Remember the Rocket

A complete change of scene and theme today (I don't want to get it a rut!) after my ducks and flowers; now turning back to history and the man-made world.

I have long been an admirer of creativity and invention in engineering and art, and this 8-inch tall model ticks both of those boxes for me.  Looking at first sight like a one-off piece of sculpture made from scrap, it is seen on closer inspection to be identical to many others on sale in gift and novelty shops, but that does not spoil its appeal as a reminder of the 'Golden Age of Steam', which did so much to shape the modern world.

George Stephenson's "Rocket" was the first steam engine to haul a passenger train, after winning The Rainhill Trials  - a competition to test the feasibility of steam to drive public transport. That was in 1829, and the rest (including its 20-21st century decline and almost total abandonment) is history.

But history is to be remembered and kept alive, as in this model which although more a caricature than an accurate representation, is sufficient to stir the memory, while a full-scale accurate reproduction can be seen in the National Railway Museum in York and in my extras today, taken on my last visit when  It was undergoing a face-lift.