Train
The year 1804 marked a turning point in human history when Richard Trevithick powered the first steam train. This British inventor built a locomotive that ran outside of coal mines for the very first time. Before this moment, trains were merely wagonways pulled by horses or cables along stone tracks. Babylonian engineers had constructed early wagonways around 2,200 BCE to move heavy loads. The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened its doors in 1825 with George Stephenson at the controls. His engine named Locomotion No. 1 hauled over 400 passengers on an eight-mile line. Speeds reached up to fifteen miles per hour during that historic run. News of this success spread quickly across the United Kingdom and into Europe. France saw its first steam train run in late 1829. By the 1830s and 1840s most European nations had constructed their own railroads. American pioneers began manufacturing locomotives designed for sharper curves and rougher track conditions. The first steam railroad in the United States opened in 1829. Rail networks expanded globally as imperial powers built lines to solidify control over colonies starting in the 1840s. Japan received its first railroads in the early 1870s without ever being colonized. By 1900 railroads operated on every continent except Antarctica.
Werner von Siemens built the first electric train in Germany in 1879. Rudolf Diesel constructed his first diesel engine in the 1890s though it took decades to power trains. Tests between 1897 and 1903 on the Royal Prussian Military Railway demonstrated experimental electric locomotives were viable. These machines set speed records exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour. Early gas powered self-propelled railcars entered service during the first decade of the 1900s. The German Flying Hamburger arrived in 1933 followed by the influential American EMD FT in 1939. These successful diesel locomotives proved superior to steam due to lower costs and better reliability. World War II brought great destruction to existing railroads across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Nations used Marshall Plan funds or economic assistance from the USSR to convert their trains after 1945. France, Russia, Switzerland, and Japan became leaders in adopting widespread electrified railroads. Other nations focused primarily on dieselization instead. By 1980 the majority of the world's steam locomotives had been retired. China remained the last country to fully dieselize because of its abundant coal reserves. Steam locomotives continued to haul mainline trains as late as 2005 in Inner Mongolia.
Trains began facing strong competition from automobiles and freight trucks in the 1930s. This pressure greatly intensified following World War II when air transport also emerged as a significant competitor for passenger trains. Large amounts of traffic shifted to these new forms of transportation resulting in a widespread decline in train service. Both freight and passenger services suffered losses during this period. The spread of buses led to the closure of many rapid transit and tram systems. High-speed rail arrived as a new development in the 1960s running on dedicated rights of way. The Japanese Shinkansen entered service in 1964 traveling at speeds of two hundred kilometers per hour or greater. Networks developed across much of Europe and Eastern Asia providing fast and reliable service. Amtrak's Acela became the first high-speed train in the Americas entering service in 2000. Despite these innovations, market share loss occurred due to the flexibility offered by cars and planes. Many rail lines were abandoned as communities sought faster mobility options elsewhere.
Since the 1970s governments and environmentalists have promoted increased use of trains globally. Rail requires twelve times less energy than private vehicles according to the International Energy Agency. It emits seven to eleven times fewer greenhouse gases per passenger-kilometer traveled. Freight trains are significantly more efficient than trucks while emitting far fewer emissions per ton-mile. Intermodal freight trains carrying double-stack shipping containers generated significant business since the 1970s. They gained market share from trucks through intermodal networks linked with container ships. Commuter rail has grown in importance since the 1970s as an alternative to congested highways. Light rail systems expanded to over four hundred worldwide by 2021. The Shanghai maglev train opened in 2002 operating at speeds up to four hundred thirty kilometers per hour. Japan's L0 Series maglev holds the record for the world's fastest train ever reaching five hundred ninety-five kilometers per hour. These modern systems offer higher speeds than even the fastest conventional trains despite not yet being used for inter-city mass transit routes on a large scale.
Bogies support the wheels and axles of trains across the globe. Two-axle bogies are the most common worldwide because they decrease impact from track irregularities. Couplers link train vehicles together using various systems depending on region. Europe, India, and South America primarily use buffers and chain couplers. Knuckle couplers dominate the rest of the world with local variations like Wilson couplers persisting in the former Soviet Union. Scharfenberg couplers appear commonly on multiple units all over the world. George Westinghouse introduced his automatic air brake system in 1869 which uses compressed air in a continuous train pipe. This system applies brakes simultaneously across all cars rather than relying on manual brakemen. Early trains used hand brakes applied by brakemen riding atop cars or in cabins. Modern safety systems include automatic train stop which applies brakes if a train passes a red signal. Positive train control can automatically regulate speed to prevent derailments entering curves too fast. Train accidents sometimes occur including derailments when a train leaves the tracks. The Canadian Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013 killed forty-seven people and leveled much of that town. Over ninety percent of train-related fatalities result from trespassing on railroad tracks or collisions at level crossings.
Train dispatchers control almost every movement to prevent collisions or other accidents. Historically trains operated based on timetables though freight trains may run on an as-needed basis today. Simple repairs happen while a train is parked on the tracks but extensive work occurs at motive power depots. Maintenance of way trains build and repair railroad tracks and other equipment globally. Train drivers also known as engineers are responsible for operating trains directly. Conductors manage trains and their cargo while helping passengers on passenger services. Brakemen historically applied brakes manually but now operate switches and set handbrakes on equipment. Steam locomotives require firemen who fuel and regulate the locomotive's fire and boiler. Passenger trains employ chefs to prepare food and service attendants to provide drinks. Sleeping car attendants perform similar duties inside sleeping cars. Some trains operate with automatic train operation without a driver directly present. Scheduling ensures fixed departure times for nearly all passenger trains worldwide.
Monorails consist of trains running mounted on a single rail or suspended under a girder. The Schwebebahn in Wuppertal has been in use since 1901 representing one of the earliest examples still active today. Maglev technology uses magnets to levitate the train above the track reducing friction. Mine trains carry both workers and goods underground powered by electricity to prevent emissions. Militarized trains have been used for direct combat including armored trains and railroad based artillery systems. Railcar-launched ICBM systems exist within nuclear weapon states. Rack railways use a toothed rail placed between regular rails to avoid slipping up steep slopes. Funiculars climb slopes using ropes attached to two cars and a pulley system. The Reisszug funicular opened around 1500 as the earliest example of this design. Rubber-tired metro systems offer better acceleration and reduced noise but require complex tire inflation mechanisms. Freight trains dedicated to cargo transport move bulk commodities like coal and grain efficiently. Unit trains exclusively carry one type of cargo moving directly from origin to destination without stops. Long distance services include Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway spanning thousands of miles between Moscow and Vladivostok.
Common questions
When did Richard Trevithick power the first steam train?
Richard Trevithick powered the first steam train in 1804. This British inventor built a locomotive that ran outside of coal mines for the very first time.
Who built the first electric train and when was it constructed?
Werner von Siemens built the first electric train in Germany in 1879. Tests between 1897 and 1903 on the Royal Prussian Military Railway demonstrated experimental electric locomotives were viable.
What year did the Japanese Shinkansen enter service as high-speed rail?
The Japanese Shinkansen entered service in 1964 traveling at speeds of two hundred kilometers per hour or greater. Networks developed across much of Europe and Eastern Asia providing fast and reliable service.
Which country remained the last to fully dieselize its steam locomotives?
China remained the last country to fully dieselize because of its abundant coal reserves. Steam locomotives continued to haul mainline trains as late as 2005 in Inner Mongolia.
How many people died in the Canadian Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013?
The Canadian Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013 killed forty-seven people and leveled much of that town. Over ninety percent of train-related fatalities result from trespassing on railroad tracks or collisions at level crossings.