Timeline of rail transport

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This is a timeline of rail transport.

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Time period Development summary
<18th century People have to use their own strength, and the power of animals, wind and water when they want to build, move anything, or transport themselves and their goods.[1]
18th century The steam engine -burning fuel to produce heat energy, is invented.2 By the end of the century, every mine in Great Britain already has its own simple railway network, with horses pulling carts from mines to factories.[2]

Full timeline

Year Event type Details Geographical location
600 B.C The earliest form of "railroads" is developed by the Greeks, who make grooves in paved limestone roads so that they could use wheeled vehicles to ease transport of boats across the Isthmus of Corinth. However, with the fall of Greece to Rome in 146 B.C., these early railways would fall into ruin and disappear for over 1,400 years.[3]
1550s Germany begins installing roads of rails called wagonways to make it easier for horse-drawn wagons or carts to cross the countryside. These primitive railed roads consist of wooden rails over which horse-drawn wagons or carts move with greater ease than over dirt roads.[3]
1769-1774 James Watt discovers the stationary steam engine.[2][1] United Kingdom
1770s Iron replaces the wood in the rails and wheels on the carts used on wagonways, which would then evolve into tramways that spread across Europe.[3]
1789 Englishman William Jessup designs the first wagons with flanged wheels, which have grooves that allow the wheels to better grip the rail and is an important design that carry over to later locomotives. United Kingdom
1803 Samuel Homfray decides to fund the development of a steam-powered vehicle to replace the horse-drawn carts on the tramways.[3]
1804 British engineer Richard Trevithick successfully tests the first steam-powered locomotive to ride on rails. At seven tons, however, the locomotive is so heavy it would break its own rails.[4][2] United Kingdom
1811 John Blenkinsop invents a steam engine which has cogs on one of its wheels.[5]
1813 William Hedley builds his "Puffing Billy" to pull coal wagons at the Wylam Colliery in Northumberland. The transport is so reliable that it is used for fifty years.[5]
1814 British engineer George Stephenson builds the very first steam engine for the locomotive.4
1820 John Birkinshaw invents wrought iron, a more durable material than cast iron. Wrought iron would then be used for rail systems until the advent of the Bessemer process.[3]
1821 Englishman Julius Griffiths was the first person to patent a passenger road locomotive.[3]
1825 The Stockton to Darlington rail line opens. Two locomotives are used (the "Experiment" and "No 1"), being able to pull 21 coal wagon 25 miles at 8 miles per hour. In many senses, 1825 is seen as the start of the age of the railways.[5] United Kingdom
1825-1830 Commercial appearance of train networks come late in the decade, with English inventor George Stephenson as pioneer in the field.[2]
1825-1835 The British Parliament agrees to the building of 54 new rail lines.[5] United Kingdom
1829 The Rainhill trials take place. The "Rocket" built by George Stephenson becomes the winner of a £500 prize, after attaining about 30mph.[5] United Kingdom
1830 The Liverpool to Manchester railway opens.[5]
1833 Steam trains start operating on the line for passengers.[5]
1838 Robert Stephenson, the son of George Stephenson, completes the London to Birmingham rail line.[5]
1841 Isambard Kingdom Brunel completes hos London to Bristol line - the Great Western Railway. This is considered such a stunning achievement that people use the rail line's initials (GWT) to call it "God's Womderful Railway".[5] United Kingdom
1856 Englishman Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the later called Bessemer process, which would further enable cheaper production of steel in the late 1860s, sparking the rapid expansion of railways across America and other countries around the world.[3] United Kingdom
1863 The first section of the "London Underground" begins its work.[2] United Kingdom
1863 The construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States begins.4 United States
1879 Electricity is first used to power trains.[1]
1890 The entire London train fleet starts using electrical engines. This marks the beginning of the new era of urban rapid transit systems.[2] United Kingdom
1890s Steam powered passenger trains in England carry people living in the country to cities for work and for pleasure. City people travel by train to the countryside or the seaside. On some trains there are carriages with bedrooms, called sleeping cars, and restaurants and bathrooms have been added.[1] United Kingdom
1892 The diesel engine is invented by German engineer, Rudolf Diesel.[1] Germany
1901 The first electric monorail is built in Germany and is still running. It hangs from an overhead track.[1] Germany
1930s Diesel trains were introduced in the 1930s. These trains were faster, quieter and cleaner than steam trains, and meant passengers had a more comfortable ride and can carry much heavier loads than steam engines.
1964 Japan's Shinkansen high-speed train, often called 'bullet train', becomes the first high speed train in service.[1] Japan
1970-1975 Light rail vehicles come into use. These would replace trains in some places.[1]
2004 The Shanghai Transrapid Line in China becomes the first commercial high-speed maglev train line to run.[1] China

Meta information on the timeline

How the timeline was built

The initial version of the timeline was written by User:Sebastian.

Funding information for this timeline is available.

What the timeline is still missing

History of rail transport, [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Timeline update strategy

See also

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Rail transportation: a timeline". kidcyber.com.au. Retrieved 7 February 2018. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "History of Rail Transport". trainhistory.net. Retrieved 7 February 2018. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "The History of the Railroad". thoughtco.com. Retrieved 7 February 2018. 
  4. "Biography of Richard Trevithick: Locomotive Pioneer". thoughtco.com. Retrieved 7 February 2018. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Trains 1830 to 1900". historylearningsite.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2018.