The Expansion of the Railways

1. The Expansion of the Railways

2. Aims: • Examine how the railway system developed in Britain in the 19th century (1800s).

3. With the development of industry in Britain such as coal mining there was a growing need for an efficient and fast way system of transport. • A nationwide transport system would allow the transportation of goods and people. • This led to the development of the railways.

4. James Watt • In 1765 James Watt invented the modern steam engine. • By 1803 Richard Trevithick designed the first locomotive – a vehicle powered by steam but it was designed for the road. Richard Trevithick

5. George Stephenson is called the ‘Father of the Railways’ and he launched rail transport in September 1825. • He adapted Trevithick’s invention to travel on iron rails. • His Locomotion ran from Darlington to Stockton carrying 450 people at 15mph. • This first railway line connect various collieries (coal mines)

6. The Locomotion Note the horse walking in front of the train!

7. Railway Mania • Gradually trains became faster and the craze for building railway lines increased dramatically. This was ‘railway mania’. • The first public railway line opened in Scotland in 1826 between Monklands and Kirkintilloch in the central belt. • Over the next 40 years a network of railways spread across the whole country.

8. Once goods had travelled by train, canals were used to transport them to the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. This cut down journey times by over a week.

9. Tasks • Copy the keywords into your glossary. • Complete Task 17 and 18 q1-2 from your work guide. • Copy the table from page 43 of your textbook into your jotter and include a note below which explains what the figures tell us about the building of railways in Britain. • Now go onto the Letter Task about Reactions to the Railways