Worldwide Railways History

  • Jan 1, 1500

    Animal Power

    People in England Ireland and America used horses as a form of transport to pull wagons. But people in hotter countries such as Egypt and the Middle East would have used camels
  • May 4, 1550

    Wagonways

    wagon ways are used in the mines of Germany to help the workers get coal to the surface, these wagons were pulled by small ponies.
  • First Wagonways in Britain

    Wagon ways are built in Britain, these were made of wood and were 2 miles long, they cost 166 pounds
  • tracks built with iron insted of wood

  • Period: to

    Iron Tracks

    at this time [people were begining to build their tracks with iron instead of wood.
  • first steam locomotive invented

    the first steam locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick. These trains were used to transport goods instead of passengers
  • first journey of the steam horse

    Thousands of people came to see the steam horse on its first journey, but when it let off steam people were frightened and ran away
  • 1st inter city railway

    First inter city railway was built between Liverpool and Manchester
  • Competition held for new train ideas

    The company buildin teh inteff city railway wanted better locomotives so they held a competition for peiople to bring their ideas forward, the award for 500 pounds. George and Robert Stephenson won, their ideas included heating the water better by using more pipes. Then they made the fire burn better and thirdly they improved the rods that connected teh wheels to the engine.
  • passengers could now use steam train as transport

    Trains now used to transport passenegers as well as goods
  • 275000 people working for for railway companies

    By this year, 275,000 people now working for railway companies, some as young as 14
  • First electric trains in operation

  • diesel fuel was invented

    Rudolf Diesel invents diesel fuel now used in engines
  • first monorails invented in Germany

    Monorails only travel for short distances and are guided by side panels and rubber guided wheels
  • city of truro engine is invented

    New engine buit that was the first to travelat more than 100mph
  • the electrifacation of the railway

    Trains now using mainly electricity instead of steam
  • world record for fastest steam train

    new world record for fastest steam train, The Mallard train got up to speeds of 126 mph. designed by Nigel Gresley
  • bullet trains in Japan

    In this year high speed trains were beging to be invented in japan . These were called bullet trains which could travel up to 300 mph.
  • TGV invented in France

    In this time period the french had invented a high speed train called the tgv. on the 3rd of april 2007 it set the record for the fasted weeled train. IT reached a speed of 574.8 km/h
  • maglev train

    IN 2004 the magler train completed a 30 km journey in 7 minutes and 20 seconds