Christopher Blackett facts for kids

Christopher Blackett (1751 – 25 January 1829) was an important person in the early days of steam trains. He owned a coal mine in Northumberland called Wylam. This is where the famous Puffing Billy was built. Puffing Billy was one of the very first steam locomotives that could pull heavy loads on rails. Blackett also started The Globe newspaper in London in 1803.

About Christopher Blackett

Christopher Blackett was born into the Blackett family of Wylam. His family had owned land and coal mines in Wylam for a long time. In 1659, the Wylam area, which was rich in coal, came into his family. Around 1748, a special track called a waggonway was built at Wylam. This track helped transport coal about five miles from the Wylam mine to the staithes (loading docks) on the River Tyne. From there, the coal could be shipped away.

Christopher Blackett took over the Wylam mines and land in 1800. Before that, he worked as the Postmaster of Newcastle. He also managed lead mines in another area called the North Pennines.

Building the First Locomotives

In 1804, Christopher Blackett asked a famous inventor, Richard Trevithick, to build a steam engine. Blackett owned The Globe newspaper in London. It's thought that he might have met Trevithick through his newspaper connections. Trevithick's engine was built in Gateshead. However, it was too heavy for the wooden tracks at Wylam. This caused problems between Blackett and the engine builder.

After this, Blackett decided to improve the waggonway. He ordered new, stronger tracks made of cast-iron. Once the new tracks were ready, in 1808, Blackett asked Trevithick for another locomotive. But Trevithick said he had stopped making them.

Not giving up, Blackett then told his mine manager, William Hedley, and his main blacksmith, Timothy Hackworth, to build a new engine. After trying out different ideas, they successfully built Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly between 1813 and 1814. These two locomotives were very successful. They pulled coal waggons from Wylam all the way to Lemington.

His Family

Christopher Blackett had sons who also became important. His son, also named Christopher Blackett, and his grandson, John Frederick Burgoyne Blackett, both became Members of Parliament. This means they were elected to help make laws for the country.

Why Christopher Blackett Was Important

Christopher Blackett was not an engineer himself. But he was an entrepreneur. This means he was a person who was willing to invest his money and take risks to start new projects. He believed in the idea of steam locomotives. He invested in their development not just once, but twice!

Experts agree that Christopher Blackett's role in creating the steam locomotive has often been forgotten. He was very important because he encouraged and supported the early experiments. Without his determination, these important steps in steam engine history might not have happened when they did.

Today, you can still see Puffing Billy at the Science Museum, London. Wylam Dilly is at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. They are two of the oldest surviving railway locomotives in the world!

Images for kids

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  Portrait of Christopher Blackett