Born in Camborne in 1771 and known locally as ' The Father of the Steam Locomotive', Richard Trevithick is regarded as something of a genius. Early attempts to use the steam engine as a means of transportation were concerned with steam carriages for road travel and met with limited success. It was James Watt who in 1784 patented the design for a steam locomotive and William Murdoch - better known as the inventor of gaslight - who built a small high pressure engine as a working model. It was Trevithick - a student of Murdochs - however, who constructed the first railroad engine which he patented in 1802, twelve years ahead of George Stephenson who is more usually credited with its invention. By 1803, Trevithick had produced a second and better locomotive that succeeded in hauling several wagons each laden with ten tons of iron at 5 mph. The major commercial application of Trevithicks engine locally was to enable mines to be pumped dry for the first time allowing miners to reach greater depths without risk of flooding. Trevithick Day is celebrated in Camborne on April 26th.