Tyneside’s Robert Stephenson changed the world, and the anniversary of his death was marked by wreath-laying, prayers and thanksgiving.

A song about one of Tyneside’s favourite son’s, has been written and composed by a North East singer – songwriter to celebrate the 150th anniversary this week of the death of Robert Stephenson.

The song, “The Famous Rainhill Trials” written by John Leslie of Nedderton, near Morpeth, tells the story of Stephenson’s Rocket through the eyes of a young man who was employed to transport the locomotive from Newcastle to Liverpool in 1829.

John, who plays guitar and sings with three piece local band The Sawdust Jacks, recently premiered the song at Heritage @St Mary’s in Gateshead as part of an evening of local history events held during the Heritage Open Day weekend. He hopes that the song will make people think about the talent and engineering skills of the Stephenson’s and the way that they have changed the way that we live today.

The Famous Rainhill Trials by the Sawdust Jacks

As we left home for Liverpool, two weeks ago today
A cloud sat on my shoulder, as I watched you fade away
Thank God for our safe passage, here on Rainhill Bridge we wait
Our precious cargo gleaming, a fire burns in the grate.

£500 is up for grabs, and contracts to be signed
Worth a lot of money, here in 1829
So engineers from miles around, have gathered here today
To stake their claim to greatness; take the purse away.

Novelty and Sans Pariel, could only wait and hope
That Stephenson’s great wonder would soon go up in smoke
But 13 tons of cargo, was pulled 70 miles that day
October 1829, we blew them all away.

Hats were thrown towards the sky, and I saw grown men cry
Rocket gobbled up the miles, at the famous rainhill trials
My heart was pounding through my chest; I was ten feet tall as I watched the best
And now the whole of Tyneside smiles, about the famous Rainhill trials.

Now my love I’m homeward bound, I’ll soon be at your door
I hope my letters found you well, I love you even more
I’m coming home a better man, in oh so many ways
And I can’t wait to tell the world the story of the day

When hats were thrown towards the sky, and I saw grown men cry
Rocket gobbled up the miles, at the famous rainhill trials
My heart was pounding through my chest; I was ten feet tall as I watched the best
And now the whole of Tyneside smiles, about the famous Rainhill trials.

Visit SAWDUSTJACKS website: http://www.myspace.com/sawdustjacks

Jean Venables OBE FREng, President of Institution of Civil Engineers will lay a wreath on Rbt's grave on Monday 12th October. The ceremony will be filmed by the BBC as well as Channel 4 who are making a 'Time Team'programme in Westminster Abbey

Hardy Pictures have been commissioned by BBC4 to develop a script about the origins and early years of the Stephenson story, provisionally titled ‘The Rocket’. As can be seen from the company's website, they have a track record for making award-winning, responsibly-researched and compelling factual dramas, including most recently ‘Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen’, on BBC4. The company takes its responsibility to research the known facts seriously and their particular challenge is to balance those facts against the need for clarity, for the lay audience’s sake, in each of the scripts. the company believes the Stephenson story is rich with inherent passion and ingenuity and drama and are looking forward to forming editorial and logistical partnerships with local experts such as the Trust, in order to develop a brilliant script.