The First Train

sub titled: Built by Geo. Stephenson in 1825

usual wagons woven in dark brown/red, with the additional words in the title.

same additional words in the title, but also wagons woven in green, and is the rare version mentioned by Godden.

Woven on silk:-

Printed at bottom of card-mount:-
WOVEN IN SILK BY THOMAS STEVENS, INVENTOR AND MANUFACTURER, COVENTRY AND LONDON (REGISTERED).

THE FIRST TRAIN.

BUILT BY GEO. STEPHENSON IN 1825.

Card-mount:
cm deep by cm wide

silk:
cm high by cm wide

by Austin Sprake:
A "Rocket" type locomotive drawing a coal-car with two and a half open wagons. The wagons are coloured black and brown.

by Geoffrey Godden:
[The normal version is st220 on this site.] This depicts George Stephenson's "Locomotion No. 1" with coal-tender drawing open wagons, two and a half of which are shown. The title was first listed on label 18 of about 1880, but it does not occur on labels issued after 22+17+2 of 1887.
THE FIRST TRAIN is found on type B card-mounts.
On some examples the wagons are woven in green silk, not the normal red silk.

A rare early version of the card-mount has the words "Built by Geo. Stephenson in 1825" under the main title. This version, which I have designated 25a [that is, the version shown above], is illustrated as Figure 29 by Mrs LeVan Baker.

Other comments:

This page was created on 11 March 2004
and new image of green wagons added 23 November 2014, and of brown wagons added 7 June 2015. The green wagon image was replaced 3 May 2019

copyright

Reference Number:-	Sprake Number:-	Godden Number:-
st 224	not recorded	25a

Words:	Woven on silk:- Printed at bottom of card-mount:- WOVEN IN SILK BY THOMAS STEVENS, INVENTOR AND MANUFACTURER, COVENTRY AND LONDON (REGISTERED). THE FIRST TRAIN. BUILT BY GEO. STEPHENSON IN 1825.
Size:	Card-mount: cm deep by cm wide silk: cm high by cm wide
Comments:	by Austin Sprake: A "Rocket" type locomotive drawing a coal-car with two and a half open wagons. The wagons are coloured black and brown. by Geoffrey Godden: [The normal version is st220 on this site.] This depicts George Stephenson's "Locomotion No. 1" with coal-tender drawing open wagons, two and a half of which are shown. The title was first listed on label 18 of about 1880, but it does not occur on labels issued after 22+17+2 of 1887. THE FIRST TRAIN is found on type B card-mounts. On some examples the wagons are woven in green silk, not the normal red silk. A rare early version of the card-mount has the words "Built by Geo. Stephenson in 1825" under the main title. This version, which I have designated 25a [that is, the version shown above], is illustrated as Figure 29 by Mrs LeVan Baker. Other comments: