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railway history
Railways have been around a lot longer than most people realise. English examples are recorded from the time of Elizabeth the First (16th century), from mining districts in Leicestershire and soon after from the counties of Durham and Northumberland. The first were basically wooden planks laid into ruts made in existing roads by heavy cart wheels and these gradually developed into specially made wagonways or "railroads" as they were known. An early example can be visited at Causey, where the bridge known as the Causey Arch still stands, unhappily for its architect who committed suicide fearing it would collapse overnight. When finished it was the largest single span in the world. The name railroad did not stick in England but it did get exported to many other countries where it still survives today. Power was initially one horse drawing one wagon, but it was found that with adequate track one beast could haul more than one, so trains of wagons coupled together became more widespread, especially on flat roads. After the harnessing of steam power, longer and heavier loads could be hauled when the trains were attached to a rope wound onto a drum by a steam-driven stationary engine, it was also found practical to use this method to conquer inclines, leaving the horizontal sections in charge of the horses. Brakes were either rudimentary (similar to those used on stage-coaches) or non-existent, relying entirely on the animal and its handler. Experiments with moving or "locomotive" engines were at first unsuccessful as they proved to be too heavy for the track. Cast iron rails snapped frequently so it was not until wrought iron was tried that the train as we know it was born. All of the first railroads were constructed for a single purpose, usually to expedite the carriage of coal to tidal water for shipment to London, but a few entrepreneurs diversified, for example the Stockton and Darlington line (which extended beyond both places) agreed to carry passengers for set fares - tickets could be purchased in the nearest pub for one of two daily trains, or you could pay for your own carriage to be strapped to a flat wagon and pulled by your own horse. The first passenger trains were horse drawn with one coach and had to be shunted out of the way should a coal train need the track. The owners soon found that revenue from passengers warrented more priority to be given to them and that the willy-nilly arrangement of anyone being able to use the line for their own horse and carriage was unworkable, so the trains became more regulated. The first true railway built for steam locomotives from the start was the Liverpool and Manchester line opened in 1830. The first half-mile out of Liverpool was worked by a stationary engine as the gradient was too steep for the locomotives, but the rest of the route was successfully and profitably worked from the outset. The age of steam was born. With it there developed railway centres an excellent example of wich is York.
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Contributor's Note
Information gleaned from years of reading and talking about the subject
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