In 1825, the Stockton to Darlington railway opened, and a steam engine was used. This was built by George Stephenson; the steam engine was called Locomotion. It was effectively a beam engine on wheels with vertical cylinders. It was one of the first locomotives to use coupling rods rather than chains to drive its 0-4-0 wheel arrangement. This was revolutionary, and had the potential for successful investment and the slowness of the canals led to the planning of new lines. Line engineer’s had to tackle problems like how to cross a 12 mile bog, or how to get through solid rock.
In 1829, a competition was held to decide on the engine for the new line from Liverpool to Manchester. This was won again by George Stephenson, but with a new engine, the Rocket. Stephenson's Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built in Newcastle at the Forth Street Works of Robert Stephenson and Company in 1829. It was the first 'modern' locomotive, drawing together several recent strands of technological improvement. In 1830 the new line was opened but the president of the Board of Trade was hit by the Rocket, and died. Despite this the line was a great success. The Liverpool to Manchester line was primarily built to provide faster transport of raw materials and finished goods between the port of Liverpool and mills in Manchester and surrounding towns in north-west England.
In the 1830s and 1840s the main lines of the English railway system were built. Important routes were completed, like the Great Central Railway, London and North Western Railway, Midland Railway etc.
The period from 1844 to 1847 is often called 'Railway Mania'. I was a time where there was a rush of railway building. Construction workers were known as navies, they built the railways, and this was huge engineering feats as they didn’t use machines. Soon government became aware of the importance on railways, so in 1840 the Railway Regulation Act was placed. This meant that companies intending to build a new line had to inform the Board of Trade which would then inspect the line. Companies also had to report their tolls rates and accidents. The Railway Act also meant that railway companies had to provide at least one train a day with cheap third class travel which stopped at every station and charging 1 penny a mile. Between 1844 and 1847 Parliament gave permission for 9,375 miles (15,000 km) of railway to be built. By 1850, over 6,000 miles (9,600 km) had been built.
Government debated over the size of the track gauge, the so called Battle of the gauges. The standard size used by the Stephenson’s was 4 feet 8.5 inches, but Brunel’s had a broader gauge of 7 feet. In 1845 a British Royal Commission recommended adoption of 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) as standard gauge, and in the following year Parliament passed the Gauge Act, which required that new railways use standard gauge. Except for the Great Western Railway's broad gauge, few main-line British railways used a different gauge, and the last Great Western line was finally converted to standard gauge in 1892.
The railways had a huge impact on the development of the British economy.
- They increased demand in iron, coal and the brick industry.
- Railway construction became an industry, from 1845-9 average annual employment on the railways was 172,000.
- Easier to transport fresh products, had a huge impact on diet availability of food in cities.
- The growth in railways led to changes in the financial markets.
- Railways changed towns and cities
- The railways opened up the possibility for people to travel.
