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| The Stockton and Darlington railway; photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis |
In
our current society, citizens rely heavily on some form of transportation for
work, school, or basic daily functions. This is not only in America, this is
all over the world. The most common form of transportation in the world today
is by train or rail. I personally have been on a train at least a dozen times,
including Tri-Rail in South Florida, Amtrak in Maryland, and several different
ones in New York City. The advancement of technology has made the railroad more
enjoyable by making it safer, faster, and more flexible than when it was
created 200 years ago.
The
Darlington Railway, also known as the Stockton and Darlington Railway, was the
first railway service with freight and passenger service in England
(Encyclopedia Britannica 2017). It was also the first in the world with steam
traction. The railway ran from Darlington to Stockton in 1825. It all started
when a man named Edward Pease, who at the time, was an entrepreneur and
business leader, saw a need for a railroad to run from West Durham to the port
of Stockton, England. The railroad would include wagons drawn by horses to
carry coal between these two cities (Simkin 2014). The railroad consisted of
iron rails which were laid on wooden blocks as well as sections laid on stone
blocks.
It
all started a few years back when Edward Pease joined a few men to form a
company to make trains. The first train invented, the Locomotion, was the first
train to travel this journey. It pulled 36 wagons, twelve of which were coal
and flour, six of guests, and fourteen of workers (Simkin 2014). The train ride
took two hours and reached speeds between nine to fifteen miles per hour. The
railroad became a success and it drew in large crowds opening day. After
opening day, it started running trains six days a week.
Going
back to technology, trains today can reach speeds of 100mph to 150mph, almost
ten times as fast as it was 200 years ago. Also, a two hour train ride 200
years ago would maybe be about 30 minutes max of a ride if going 100mph today. Looking
back at the Locomotion, it was drawn by horses and wagons, neither of which is
very common anymore. Also, while the first train used steam, most trains today
are either diesel or electric. Thanks to the railroad, different types of
trains have emerged, all invented within the last 100 years. Some of them
include the monorail, tram, rapid transit, and passenger trains, which include
inter-city, fast, and regional trains.
Overall, trains have been a huge
part of people’s lives all over the world. If you haven’t been on a train, I
suggest taking a ride on one and see what it’s like to get away from heavy city
traffic on a bus or in a car. You might be surprised how easy and enjoyable it
is. While not everyone has access or been on a train, they are definitely in
demand in our society and will continue to be developed alongside with
technology.
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