Trains: past, present and future
Why did railways develop?
Railways are not a modern invention as most of
us think. The idea of transporting things and
people on rails has been around for a long time.
Rails were made of wood, stone or metal, and
railway wagons were pulled by horses, some
were even wind powered and had sails. At the
start of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, people
needed to transport raw materials such as coal,
so created a network of canals and rail links
between towns. But canals and horsepower were
a very slow way to move things around the
country, so the speed of railway wagons needed
to be increased.
How did steam engines help?
By 1800 many industries were using steam
engines, designed by James Watt (from where
we get the electrical measurement - Watt).
Richard Trevithick, a Cornish engineer, refined
Watts’ invention and after failing to build a steam
powered road vehicle, he designed the first
locomotive for an Iron Works in Wales. He called
it a 'puffer' because of the noise it made, and on
its first journey it travelled at almost 8 km/h an
hour! Unfortunately, it was so heavy that it broke
the rails - it only made three journeys. But it had
shown that steam engines could be used to move
trains, and speeds began to increase.
When was the first accident?
By 1829 locomotives were travelling at speeds of
over 45 km/h and the first public railway had been
opened, the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
The most famous early locomotive was The
Rocket. In 1833 it won a competition organised
by the owners of the Manchester and Liverpool
railway, to find the best locomotive for their new
line. Unfortunately, during the competition, a
Member of Parliament wasn't careful as he
crossed the tracks and The Rocket knocked him
down. He died later. This was one of the first train
accidents in history.
What was the Golden Age of Steam?
The next 130 years can be described as a
Golden Age of Steam. Railways were built all
over the world, and the size, speed and comfort
of trains continued to increase. By 1870 it was
possible to cross America by train, and the
building of railways in many other countries
allowed people and progress to move quickly
across the world.
There were famous trains and famous journeys.
The Orient Express started in 1883 and carried
people in luxury through more than 13 countries
between France and Turkey. The Flying
Scotsman travelled non-stop from London to
Edinburgh, between 1928 and 1963, and reached
speeds of over 130 km/h. The Trans-Siberian
railway was finished in 1916, and is still the
longest railway line in the world. It goes between
St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, is over 9000 km long and even today the journey takes over a
week.
The fastest steam train in the world was The
Mallard. This locomotive travelled up and down
the east coast of England between London and
York, and in 1938 reached 202 km/h.
What replaced steam engines?
Although it is still possible to travel on the TransSiberian
railway, and take the Orient Express
from Paris to Vienna, steam trains such as the
Mallard or Flying Scotsman, have not travelled
regularly for almost 30 years in many countries.
Diesel powered locomotives or trains running on
electrified lines now run on most railways.
Modern trains are cleaner and much faster than
steam engines but many people still miss the
puffing sound and the romance of steam.
How fast can trains travel now?
Quite a few countries now use high speed trains.
The famous Bullet Train in Japan and the TGV in
France can both carry passengers at speeds of
over 300 km/h. Journey times are now much
shorter, and trains can travel on some unusual
routes; up hills, through mountains, even under
the sea. Euro-tunnel was opened in 1994 and
connects Britain to France through a railway that
goes under the sea.
How can trains further develop?
The future of train travel could be in Maglev
trains. These trains are supported by electromagnets
and hover off the ground. Some
countries are already using this technology in
cities, and others are planning to use it on longer
journeys. At the moment they can go more than
500 km/h, but some engineers think speeds of
over 1000 km/h are possible – some even think
they could be used to launch space shuttles!
Trains have come a long way since Richard
Trevithick’s puffer.
Why did railways develop?
Railways are not a modern invention as most of
us think. The idea of transporting things and
people on rails has been around for a long time.
Rails were made of wood, stone or metal, and
railway wagons were pulled by horses, some
were even wind powered and had sails. At the
start of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, people
needed to transport raw materials such as coal,
so created a network of canals and rail links
between towns. But canals and horsepower were
a very slow way to move things around the
country, so the speed of railway wagons needed
to be increased.
How did steam engines help?
By 1800 many industries were using steam
engines, designed by James Watt (from where
we get the electrical measurement - Watt).
Richard Trevithick, a Cornish engineer, refined
Watts’ invention and after failing to build a steam
powered road vehicle, he designed the first
locomotive for an Iron Works in Wales. He called
it a 'puffer' because of the noise it made, and on
its first journey it travelled at almost 8 km/h an
hour! Unfortunately, it was so heavy that it broke
the rails - it only made three journeys. But it had
shown that steam engines could be used to move
trains, and speeds began to increase.
When was the first accident?
By 1829 locomotives were travelling at speeds of
over 45 km/h and the first public railway had been
opened, the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
The most famous early locomotive was The
Rocket. In 1833 it won a competition organised
by the owners of the Manchester and Liverpool
railway, to find the best locomotive for their new
line. Unfortunately, during the competition, a
Member of Parliament wasn't careful as he
crossed the tracks and The Rocket knocked him
down. He died later. This was one of the first train
accidents in history. 
