Between 1800 and 1825, there were ‘trains’ without engines in Wales and Austria. Horses pulled carriages along the rails. It was a smoother ride than road travel.
Which train was the first to carry passengers?
Stephenson’s Locomotion was the first engine to be used on a public railway, the Stockton and Darlington, in 1825. Stephenson’s Rocket won £500 in competition at Rain hill, Liverpool, four years later.
What was the first train engine?
Richard Trevithick, a mine engineer, first demonstrated a mobile engine on rails in 1804. It pulled 70 men and ten tonnes of iron ore, in front of a crowd of amazed onlookers. His next engine became a fairground ride.
Amazing! There were horse-drawn trains 50 years ago! The Fintona Branch of Ireland’s Great Northern railway remained horse-powered until the early 1950S.
Is it true? The ancient Greeks had a steam engine!
Yes. Hero of Alexander wrote about a steam-powered spinning ball, called the ‘aeolipile’ in 200 BC. But since slave labour was free, no one bothered to use the engine as a labour-saving device.
Picture Credit : Google