11.1.7

Steam Trains

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Steam Trains

The Industrial Revolution also saw the invention of the steam train, which made travel across the country much easier, and provided thousands of jobs.

Illustrative background for Richard TrevithickIllustrative background for Richard Trevithick ?? "content

Richard Trevithick

  • The invention of steam engines allowed for the invention of steam trains, which made travel across Britain much easier.
  • In 1804, an engineer called Richard Trevithick built the first functioning steam train, though it was very slow, travelling at less than 3 miles an hour.
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George Stephenson

  • It took several decades for a faster, more effective steam train to be built.
  • This was achieved in 1829 by George Stephenson, a self-taught engineer from Newcastle.
  • He had designed a steam train that was capable of travelling up to thirty miles per hour.
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The Railway Age

  • Stephenson’s steam train was launched the following year on the newly-completed Liverpool to Manchester railway, which began the Railway Age in Britain.
  • This railway was the first in the world that travelled between two cities.
Illustrative background for Expansion of the railway networkIllustrative background for Expansion of the railway network ?? "content

Expansion of the railway network

  • Trains continued to develop and improve; they could achieve speeds of up to sixty miles per hour by the 1840s and, by 1850, over six thousand miles of track had been laid across the country.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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