The Liverpool & Manchester Railway is recognised as the first modern railway, but it almost never got off the ground. And the main reason might surprise you ...

George Stephenson's poor performance.

As engineer of the line, Stephenson had to brief parliament on it and he did so badly that... well, you'll just have to listen to find out...

In the first of a two-parter on the birth of the L&MR we’re going to look at the struggle to get the idea for the line accepted, and how it almost fell at the first hurdle.

Listen to the episode now and find out what happened next...

Come and join Michael Lancashire as he gets distracted, fascinated ... and yes, even sidetracked ... by stories from the railways (or railroads if you're American).

Find show notes and more at https://historyoftherailways.com

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