Locomotives

For over a century, steam locomotives were by far the most important mechanized land vehicle. The first steam powered vehicle was built in 1769 by Nicolas Cugnot (1725-1804). It was a steam road tractor that appeared only four years after James Watt (1736-1819) built a practical steam engine. However, Cugnot's invention was a slow and ponderous machine and was deemed impractical.

History of the locomotive

The first locomotive to run on rails was the steam carriage built in 1802 by Richard Trevithick (177I-1833) at Coal brookdale in Wales. He tested his new machine on February 2, 1804 by running it over a 9 mile (13 km) track with passengers on board. The next two milestones in the development of the locomotive both occurred in England. The first mass produced locomotives were introduced in 1812 by John Blenkinsop, and the first high-speed locomotive, the Rocket, was built in 1829 by Robert Stephenson (1803-1859) and his father, George (1781-1848). The Rocket was capable of speeds up to 16 mph (26 km) while pulling a 40-ton (36-metric ton) train, and 36 mph (50 kph) without a load. It was the first manmade land vehicle that could outrun a horse. The first passenger locomotive, built in 1829 by Peter Cooper (1791-1883) in the United States for the Baltimore & Ohio line, was the Tom Thumb.

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