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The History of Locomotives

Created on Dec 01, 2016 by Kathy Pinna

The steam engine made self-powered transportation possible - and our romance with trains began.

James Watt (a Scotsman) patented the design for a steam locomotive in 1784 and his employee, William Murdoch, made a working model of a self-propelled steam carriage soon after.

Then, in 1804, an Englishman made a full scale steam locomotive - and a new industry was born.

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Visual History of Trains

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All shiny and new!

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This is Colonel William Crooks with a locomotive named after him.

Women posed with trains

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And dressed for traveling

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The train has seen some wear

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Photo of Starr Johnson Starr Johnson
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shared on 11/21/2014

But the woman is so stylish!

1902 railroad car

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Travelin' in style!

1919 locomotive

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The "Old 278" ran between Anchorage and Seward, Alaska.

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The Burlington Zephyr, 1936

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Photo of Paul Boyd Paul Boyd
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shared on 04/14/2001

Can you see the train? That's a pile of snow it's stirring up!

Lehigh Valley Railroad train

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Between 1900 and 1910

Mexican Central Railway

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Late 1800's

World War 2

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Troop train? Sure looks like it from the graffiti!

The men of the railroad

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Photo of Ulf-Peter Stueve Ulf-Peter Stueve
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shared on 01/01/2015

1895 Missouri - can't you hear the song?

I've been working on the railroad . . .

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Barb Kaesberg
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shared on 11/13/2014
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All the live long day . . .

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Erie Railroad, 1913

I've been working on the railroad . . .

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Just to pass the time away

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Can't you hear the whistle blowing . . .

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Damaged locomotive, Civil War

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On the train . . .

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Sheri Johnson
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shared on 06/15/2014

On carriages!

Inside the train

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Wave to the engineer

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And he'll blow the horn. Remember that??

1890 France

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Photo of Sébastien Brice Sébastien Brice
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shared on 10/24/2015

The end of the line - the photo isn't in good shape but hey, it's over 126 yrs old.

While the history of railway transport (using animals or men) goes back to ancient Greece, trains as we know them now really began making their appearance in the very early 1800's. In the United States, 1828 brought the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and railroads played a part in the Industrial Revolution and the settlement of the West. Farms in the Corn Belt even grew up near railroad lines, allowing them to get their products to market more easily.

By 1910 in the U.S., most of a vast railroad system was built but the railways have never regained the supremacy they had in the 1800's. Trucks began hauling produce and cars and planes began carrying passengers. And the invention of the diesel electric locomotive in 1940 led to a further decline in employees of the railroads - these engines were so efficient that fewer workers were needed (on the tracks and in repair shops). Sound like today? Yes, new technology always changes the face of the labor force.

Click "next page" to see photos of The Wild West - in the U.S., railroads opened this territory.

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