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1515
Wooden Rails
In 1515, Cardinal Matthäus Lang wrote a description of the Reisszug, a funicular railway at the Hohensalzburg Castle in Austria. The line originally used wooden rails and a hemp haulage rope and was operated by human or animal power, through a treadwheel. -
Steam and Iron railways
Enter steam powered trains and iron rails. More durable and no need for horses to pull trains -
Passenger Transport
Prior to this, all trains did was carry coal, now they carry passengers too -
High Pressure Steam
Speed increases with the invention of high pressure steam engines -
Battery powered train
Battery powered train invented and destroyed by railway workers who saw it as a threat to their job -
Electrifying the Railways
The need for less polluting trains created the need for the insulated electric third rail which also allowed for longer lines and steeper tracks -
Diesel Power kicks steam powered engines out
Diesel combustion engines take over the steam powered engines and by the end of WWII steam powered engines are basically obsolete -
Diesel Electric engines
other things were tested (nuclear power was nixed because it was highly dangerous) but diesel Electric engines remain primarily in control today -
Ecofriendly and Cheap of the 21st century
The shale gas revolution that is ongoing in the US and beginning to pick up speed elsewhere in the world has prompted greater attention on the potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a railway propulsion fuel. With LNG priced significantly lower than diesel and promising 30% fewer carbon emissions and a 70% cut in NOx, it’s advantageous both financially and environmentally. Hydrail is a hydrogen based engine that will eventually overtake diesel by 2050 (projected date) because of CO2
