The history of trains spans the last two hundred years of modern human civilization, when this incredible discovery was used to drastically change industry, the spread of humanity and the way we travel.
Ever since the first steam locomotive ran on the railways of industrial England in the early 1800s, trains have helped people develop civilization. Remote lands became accessible, industrial production was supplied with an endless supply of raw materials and the transportation of finished products was ensured.
Today they are used in a variety of ways, from small urban trams, subways, long-distance trains to freight and high-speed trains that can reach speeds of 300-500 kilometers per hour. However, their history began with much simpler and slower projects. The ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt, as well as industrial Europe (1600s-1800s), used horses as their main source of propulsion to move simple wagons.
The advent of the first steam engines in the early 19th century allowed engineers to createa new form of transport that has been adapted to carry far more materials than ever before.
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 over a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometers).
Throughout history, trains have run on steam, electricity and diesel (although one of the earliest trains in the US was horse-powered). They currently carry 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 travel at speeds over 200 km/h, and special "bullet trains" can go over 500 km/h.
Rail transport is a combination of train and rail systems, through which the transport of passengers and goods is carried out using wheeled vehicles specially designed for movement on a track. It is a fast, efficient, but capital-intensive method of mechanized land transport. It is part of the supply chain that facilitates international trade and economic growth in most countries.
Trains and rail systems are made up of two components: those that move and those that are fixed. The components that move are called rolling stock - locomotives, passenger and freight vehicles. Fixed includes railroad tracks (with their load-bearing structures) and auxiliary buildings.
History of railway lines
The earliest prototype railway is the six-kilometer Diolkos road, which carried boats across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece in the sixth century BC. e. The trucks, pushed by the slaves, moved in grooves in the limestone that prevented the wagons from leaving their intended route. This road existed for more than 1300 years until 900 AD. e.
Iron plate rails
The first railways in Great Britain were built in the early seventeenth century mainly to transport coal from the mines to the canal piers, where it could be transferred to a boat for onward transport. The earliest recorded examples are the Wollaton Wagonway in Nottinghamshire and the Bourtreehill - Broomlands Wagonway in Irvine, Ayrshire. The rails were then made of wood and had to be changed frequently.
In 1768, the Coalbrookdale Iron Works laid iron plates over wooden rails, providing a stronger bearing surface. They were later used by Benjamin Hurtham at his foundry in Ripley, Derbyshire, where standardized track elements were produced for the first time. The advantage was that the distance between the wheels could be varied considerably.
From the end of the eighteenth century, iron rails began to appear. British civil engineer William Jessop developed smooth counterparts by placing them on a route betweenLoughborough and Nanpantan, Leicestershire as an addition to the Charnwood Forest Canal in 1793-1794. In 1803, Jessop opened in Surrey, south London, possibly the world's first horse-drawn railway.
First railway lines
The earliest trains consisted of horse-drawn carriages on wooden walkways, some dating back to the 16th century. The first rail track to operate with a steam locomotive was a tram line from the Penydarren Iron Works in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. On February 21, 1804, the locomotive successfully carried 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers at a maximum speed of 5 miles (8 km) per hour on a 9-mile railway (about 14.5 km). This early experiment with steam was considered a success, but the weight of the locomotive damaged the road.
The first 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 toothed wheels that were connected to a nearby rack for propulsion. Steam coal trains began operating on August 12, 1812. Three additional locomotives were built and operated until 1834. The railway was converted to standard gauge in 1881 and still operates as a tourist/historic railway.
The world's first passenger railway
Heybecame the Oystermouth Railway. She originally (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. The transportation of passengers lasted almost 20 years and ended in 1826, when the owners of horse-drawn multi-seat carriages poached passengers.
The first passenger railway to use a steam locomotive
It was the Stockton-Darlington iron gauge, which operated 25 miles from Darlington in the north-east of England. In September 1825, Robert Stevenson Co. completed the first steam locomotive for the railroad. It operated for 27 months, carrying both coal and passengers. Additional locomotives arrived the following year, but passenger service was primarily by horseback until full conversion to steam power in 1833.
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 Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg and Pavlovsk. The train consisted of eight carriages, in which, in addition to Nicholas I, there could be ministers, members of the State Council and diplomats. The first trip between St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo took 35 minutes.
However, the really imperial train is a composition, the creation of which was timed to coincide with the opening of the railway betweenSt. Petersburg and Moscow. It was designed to transport the emperor and his entourage and consisted of two imperial wagons, as well as separate ones 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 within Russia.
By 1917, Russia had the world's largest fleet of imperial trains, which included not only obsolete, but also the newest trains.
History of trains: Russian Railways Museum
This museum complex is the main one in Russia and one of the largest in the world. It was opened in 2017, but its history began in 1978. Then the Museum of the October Railway was opened. The first exposition told about the history of trains, the Tsarskoye Selo and Nikolaev railways, about transport during the years of the revolution and civil war, the first five-year plans, about railway workers during the Great Patriotic War, and about development in the post-war years.
In 1991, the first Museum of Railway Engineering was opened in Shushary near St. Petersburg. Ten years later, a new exposition appeared at the Varshavsky railway station in St. Petersburg. Over time, the Museum of the October Railway was transformed into the Museum of Russian Railways.
