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GEORGE STEPHENSON • • • • • • • • • • • • •
George Stephenson was an engineer. He built steam locomotives for the first railways. He is called 'the Father of the Railway'. In 1814 he made his first 'railway locomotive‘: The Rocket In 1819 George was asked to build a small railway at Hetton Colliery. The track was 8 miles long. In 1825 a new railway was opened between the towns of Stockton and Darlington. George and his men built the track and the locomotive. It was the first passenger steam railway in the world. George drove the first train. The engine was called 'Locomotion No. 1'. It pulled a train with 450 passengers at a speed of 15 miles an hour.
TYPES OF LOCOMOTIVES • Steam Locomotives. In the early 1800s, steam engine was used in locomotives and trains began to carry passengers. By the late 1800s, steam powered passenger trains carried people living in the country to cities for work and for pleasure. The Rocket is one of the most famous locomotives in the world. It was a steam locomotive built in 1829 and designed by Robert Stephenson. There are two types of steam locomotives: Coal Burning and Wood Burning. • Diesel Locomotives The diesel engine was invented by a German engineer, Rudolf Diesel in 1892. The diesel fuel is burned to drive a generator which makes electricity runs an electric motor which drives the wheels. Diesel trains were introduced in the 1930s. These trains were faster, quieter and cleaner than steam trains. Diesel powered engines are still used today worldwide. Diesel locomotives are sometimes called “Diesel-Electric”. They are just using a combustion engine to move the wheels. Diesel engines must get fuel the same way cars get gasoline. They have to ride up the pump. Diesel locomotives are very powerful. • Electric Locomotives Advances in electrical infrastructure and electric engines enabled to adopt electrical power as one of the most reliable sources of propulsion.