The Steam Locomotive A History Author:David Ross Steaming ahead for two centuries. — The railway locomotive was invented by a Cornishman — called Richard Trevithick in February 1804. No longer was man — dependent on moving at his own speed or that of a horse. With — smoke belching from its chimney, the steam locomotive could — carry freight and passengers at unheard of speeds. It was even — thought ... more »that men would die of asphyxiation at speeds greater
than 30 MPH!
From small beginnings the railway locomotive was responsible
for the speed of industrialisation in many countries, for commuting,
for tourism, for industrial progress in all fields and for
making the people of the world a transient workforce. Without