History of Trains Before Trains Wagons were used

History of Trains

Before Trains Wagons were used in the mines. They ran on planks. They did not have engines or horses to pull them, the mine workers had to push and pull them to make them move.

The First Railway 1604 The first Railway in Britain was built it was called a wagonway. It was made of wood and was only 2 miles long. In the 1700 s and 1800 s wagonways started to be made of iron as it was stronger and could hold heavier loads. It was during this time that horses were used to pull the wagons rather than people.

Steam Locomotive In 1800 a man called Richard Trevithick invented the first steam locomotive. It was used to move goods not passengers. In 1825 the first steam locomotive to carry people was used. But when it let out steam people ran away because they were scared. On 1829 Stephenson entered a competition to build a faster train. His design was the Rocket. This was the first train to run between cities.

Railway Mania In 1833 trains started to carry passengers as well as goods. People became interested in trains. Tunnels and bridges started to be build. The railways also led to what we call 'standardised time' which means that everyone in the country can set their watch and clock to the right time. Before railways were built all over the country, it didn't matter if the time in one place was a bit different from another place,

1900 s By 1900 the building of the railways was almost complete. In 1904 an engine called 'The City of Truro' became the first to travel at more than 100 miles an hour.