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The 1840s were by far the biggest decade for railway growth. [25] [26] In 1840, when the decade began, railway lines in Britain were few and scattered but, within ten years, a virtually complete network had been laid down and the vast majority of towns and villages had a rail connection [citation needed] and in some
The wrought iron rail, invented by John ... railways were first operated by private coal companies the ... Ten years later, in 1840, the railways had grown to 2,800 ...
The history of rail transport in Great Britain to 1830 covers the period up to the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first intercity passenger railway operated solely by steam locomotives. The earliest form of railways, horse-drawn wagonways, originated in Germany in the 16th century. Soon wagonways were also built in ...
Here, the vast majority of the railway system standardised on the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm). History of rail transport in Ireland discusses the history of rail transport on the island of Ireland, comprising the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Here a system using a broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) developed.
Pre-war experiments with long welded rail lengths were built upon, and in the years from 1960 long rail lengths were installed, at first on hardwood sleepers but soon on concrete sleepers. For example, the first long welded rail (almost 1 mi or 1.6 km) on the UK's East Coast Main Line was laid in 1957, just south of Carlton-on-Trent , resting ...
Instead, from 1 January 1923, almost all the remaining companies were grouped into the "big four": the Great Western Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway companies (there were also a number of other joint railways such as the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway and ...
The following day, 550 passengers were hauled, making this the world's first steam-powered passenger railway, contrary to Liverpool's claims five years later. 1825 John Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey built a 1/2 mile circular test railroad track and also built a steam locomotive, the first in America.
The history of the London Underground began in the 19th century with the construction of the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway.The Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863 using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, worked with the District Railway to complete London's Circle line in 1884.