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Home , Matthew Murray, Richard Trevithick, Salamanca (locomotive), William Hedley

The Earl i est Rai l ways

The first railroads in Britain were in the 18th century coal mines, where horses pulled mine carts from the pits to the factories along wooden tracks. Later, in 1807, the first railway to carry passengers was opened. It was called the Oystermouth Railway and horses pulled carriages along tracks from Swansea to Oystermouth in South Wales. The Earl i est Rai l ways Thomas Saver y

Thomas Savery (1650 – 1715) invented and made one of the f irst ever st eam engines in 1698. This engine was used to pump water out of the coal mines, but unfortunately it had a number of problems and did not as well as everyone hoped. However, t his early st eam engine design helped other engineers and inventors to develop more successful engines in the future. The Earl i est Rai l ways

James Watt (1736 – 1819) was a Scottish engineer who worked to improve the earliest steam engines like that of . Watt’s desi gns and i deas were ver y successf ul . Af t er Wat t ret ired in 1800, many ot her engineers and inventors continued to work on and improve on this early design. The power of the steam engine was soon about to completely change travel and transport in the and around the world.

Did you K now ? The unit of enery ‘the watt’ was named after James Wat t and he invent ed t he t erm ‘horsepower ’. The Fi rst St eam Engi ne

Soon engineers were creating train steam engine locomotives using new steam engine technologies which were quickly developing. The word locomotive means ‘moving engine’. The ‘train’ is the line of carriages or carts pulled by the locomotive.

Activity 1. Look at the fact cards showing some of Britain’s first steam engine locomotives. 2. Can you put these early trains in chronological order? Steam Engine Locomotive Timeline Did you manage to work out the correct order? Click a date to reveal the timeline.

1804: Richard1804 Trevithick’s un- 1812 18131813 - 1814: William- 1814 Hedley’s named carried 1812: ’s Puffing Billy was used to pull coal 10 tons of iron over a distance of was the first steam wagons. It was a very reliable 16km at t he Pen-y-Darren locomotive to make money for its engine and was in use for over 50 Ironworks in Wales. owner s. year s.

1825 1829 1825: George St ephenson’s 1829: George St ephenson’s Rocket Locomotion No.1 was the first was the winner of the Rainhill locomotive to run on a passenger Trials. It could travel up to 28 carrying line. miles per hour. The Stockton to Railway Line The first passenger carrying railway line was the Stockton to Darlington line which was built in 1825 by . Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 was the first locomotive to travel on this line.

This drawing shows the opening of the Stockton to Darlington railway line in 1825. The Li verpool t o M anchest er Railway Line George Stephenson also built the to Manchester railway line which opened in 1830. His famous locomotive, the Rocket, which had won the the year before, was the first to travel on this railway line. The opening of the Liverpool to Manchester line was a huge success, and soon steam locomotives and railways were running all around the country. You can read all about the Rainhill Trails and visit this virtual museum.

This drawing shows a scene from the Rainhill Trials. Railway Timeline

Activity Your challenge is to create your own timeline of early railway travel and steam engine locomotives using the information you have learnt in the lesson and your own research. The Age of t he Rai l ways The opening of the Stockton to Darlington Railway in 1825 marked the beginning of an important time in British history. The new railways and steam trains completely changed and improved trade and travel around the country. People today remain fascinated by the majestic steam locomotives introduced in this golden age.