Trains
TRAINS
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Another way of traveling became widely used with the introduction of the train. They can be divided into two different types with the first being passenger trains and the second being freight trains. The first carry people and the latter carries goods.
Diving deeper into passenger trains we learn that these types of trains have seats, and some of them even have baggage cars, dining cars and sleeping cars that are complete with beds. These passenger trains can reach high traveling speeds with the larger units reaching one hundred miles per hour. Trains in Europe and Japan can go much faster with speeds of greater than one hundred and eighty miles per hour.
There are varying types of passenger trains starting with trains which carry individuals to work, called commuter trains. Underground trains are called subways and trains which operate on only one rail are called monorails. That type of train are a smaller type of passenger train and carry individuals shorter distances. Often times, this type of a train does not have a separate locomotive. Either some of the cars, or all of the cars tend to have their electric motors located under the floor with the train operator sitting in the front car.
The second type of train, the freight train, are made of both freight cars and locomotives. Similar to passenger trains, there are also many types of freight cars. Packaged goods tend to be carried by boxcars. Coal is carried by open hopper cars and items like grain are carried by covered hopper cars. Liquids go into tank cars and car carriers hold automobiles. Freight containers or trailers are carried by special flatcars. An amazing number of cars can be on freight trains, even pulling one-hundred fifty or greater, cars. It is because of this enormous amount of weight being pulled that freight trains will usually move at a pace that is slower than that of passenger trains.
Prior to locomotives and trains, individuals would use horses to move carts along tracks. This early type of railroad was utilized by Europeans in the 1500's. The main purpose was to carry large loads to and from the mines.
An impressive historical marker was hit in the year 1803 when a British engineer named Richard Trevithick planned and built a locomotive that surprisingly ran on steam power. The mining companies looked on this favorably and began using it. More advances were made when another British inventor by the name of George Stephenson designed and built the first steam train which could carry both passengers and goods. Rail lines soon started becoming apparent all throughout Europe.
In the United States, the earliest railroads were able to connect cities on the East Coast. By the 1850's, tracks were extended and now able to reach cities located to the west. In the year 1862, the United States government gave financial backing to two railroad companies for a route to be completed from Missouri to California. This railroad was named the transcontinental railroad, and opened up the country to those that wanted to travel and companies looking for an easier way to ship their goods. Unfortunately a great price was paid by the Native Americans as they had to give up their land in order to allow room for the railroad.
More changes continued to be made with trains as steam
engines were replaced by diesel engines as the source of power in a vast
majority of locomotives. Today, one can
see that freight trains operate globally, however, trucks carry much of the
freight that were once carried by trains.
While passenger trains are still a common way to travel, much of the
airlines have also replaced many of the travel by railroads. Regardless, trains have made a tremendous
historical impact and they continue to be seen and utilized for a variety of
reasons.
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