A wagonway is a crudely constructed roadway intended for wagons.
Wollaton Wagonway was created in 1604.
The two first railroads are generally considered to be the Wagonway, which dates back to ancient Greece and was developed in the 17th century in England, and the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened in 1825 in England as the first public railway to use steam locomotives. The Wagonway utilized wooden tracks for horse-drawn wagons, while the Stockton and Darlington Railway marked the beginning of the modern railway era with steam-powered trains.
The earliest evidence of a railway was a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) Diolkos wagonway, which transported boats across the Corinth isthmus in Greece during the 6th century BC.
The first full-scale working steam locomotive was designed and built by George Stephenson in 1814. His locomotive, named Blücher, was used for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway in England. Stephenson's innovations laid the groundwork for the development of rail transport and the subsequent expansion of railways worldwide.
The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive was introduced by George Stephenson in 1814. He built the locomotive called "Blücher," which was used to haul coal on the Killingworth wagonway in England. However, the first public railway to use steam locomotives was the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened in 1825, also developed by Stephenson and his son, Robert Stephenson.
The first successful steam locomotive was developed by George Stephenson in 1814. His locomotive, named "Blücher," was designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway in England. Stephenson's innovations laid the groundwork for the railway systems that followed, significantly advancing transportation technology. His later locomotive, the "Locomotion No. 1," further solidified his reputation as a key figure in railway development.
== == The very first trains were designed around 1825. Then in 1829 people were allowed to ride trains. Diesel and electric trains were invented somewhere around the 1950's. The maglev dates back to 1930. Trains were invented around 1825. People were allowed to ride the trains in 1829. Maglev trains date back to 1930. Diesel and electric trains were invented in the 1950's.
British engineer George Stephenson (1781-1848) didn't invent the railway. Railways already existed, for transporting goods.EARLY LIFEIt is interesting to note that George Stephenson's father was a steam engine keeper for the Wylam colliery in Northumbria. And the Stephenson's family home was right next door to the Wylam Wagonway, a five mile railway built in 1748. It had wooden rails on which horse-drawn wagons ran, transporting coal from the colliery to the River Tyne. Stationary steam engines were used to help pull loads up steep inclines.Doubtless these accidents of birth had a major influence on what little George would do with his life.THE COLLIERYIn 1804 someone at the Wylam colliery invented the STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, a form of engine that converted the pressure from a steaming boiler (a steam 'engine') into piston movement that made the whole engine move along, and thus becoming a steam 'locomotive.' But early attempts at using steam locomotives were fraught with difficulties, because the rails were still made of wood and couldn't successfully carry the weight of the steam locomotive.RAILWAY SYSTEMS AND STEAM LOCOMOTIVESAt this time there were also only relatively short railway systems, laid to transport minerals in and from the mines. There was still no huge and interlinked networked railway system for steam locomotives. Furthermore, as wooden rails didn't seem such a good idea for carrying these heavy steam engines, George Stephenson was instrumental in designing and putting in place an IRON-RAIL SYSTEM. He also developed and improved on the idea of STEAM LOCOMOTIVES. In time, iron railway systems on which steam locomotives ran grew and became networked across the entire country.STEPHENSON'S STEAM LOCOMOTIVESGeorge Stephenson built his first steam locomotive in 1813/1814. One of his later and much improved versions was called the Stephenson's Rocket. But it didn't go up, it went along. It could pull many more wagons of coal than a horse could, and was faster too!THE PROBLEMS WITH HEAVY STEAM ENGINESMeanwhile, Stephenson was still trying to improve the design of the iron rails, and how the engine sat on the rails, because the early iron rails were still breaking under the weight of the steam engines. But he worked out a way of spreading the load by (a) having the engine mounted on a series of wheels, and (b) creating strong springs for the wheels and axles, to cushion their impact on the rails.By 1820 he had established the first stretch of rail that used no animal power whatsoever. It was 8 miles long, and went uphill and downhill and on the level. The steam locomotive was used for the uphill and level sections of the track, and the downhill sections worked by gravity.STEAM ENGINES, NETWORKED RAILWAY SYSTEMS AND PASSENGER CARRIAGESThe following year (i.e. 1821) Stephenson was invited to look at Edward Pease's plans for a larger railway system, the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Stephenson suggested improvements to the plans, and went into business with Pease, making steam locomotives, the first one rolling off the production line in 1825. In due course they built a small PASSENGER CARRIAGE with train wheels so it could be pulled along the track behind their steam locomotive. They nicknamed the little carriage 'Experiment.' And it worked! And the inaugural trip became the first time that railway passengers had been pulled along solely by steam locomotive power on an iron rail track.RAIL GAUGEThere were no standard widths for the distance between the pairs of railway lines. This made it very difficult to develop a wide area network of interlinking railway lines! George Stephenson gauged that a distance of 4 foot 8 1/2 inches (1435 mm) between the two lines would be ideal, and this became established as the national standard in the UK and has become widely adopted in many other countries.AN UPHILL STRUGGLEGeorge Stephenson also noted that going uphill was harder for the steam locomotives than travelling downhill or on the level. In view of this he did his utmost to ensure that his trains ran on 'level' ground; achieving this by huge 'cuttings' and embankments along the routes where necessary. His signature 'Liverpool and Manchester Railway' (L&MR) system made its debut in 1830, and was hailed a 'resounding' success.LIST OF STEPHENSON'S RAILWAY ACHIEVEMENTSMore efficient steam locomotivese.g. (i) using multi-tube boilers, (ii) inclusion of a steam 'blast' jet into the engine to increase speed'Level' and 'smooth' tracksi.e. (i) tunnels, cuttings and embankments, + (ii) elimination of 'cog and pinion' tracksMore wheels on the locomotiveLinking the wheels, with driving rods directly connected to them, and coupling pairs of wheels to each otherSpringed suspensionImproved iron railsFlanged wheelsStandard gauge railway linesPassenger carriagesThe skew-arch bridgeSupplying the first steam locomotives to the United States----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information see Sources and Related linksbelow