverpool, 1831.
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
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Radio Merseyside News on Wednesday 15th September 1830, this is
Margaret Hyde reporting.
Workmen
have been busy putting the finishing touches to the Liverpool and
Manchester railway which officially opens today.
The
railway company's chief engineer Mr George Stephenson who has supervised
the building of the three-quarters of a million pound line was on
the scene at dawn to direct the operations.
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Rocket
at Rainhill, 1830
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
This
morning’s opening ceremony will be performed by the Prime Minister
the Duke of Wellington who arrived on Merseyside yesterday.
Afterwards 700 hundred specially invited guests are expected to
travel to Manchester in eight special trains. Visitors from all
over the country have come to Liverpool for the opening of the railway.
Hoteliers and Inn keepers report record business.
Abroad
now, and there is still no sign of an end to the troubles in Brussels,
a spokesmen for the revolutionary forces said they’d continue their
struggle until separation from the Netherlands is agreed.
Meanwhile there’s been fighting in the North of Germany where the
Duke of Brunswick was attacked by rioters protesting about high
prices and unemployment.
Back home the anti-slavery bill will now be debated in Parliament
next month. Supporters of the bill have appealed to the public to
present petitions to their local MPs.
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1829
Grand Competition of Locomotives on the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
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Radio Merseyside News
Well,
despite a great deal of opposition from the turnpike authorities
and canal companies, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company’s
plans have at last come to fruition.
And in just a few minutes’ time from now the Prime Minister will
declare the new line open.
We’re now going over to the Crown Street Passenger terminus where
our reporter Bob Azurdia is waiting in the radio carriage.
Thank
you, good morning everybody from Crown Street just on the outskirts
of Liverpool.
Carriages
started from early this morning trying to get through the crowded
streets because all the roads have been jammed with traffic because
of the interest which has been generated by this new great iron
road which is linking the two great cities of the North West, Liverpool
and Manchester.
The
Prime Minister himself is coming. He spent the night in fact out
at Childwall Hall. He was the guest of Lord and Lady Salisbury.
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Stephenson's
Rocket, winner of the Rainhill Trials.
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
They
will be arriving and of course taking their place in the great cavalcade
which will go out to Manchester, the cavalcade which will be made
up of a series of trains of carriages, each one pulled by a locomotive
engine, each one with a special name, Phoenix, North Star, Dart,
Comet, Arrow, Meteor and two special names, the name Rocket which
will of course be remembered by many people and which won those
Rainhill trials just under twelve months ago.
And the other locomotive engine to look out for is the new one,
and that’s Northumbrian, and that is the locomotive engine which
will be pulling the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington when
he arrives just a little bit later this morning.
I
see already too, Mr Gladstone , Mr John Gladstone this is, the Member
of Parliament, the Liverpool man, he lives in Seaforth himself,
and his son too , Mr William Ewart Gladstone, could be we hear more
about him in days to come if he has the same strength of purpose
as his father.
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An
information leaflet advising passangers on fares and journey
times. 30th September 1830
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
And
if incidentally you can hear strains of a band playing well that’s
because there has been music to entertain the public. Many of whom
have been involved actually working on the great railway. The only
pity perhaps is His Majesty King William hasn’t been able to attend
this function of course.
Sir
George Drinkwater, the Mayor of Liverpool he’s just arriving now,
in his state carriage, and I believe that Sir Robert Peel has also
arrived. I have no doubt that the excitement is building up even
further along the line just under a quarter of a mile away at Edge
Hill, and then at 11 o clock they will all move out in procession
towards Manchester.
Meanwhile,
back for more information about what is happening, back to you Chris.
Thanks
Bob, and of course we will be with Bob Azurdia very soon.
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Taking
in Water at Parkside. (The Station where Mr Huskinson Fell)
Image courtesy of The Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society. |
And
a great cloud of smoke and steam rises here at Edge Hill as the
locomotive engines start to move forward. It is a most magnificent,
most impressive sight here and a mighty cheer rises up to the heavens,
as we see slowly but increasingly speedily moving forward this magnificent,
this superb, this colourful cavalcade of history as they pull away
now from Edge Hill.
Reports
are coming in of an accident to one of the trains taking part in
today’s opening celebrations of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
The
accident is believed to have happened at Parkside near Newton -Le-Willows
where the locomotives hauling eight special trains of carriages
were due to stop to take water.
It’s
still not quite clear what happened, though some reports say the
Liverpool member of parliament William Huskisson was struck by one
of the locomotives and is seriously hurt.
We’ll
bring you any more news just as soon as we receive it."
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