Catch Me Who Can

Seven years ago Susan and I visited the Welsh National Museum in Swansea to see the full-sized, operating replica of Richard Trevithick’s 1804 steam locomotive, the first steam engine to run on rails. I took a lot of photos of the engine and built a model in Blender. This summer I discovered that Trevithick had designed another locomotive in 1808 named Catch Me Who Can. This engine pulled a couple of carriages for passengers who paid one shilling to ride the train on a circular track in London. It was a popular attraction until there were two derailments due track failure. The collapse of the project contributed to Trevithick’s eventual bankruptcy.

 The locomotive was built at the Rastrick and Hazledine foundry in Bridgnorth, England. Today a restoration of the original loco can be seen at the Bridgnorth station of the Sever Valley Railway.

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