| As an Englishman born and bred and a fan of history | | | | Regular intercity bus services by steam-powered |
| of steam Locomotives I thought it may be of interest | | | | buses were also pioneered in England in the 1830s by |
| to write an article about the history of the earliest | | | | Walter Hancock and by associates of Sir |
| steam locomotive. The first full scale working railway | | | | Goldsworthy Gurney among others, running reliable |
| steam locomotive was built by Richard Trevithick in | | | | services over road conditions which were too |
| the United Kingdom on 21st February 1804 when the | | | | hazardous for horse-drawn transportation. Steam |
| world's first railway journey took place as Trevithick's | | | | carriages were much less likely to overturn, did not "run |
| unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the | | | | away with" the customer as horses sometimes did. |
| tramway of the Penydarren ironworks, near Merthyr | | | | They travelled faster than horse-drawn carriages (24 |
| Tydfil in south Wales. | | | | mph over four miles and an average of 12 mph over |
| This is different from the first Steam Engine which | | | | longer distances). They could run at a half to a third of |
| was first invented in 1653 by Edward Somerset (1601 | | | | the cost of horse-drawn carriages. Their brakes did |
| – 1667) was an English nobleman. | | | | not lock and drag like horse-drawn transport (a |
| On Christmas Eve 1801 in West Cornwall, England an | | | | phenomenon that increased damage to roads). |
| engineer called Richard Trevithick took his new steam | | | | According to engineers, steam carriages caused |
| car, ( or the "Puffing Devil" as it became known) out | | | | one-third the damage to the road surface as that |
| for its first test run. After a number of years research, | | | | caused by the action of horses' feet. Indeed, the wide |
| Trevithick had developed a high-pressure engine | | | | tires of the steam carriages (designed for better |
| powered by steam. His vehicle was no more than a | | | | traction) caused virtually no damage to the streets, |
| boiler on 4-wheels but it took Trevithick and a number | | | | whereas the narrow wheels of the horse-drawn |
| of his friends half a mile up a hill. The vehicle's principle | | | | carriages (designed to reduce the effort required of |
| feature was a cylindrical horizontal boiler and a single | | | | horses) tended to cause rutting. |
| horizontal cylinder let into it. The piston propelled back | | | | However, the heavy road tolls imposed by the |
| and forth in the cylinder by pressure from the steam. | | | | Turnpike Acts discouraged steam road vehicles and |
| This was linked by piston rod and connecting rod to a | | | | left the way clear for the horse bus companies, and |
| crankshaft bearing a large flywheel. | | | | from 1861 onwards, harsh legislation virtually eliminated |
| The vehicle was used for several journeys until it | | | | mechanically-propelled vehicles altogether from the |
| turned over on the unsuitable trails that were used for | | | | roads of Great Britain for 30 years, the Locomotive |
| pack horses in Cornwall at that time. After having | | | | Act of that year imposing restrictive speed limits on |
| been righted, Trevithick and crew drove it back to | | | | "road locomotives" of 5 mph in towns and cities, and 10 |
| Camborne and retired to a hostelry. | | | | mph in the country. |
| The water level dropped in the boiler and the fusible | | | | In 1865 the Locomotives Act of that year (the famous |
| plug melted, sending a jet of steam into the furnace | | | | Red Flag Act) further reduced the speed limits to 4 |
| where it blew embers all around, setting fire to the | | | | mph in the country and just 2 mph in towns and cities, |
| surroundings and the wooden parts of the engine. | | | | additionally requiring a man bearing a red flag to |
| In 1802 a steam-powered coach designed by British | | | | precede every vehicle. At the same time, the act gave |
| engineer Richard Trevithick journeyed more than 160 | | | | local authorities the power to specify the hours during |
| km from Cornwall to London. | | | | which any such vehicle might use the roads. The sole |
| The "Puffing Dragon" was the world's first passenger | | | | exceptions were street trams which from 1879 |
| car. Despite the disaster of losing his first vehicle, | | | | onwards were authorised under licence from the |
| undeterred, Trevithick built a 3-wheeled steam carriage | | | | Board of Trade. |
| but this time complete with seats and a real carriage | | | | ======= |
| like appearance. In 1803, he drove it through London's | | | | Please visit my Funny Animal Art Prints Collection @ |
| Oxford Street on demonstration runs and reached | | | | My other website is called Directory of British Icons: |
| speeds of 8-9 mph (13 - 14 km/h). Despite the runs, | | | | The Chinese call Britain 'The Island of Hero's' which I |
| nobody was interested and so when he ran out of | | | | think sums up what we British are all about. We British |
| funds, he sold the power unit to a local Miller. | | | | are inquisitive and competitive and are always looking |
| Trevithick's vehicle was the first self-propelled carriage | | | | over the horizon to the next adventure and discovery. |
| in the capital and in essence the first London bus. | | | | Copyright © 2010 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved. |