The history of railways has its beginning as early as in Copper Age, so over 4,000 years ago. Scientists believe that the archetype of railways were wheel-ruts—grooves cut for guiding vehicles. Naturally, such vehicles were pushed or pulled by animals. Wheel-ruts could be found in quarry sites of ancient Rome and Greece. In the former, rutways were also cut into rock and used for guiding carriages, similar to what rails do.
Would Anyone Believe Wooden Railways Really Existed?
Yes, it was wooden railways which appeared next… They were used in mines. Unfortunately, this invention had quite a few downsides, e.g. they would become slippery when covered in mud or sludge. That is why derailments of heavy mine carts were frequent. Apart from that, wood would undergo natural decomposition.
Despite Obvious Downsides, Railways Kept Developing
A treadwheel-operated line railway was developed. Carts were pulled with a hemp rope and driven by the so-called treadwheel, so essentially by manpower. A man, by walking on the treadwheel, would drive a gear system, which in turn pulled the rope. One of such railways was constructed in England and it was an extraordinary 3 km in length!
Industrial Revolution—Mechanical Drive
The year 1812 saw the beginning of the narrow-gauge steam railway in England—it utilized 2-cylinders and a gear. The year 1830 in turn brought about the first railway operated exclusively by steam engines, which connected Liverpool with Manchester. The United Kingdom was the world leader in the rail industry at the time.
The Continent was about 7 years behind Britain in terms of railway development. Germany and Belgium were the most engaged in developing their railway systems. “Little” Belgium was the first country to develop and build a rail network for the whole country.
Railways in Western Europe and USA
One reason for rapid growth of rail networks in Western Europe was that there were not any common transport routes available there. France was the only country which had a well-developed road network and the Dutch were the only nation with a network of canals, hence the delayed development of railways in these two countries.
The USA witnessed a tremendous growth of its railways, which resulted in a very dense network, as dense as in Europe (despite the vast land area).
Train Speeds
In the interwar period, the top speeds of steam engine trains operating on the main lines of France, Germany and Belgium did not exceed 120 km/h and in other European countries—usually 100 km/h. It was only in Britain where trains travelled faster—up to 144 km/h (90 mil/h). Higher top speeds were allowed for combustion engines: 160 km/h in Germany and 140 km/h in France.
LGV Sud-Est, a French line opened in 1981 for TGV trains, allowed for travelling at 260 km/h.
Rolling Stock
George Westinghouse patented the pneumatic breaks (which use compressed air), thanks to which brakes could be engaged from the engine (all cars had to have brakes installed from then on). The year was 1872. It radically increased the safety of rail travel and it allowed for long trains to be formed. The alternative to pneumatic brakes was vacuum braking—a method popular mostly in Britain.
Modern Rail Stands for Cutting-edge Technology and Safety!
Travelling by train often involves astonishing speeds and comfort. Rail designers outdo each other in ideas and technology solutions.
The weight of locomotives, cars, railcars, trams and other railway vehicles has a huge impact on lowering the fuel consumption, increasing the top speed and on the failure rate. Modern rail commonly utilizes aluminium alloy castings, reducing the weight by over 50% in relation to standard solutions.
Here are some railway vehicle and overhead line equipment components which can be cast from aluminium:
- Bolsters,
- Axle boxes,
- Pressure vessels,
- Cooling systems,
- Covers,
- Body parts,
- Magnetic levitation components,
- Supports,
- Gearboxes.
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