Who invented victorian trains

The invention of the steam engine changed things dramatically. Trevithick and Stephenson In Richard Trevithick first harnessed a steam engine to a wagon. His engine was unsuccessful for transport, but the die was cast. Just a few years later George Stephenson's Rocket became the first steam locomotive practical to use for pulling rolling stock train cars to you and me.

Stephenson applied the new technology to his Stockton and Darlington Railway in , although in those early years horses still did some of the work. By every town of any size in England was connected by rail, though Wales was less well served. The gauge problem One of the major problems of these early boom years was the lack of standardization the same difficulty encountered by canal builders earlier.

There were at least 5 different gauges the distance between the rails in use in the s. This meant that trains made for one line could not use rails on another line, so goods would have to be unloaded and transferred to a new train of the proper gauge. This problem was not completely solved until the s. Rail was the most popular means of transport for goods and people throughout the Victorian era and well into the 20th century.

In a sense, rail set the tone for 19th century "progress" and made possible the entrepreneurial successes and excesses of the Industrial Revolution.

What to see Some prominent Victorian railway stations are still in use, notably Paddington the building, not the bear of the same name , St. George and his son collaborated on the project, however, and when the Liverpool and Manchester Railway announced a competition to find the best locomotive design for their railway at Rainhill, near Liverpool, the Rocket, built by Robert Stephenson and Company, was entered and won the trial.

Many people feared that the speed and vibration of rail travel would prove to be bad for people's health and perhaps even be fatal. Others worried that by enabling poor people to move around the country the new railways could be a threat to law and order. Stephenson won over many objectors by persuading them that the railways would make money for them!

Britain became very prosperous as a result of these developments. The railways changed the lives of ordinary people, making it possible to travel long distances to the countryside, to the seaside and to the big cities relatively swiftly and at low cost. He went on to become a famous bridge builder and later a Member of Parliament.

William Huskisson — MP for Liverpool. He was killed by the Rocket at the opening of the Manchester to Liverpool Railway becoming the first ever casualty of the railways. He was a bit doubtful about the railways at first but was won over when he learned that they could make money. He attended the opening of the Manchester to Liverpool Railway. Witnessing the death of Huskisson put him off railway travel for life! Need help?

How to videos Why join? George Stephenson and the development of the railway. Why is George Stephenson famous? Stephenson was one of six children born into a poor mining family in Wylam, Northumberland on 9 June His father, Robert, worked on the engines that were used to pump water from the mines and the young George Stephenson longed to be in charge of these steam-driven engines. As a young boy he had a number of jobs before going down the pit to mine coal at the age of ten.

At 14 he became an assistant fireman and later worked on the winding machine which pulled the cages of miners up from the pit face. George did to know how to read or write until he was He went on to engineer at mines in South America before dying penniless aged Perhaps because it was the birthplace, Britain can boast more railway attractions per square mile than any other country.

The figures are impressive: more than heritage railways and 60 steam museum centres are home to operational engines, steamed-up by an army of 23, enthusiastic volunteers and offering everyone the chance to savour a bygone age by riding on a lovingly preserved train. The surroundings — stations, signal-boxes and wagons — are equally well preserved and much in demand by TV companies filming period dramas.

Wales deserves a special mention for its Great Little Trains. Though small in stature, these narrow-gauge lines are real working railways, originally built to haul slate and other minerals out of the mountains, but now a wonderful way for visitors to admire the scenery, which is breathtaking.