The Rainhill trials was an important competition run from the 6 to 14 October 1829, to test George Stephenson's argument that locomotives would have the best motive power for the then nearly-completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Ten locomotives were entered, of which five were able to compete, running along a length of level track at Rainhill, in Lancashire (now Merseyside). Stephenson's Rocket was the only locomotive to complete the trials, and was declared the winner. The directors of the L&MR accepted that locomotives should operate services on their new line, and George and Robert Stephenson were given the contract to produce locomotives for the railway. Background The directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway had originally intended to use stationary steam engines to haul trains along the railway using cables. They had appointed George Stephenson as their engineer of the line in 1826, and he strongly advocated for the use of steam locomotives instead. As the railway was approaching completion, the directors decided to hold a competition to decide whether locomotives could be used to pull the trains; these became the Rainhill trials. A prize of £500 (equal to £ today) was offered to the winner of the trials. Three notable engineers were selected as judges: John Urpeth Rastrick, a locomotive engineer of Stourbridge, Nicholas Wood, a mining engineer from Killingworth with considerable locomotive design experience, and John Kennedy, a Manchester cotton spinner and a major proponent of the railway. Rules The L&MR company set the rules for the trials. The rules went through several revisions; the final set, under which the competition was held, was: Entries Ten locomotives were officially entered for the trials, but on the day the competition began – 6 October 1829 – only five locomotives were available to run: Cycloped, a horse-powered locomotive built by Thomas Shaw Brandreth, was disqualified for not being steam powered. Novelty, the world's first tank locomotive, built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite. Perseverance, a Vertical boilered locomotive, built by Timothy Burstall. Rocket, designed by George and Robert Stephenson; built by Robert Stephenson and Company. Sans Pareil, built by Timothy Hackworth. Competition The length of the L&MR that ran past Rainhill village was straight and level for over , and was chosen as the site for the trials. The locomotives were to run at Kenrick's Cross, on the mile east from the Manchester side of Rainhill Bridge. Two or