The history of trains covers the period of the last two hundred years of modern human civilization, when this incredible discovery was used in order to radically change the industry, to influence the spread of humanity and the ways of travel.
Since the first steam train traveled along the railways of industrial England in the early 1800s, trains have helped people develop civilization. Remote lands became available, industrial production was supplied with an infinite amount of raw materials and transportation of finished products was provided.
Today they are used in different ways: from small city trams, metro, long-distance trains to freight and speed trains, which can reach speeds of 300-500 kilometers per hour. However, their story began with much simpler and slower projects. The ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt, as well as industrial Europe (1600s-1800s) used horses as the main sources of driving for moving simple wagons.
The advent of the first steam engines at the beginning of the 19th century allowed engineers to create a new mode of transport that was adapted to transport much more materials than ever before.
The invention of railway technology
The history of trains begins with their invention. This is one of the most important moments in the history of human development.
The very first train in the world appeared in 1804. He was able to transport 25 tons of iron material and 70 people at a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometers).
Throughout history, trains have been powered by steam, electricity, and diesel (although one of the earliest trains in the United States ran on horses). Currently, they transport about 40% of the world's cargo.
The first commercial train (Stephenson's The Rocket) was able to reach a speed of 96 km / h. Today's models can go at speeds above 200 km / h, and special "bullet trains" - more than 500.
Rail transport is a combination of trains and rail systems through which passengers and goods are transported using wheeled vehicles specially designed for driving on a track. This is a fast, efficient, but capital-intensive way of mechanized ground transportation. This is part of the supply chain that facilitates international trade and economic growth in most countries.
Trains and rail systems consist of two components: those that are moving and those that are fixed. The components that move are called rolling stock - locomotives, passenger and freight vehicles. Fixed include railways (with their supporting structures) and auxiliary buildings.
History of Railways
The earliest prototype of the railway is the six-kilometer Diolcos road, on which boats were transported through the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece in the sixth century BC. e. Trucks pushed by slaves moved in grooves in the limestone, which did not allow the cars to leave the proposed route. This road lasted for more than 1300 years until 900 BC. e.
Iron plate rails
The first railways in the UK were built at the beginning of the seventeenth century, mainly for transporting coal from mines to canal quays, where it could be transferred to a boat for subsequent transportation. The earliest recorded examples are the Wollaton Wagonway in Nottinghamshire and the Bourtreehill - Broomlands Wagonway in Irvine, Ayrshire. The rails were then wooden and often had to be changed.
In 1768, the Coalbrookdale Iron Works plant cast iron plates on top of wooden rails, providing a more solid bearing surface. They were later used by Benjamin Urtham in his foundry in Ripley, Derbyshire, where standardized track elements were first produced. The advantage was that the distance between the wheels could be significantly varied.
From the end of the eighteenth century, iron rails began to appear. British civil engineer William Jessop developed smooth counterparts, placing them on the route between Loughborough and Nanpantan, Leicestershire, in addition to the Charnwood Forest Canal in 1793-1794. In 1803, Jessop discovered in Surrey in southern London, possibly the world's first horse-drawn railway.
First railway lines
The earliest trains consisted of horse-drawn carriages on wooden walkways, some of which were built as early as the 16th century. The first rail track that worked with the steam locomotive was the tram line from the Penidarren Iron Works in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. On February 21, 1804, the locomotive successfully transported 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers with a maximum speed of 5 miles (8 km) per hour along the 9-mile railway (about 14.5 km). This early steam experiment was successful, but the weight of the locomotive damaged the road.
First steam locomotive
The first railway to use a steam locomotive was Middleton in Leeds, UK. It was originally built in 1758 to transport coal using horse-drawn vehicles on wooden walkways. Matthew Murray built a locomotive named Salamanca with four flanged and one gear wheels, which were connected to an adjacent rack for movement. Steam coal trains began operating on August 12, 1812. Three additional locomotives were built and operated until 1834. The railway was converted to standard calibration in 1881 and still acts as a tourist / historical railway.
The world's first passenger railway
She became the Oystermouth Railway. She originally (in 1804-1806) used horse-drawn vehicles to transport limestone between Swansea and Oystermouth in South Wales. Passenger service began on March 25, 1807, making it the first passenger railway in the world. Passenger transportation lasted almost 20 years and ended in 1826, when owners of horse-drawn multi-seat crews lured passengers.
The first passenger railway to use a steam locomotive
She became the iron gauge Stockton - Darlington, which worked 25 miles from Darlington in the north-east of England. In September 1825, Robert Stevenson Co. completed the first steam locomotive for the railway. He worked for 27 months, transporting both coal and passengers. Additional locomotives arrived the following year, but passenger transportation was mainly carried out on horseback until the full transition to steam power in 1833.
the Russian Empire
The beginning of the history of the imperial trains of Russia is connected with St. Petersburg. For the first time such a train was demonstrated simultaneously with the official opening of the first Russian railway, which stretched between Tsarskoye Selo, St. Petersburg and Pavlovsk. The train consisted of eight cars, in which, besides Nicholas I, there could be ministers, members of the State Council and diplomats. The first trip between Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo took 35 minutes.
However, the imperial train really is a train whose creation was timed to coincide with the opening of the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow. It was intended for the transportation of the emperor and his escort and consisted of two imperial wagons, as well as separate for the retinue and servants. At various times, he transported Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, as well as members of their families.
In 1888, the imperial train crashed. After that, two new trains were built: for trips abroad and across Russia.
By 1917, Russia had the largest fleet of imperial trains in the world, including not only obsolete, but also the newest trains.
