George & Robert Stephenson

Book excerpt: This book is primarily a photographic celebration of the legacy of George and Robert Stephenson, the father and son team in the forefront of the development of the railways, servicing the burgeoning industrial revolution. The life of George Stephenson presents a classic rags to riches tale - from illiterate colliery worker to pit owner and railway magnate. His son Robert combined the best traits of his father's character with new talents of his own to become, rightly, the most feted of the heroic' Victorian engineers. Their transport revolution was made posible through improvements in rail technology and, most importantly, the development of the steam locomotive itself.