That was one of the most useful and comprehensive histories of the early locomotive story I have ever seen.

The unbelievable skill of the blacksmiths who made those machines never ceases to amaze me.

It’s an absolute blessing to us all that both Wylam colliery locomotives are still with us. Amazing to think how far technology has come.

I am thrilled to learn that there was once a locomotive designed to have legs.

Stephenson's claim to fame is really about the boiler. He introduced multi-pipe boilers which took the heat from the firebox, through the tank to the funnel at the other end. It has been suggested that, even if Sans Pareil had won the Rainhill trial, while it might have slowed development for a few years, Stephensons way of doing things was superior (more efficient) and would have eventually won out anyway.  Fascinating to see these old engines.

It's really cool these two old engines survived. In 1906 a working replica of Puffing Billy was built by the Bavarian State Railway for the Deutsches Museum in Munich where it still is today.

It still doesn't feel right that these steam Locomotives were around when the napoleonic war was going on, it still amazes me

Always knew the names of all of the early steam locomotives (since I was a kid), but I didn't know both were preserved. That was a smart move to save them.
Strangely enough, in France we have an even older steam vehicle (the oldest on earth in fact), the road-going steam tractor "le Fardier", which survived everything : two world war, 1870 prussian invasion, napoleonic wars, and even the french revolution of 1789. Each time it was hidden and more or less cared after, like if everyone knew it was something historically important despite it's original limited technical success.

I visited London in September for the first time and I was floored by the London Science Museum (amongst so many other fine museums and galleries). I spent 3 days there. Some day when I'm over there again I must take a look at the Royal Scottish Museum.

I'd heard of Puffing Billy before but to see it in the flesh was a rare treat. The oldest surviving (stationary) steam engine, that's over there (it's actually too old to be called a steam engine, rather we call it an 'atmospheric' engine). The first British jet powered aircraft? That's upstairs. The first British jet powered car? That's down there. (I used to own a 1954 Rover 95 and I can assure you it did not accelerate like a jet). Just so many excellent exhibits, presented so well. I remember thinking the kids in the school groups being duchessed through the place have no idea how fortunate they are to live in London and be able to see major technological innovations like Puffing Billy.

'Invicta', the locomotive built by Stevenson just after 'Rocket' in 1829 for the 6 mile long Canterbury and Whitstable Railway in Kent was not so successful as her earlier sibling, only being able to work a fairly level bit of the line at the Whitstable end (the rest of the line being horse and cable hauled), and was replaced by more stationary engine powered cable haulage in 1839, although small steam locomotives were used for the entire line from 1846. Put up for sale, with no buyers, Invicta was put into storage by the South Eastern Railway at Ashford works, becoming the first locomotive in the world to be preserved, according to Wiki. From 1907, she sat for 70 years on an outdoor plinth in Canterbury and after a cosmetic restoration can now be found in the Whitstable Museum.

If I had to pick one person, I'd pick Trevithick.

These engines look like fossilized dinosaur skeletons, specifically the earlier kinds, just as early “ironclad” pre-dreadnoughts do

The "invisible" history here is elusive.  The concept of steam power and the notion of running a cart along rutted tracks are ancient (1st and 6th century respectively), and were in fact both developed independently of one another within only few hundreds miles of each other in Greece.  The chocolate never met the peanut butter (for fans of 1970s candy-origins) back then but even if someone had conceived of using steam power for practical work and visualized a cart being pulled by a steam-powered engine... the requisite materials could not be brought to the project.  Material science is the real star of the Industrial Revolution.  To contain the violent energies of steam heat (and later combustion) and to withstand the tortures of friction, we needed iron (and eventually steel).  The names of Darby, Cort, and Bessemer tend to recede to the backdrop, but they are to my mind the central figures in any discussion of the industrial revolution and the Age of Steam.

Should we consider this video to be a "puff" piece for the Industrial Revolution?

I'd love to see the Machine Tools that were used to make these engines..

The idea of Spiked Wheels, sounds Macabre.

Is that Barnard Castle I see there ?  (nowadays twinned with Specsavers)

8:14 the blacksmith who fashioned and rivetted the plates to make the front of the boiler was a superstar whose name should be up in lights!

I'm surprised that Mr H has not done a piece on George Stephenson's last years in the lovely Derbyshire town of Chesterfield.  There are a lot of images to film: him burial place; Tapton House, his final home and where his ghost wanders around looking for his pipe or slippers or whatever (it's got to be true, Chesterfield folks don't make things up!); his newish statue at the railway station . . .

It appears that the first railway locomotive was in all probability Richard Trevithick's "Coalbrookdale which was built for the narrow-gauge plateways around Coalbrookdale. However like the later "Newcastle Locomotive" it appears that it was never used for the reasons stated
However Christopher Blackett stated that it was later used as a stationary engine (As indeed was the Penydarren locomotive).
As for Richard Trevithick's final locomotive 'Catch Me Who Can' dating from 1808 which operated on the circular railway in Bloomsbury near Euston Square (This was the first steam worked passenger railway in history).
Whilst it is not known what happened to 'CATCH ME WHO CAN' it is quite likely that it was converted back into a semi portable engine. The late Stephen Buckland found a wash by John Claude Nattes of what was almost certainly 'CATCH ME WHO CAN' in the Guildhall Library. Showing the engine minus it wheels  
Along with 'PUFFING BILLY' in the Science Museum there is a Trevithick semi portable engine built by Hazeldine & co in  Bridgnorth, Shropshire (They also built 'CATCH ME WHO CAN').
Now many people including John Van Riemsdijk and my late father Maurice Kelly were of the opinion that due to certain design features found on this surviving engine.
That it is none other than 'CATCH ME WHO CAN' hiding in plain sight! Sadly it is impossible to prove this beyond speculation.
So 'PUFFING BILLY ' is along with 'WYLAM DILLY' the oldest known surviving steam locomotive.
Ir is amazing that they continued working into the 1860's by which time they were extremely archaic.
As noted by the early 1860's little or no coal was being shipped via the 5' gauge Wylam Waggonway.
It would be partially rebuilt into a standard gauge railway following the closure of Wylam Colliery in 1868
Also as noted,'WYLAM DILLY ' is also one of the oldest surviving marine engines! During the Keelmans strike of 1822 it was taken of its wheels and placed on a Tyne Keel named 'TOM & JERRY' and used as a tug. There is an surviving engraving showing 'TOM & JERRY'/'WYLAM DILLY ' towing at least four Keels with armed soldiers/militia on guard!
Thank you for a very interesting video.