The railroad is one of the most revolutionary inventions of all time. It was only through them that inexpensive travel became possible. It connects countries and entire continents with one another. The railroad brings many advantages to business and industry. Businessmen who use railways in Europe check deutsche bahn fahrplanauskunft on a regular basis.
Deutsche bahn fahrplanauskunft: How railway transport business started
In the past, as of now, three things were needed for the railroad. These are the wheel, the rail and a drive. The wheel was developed early on and soon gave people the idea of the rails.
What was more of a disadvantage in the quagmire was an advantage on stone. The wagons stayed on track and could not stray from the path.
Presumably, the ancient Greeks built the first roads with ruts. But these routes were only the exception and were only used to transport heavy equipment over a short distance.
It was only the Roman road builders who worked to a greater extent in paved streets with grooves. This makes it easier for horse-drawn carts to get around.
In the middle of the second millennium after Christ, this idea revived in mines. Usually, wooden rails were laid on which carts transported the overburden, i.e. the rock that did not contain any raw materials.
Since wood was not a suitable material for heavyweights, cast-iron rails were used from 1750 onwards. However, these were too brittle and were replaced by rolled rails at the beginning of the 19th century. In principle, these are the rails that are still used today.
Deutsche bahn fahrplanauskunft: The first locomotives business
In the late 18th century, engineers first thought about how to replace draft horses with a more powerful drive. At that time only the steam engine came into question, as it was perfected by James Watt from 1769. However, Watt’s low-pressure steam engines were too weak and large for a mobile machine.
It was not until the British inventor and engineer Richard Trevithick who succeeded in constructing a usable locomotive in 1804. He mounted a small and powerful high-pressure steam engine on a chassis.
This first locomotive always pulled five wagons with ten tons of iron and 70 workers in an ironworks in Wales. Trevithick ultimately failed due to the then still quite fragile cast-iron rails and a lack of investors. However, he nevertheless paved the way for all subsequent developments.