170 THE FIRST PASSENGER TRAFFIC. CHAP, IX. 



ruinous, proved the vital element in the success of the 

 railway. In the course of a few years, the annual ship- 

 ment of coal, led by the Stockton and Darlington Kail- 

 way to Stockton and Middlesborough, exceeded five 

 hundred thousand tons ; and it has since far exceeded 

 this amount. Instead of being, as anticipated, a subor- 

 dinate branch of traffic, it proved, in fact, the main 

 traffic, while the land sale was merely subsidiary. 



I The anticipations of the company as to passenger 

 traffic were in like manner more than realised. At 

 first, passengers were not thought of; and it was only 

 while the works were in progress that the starting of 

 a passenger coach was seriously contemplated. The 

 number of persons travelling between the two towns 

 was very small ; and it was not known whether these 

 would risk their persons upon the iron road. It was 

 determined, however, to make the trial of a railway 

 coach ; and Mr. Stephenson was authorised by the 

 directors to have one built to his order at Newcastle, at 

 .the cost of the company. This was done accordingly ; 

 and the first railway passenger carriage was built after 

 our engineer's plans. It was, however, a very modest, 

 and indeed a somewhat uncouth machine, more resem- 

 bling the caravans still to be seen at country fairs con- 

 taining the " Giant and the Dwarf" and other wonders 

 of the world, than a passenger coach of any extant 

 form. A row of seats ran along each side of the inte- 

 rior, and a long deal table was fixed in the centre ; the 

 access being by means of a door at the back end, in the 

 manner of an omnibus. This coach arrived from New- 

 castle the day before the opening, and formed part of 

 the railway procession above described. Mr. Stephen- 

 son was consulted as to the name of the coach, and he 

 I at once suggested " The Experiment ;" and by this name 

 it was called. The Company's arms were afterwards 

 painted on her side, with the motto " Periculum pri- 

 vatum utilitas publica." Such was the sole passenger- 



