CHAP. VII[. AGAIN PROPOSES TO EMIGRATE. 139 



of the Killingworth Eailway. The "Puffing Billy" 

 was doing its daily quota of hard work, and had long 

 ceased to be a curiosity in the neighbourhood. Blen- 

 kinsop's clumsier and less successful engine which has 

 long since been disused, while Stephenson's Killingworth 

 engines continue working to this day excited far more 

 interest ; partly, perhaps, because it was close to the 

 large town of Leeds, and used to be visited by strangers 

 as one of the few objects of interest in that place. 

 Blenkinsop was also an educated man, and was in com- 

 munication with some of the most distinguished per- 

 sonages of his day upon the subject of his locomotive, 

 which thus obtained considerable notoriety. 



The first engine constructed by Mr. Stephenson to 

 order, after the Killingworth model, was made for the 

 Duke of Portland in 1817, for use upon his tramroad, 

 about ten miles long, extending from Kilmarnock to 

 Troon, in Ayrshire. It was employed to haul the coals 

 from the Duke's collieries along the line to Troon harbour. 

 Its use was however discontinued in consequence of the 

 frequent breakages of the cast-iron rails, by which the 

 working of the line was interrupted, and accordingly 

 horses were again employed as before. 1 There seemed, 

 indeed, to be so small a prospect of introducing the 

 locomotive into general use, that Mr. Stephenson, 

 perhaps feeling the capabilities within him, again 

 recurred to his old idea of emigrating to the United 

 States. Before entering as sleeping partner in a small 

 foundry at Forth Banks, Newcastle, managed by Mr. John 

 Burrell, he had thrown out the suggestion to the latter 

 that it would be a good speculation for them to emigrate 

 to North America, and introduce steamboats upon the 

 great inland lakes there. The first steamers were then 



1 The iron wheels of this engine working until the year 1848. Its ori- 

 were afterwards removed, and replaced j ginal cost was 7501. It was broken 

 with wooden wheels, when it was again j up, and the materials were sold, rea- 

 placed upon the road, and continued i lizing only 13. 



