John Blenkinsop

John Blenkinsop (* 1783 in Felling, County Durham, † January 22, 1831 in Leeds ) was an English mine manager and engineer.

Blenkinsop was known when he developed an operational steam locomotive, Salamanca. Since it was feared that the iron wheels would slip on the rail, you knew the locomotive with a wheel and the track with a rack. So at the same time was the first gear locomotive. He was granted a patent for this proposal in 1811. The first locomotive, built by Matthew Murray, was delivered on 24 July 1812. It was used on the coal train Middleton - Leeds.

In the years 1812-1816 three more of these machines were produced by Robert Daglish for the Orrell Colliery. The machines proved their worth and were in use to about 1835.

The machines used were also as a model for the steam car of the Royal Berlin Iron Foundry, the first machines manufactured in Germany.

The son of John Blenkinsop, John Stanley Blenkinsop, went to Brunswick, built from 1838, the railway workshop and worked as a train driver. It developed a collaboration of Blenkinsop with the foundry of Georg Egestorff.