Cycloped

Cycloped was an early horse-powered locomotive, built by Thomas Shaw Brandreth of Liverpool, which competed unsuccessfully in the Rainhill Trials of October 1829.

The Rainhill Trials

The 'Cycloped' was the only entry in the trials that did not rely on steam power, instead utilising a treadmill that was kept perpetually moving by a horse mounted on top.

Brandreth was one of the directors of the railway and some people believed that that gave the 'Cycloped' an unfair advantage. But the 'Cycloped' was a primitive idea and because of its failure to generate enough speed to equal its competitors - Burstall's Perseverance, Braithwaite's Novelty, Hackworth's Sans Pareil and Stephenson's Rocket - the 'Cycloped' ultimately lost the competition in the trials. Stephenson's Rocket eventually won the trials, maintaining an average speed of 13.8 mph for a modest consumption of coal and water.