Identifier: triumphswonderso01boyd (find matches)
Title: Triumphs and wonders of the 19th century, the true mirror of a phenomenal era, a volume of original, entertaining and instructive historic and descriptive writings, showing the many and marvellous achievements which distinguish an hundred years of material, intellectual, social and moral progress ..
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Boyd, James Penny, 1836-1910
Subjects: Progress Inventions
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa., A. J. Holman & Co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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impor- EVOLUTION OF THE RAILWAY 653 tant junctions are equipped with interlocking plants, which prevent conflict-ing signals and switches being so set as to lead to accident. The electrictelegraph was patented by Cooke and Wheatstone in 1837, and in 1839 theysecured its introduction to govern the train service on the Great WesternRailway (England). The movements were telegraphed from station to sta-tion, and a train was not allowed to leave a station until the preceding trainhad passed the next station in advance. This was the beginning of the block system, which is a great element in the safe operation of traffic, sinceit maintains an interval of space between trains. Mr. Edwin Clarks tele-graph block system was introduced in 1853, and as traffic increased interme-diate block signal stations were established between the regular stations, soas to shorten the distances between trains. This system is compulsory inGreat Britain and is already largely used in the United States. It was at
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AN AMERICAN EXPRESS LOCOMOTIVE. first held that it was not adapted to conditions in this country, where somany lines have but a single track, but experience has shown that it increasesthe facility as well as the safety of operating traffic on single and doubletrack lines alike. Steam locomotives were used on colliery railways in England as early as1804, when Trevithick built an engine, which was the first to haul a train onrails. George Stephenson built his first locomotive in 1814, and in 1825 builtthe Locomotion for the Stockton & Darlington Railway. Horses, station-ary engines, and steam locomotives were all proposed for the Liverpool & Man-chester Railway, and in 1829 the directors offered a premium of $2500 forthe best locomotive. Each engine was to consume its smoke, weigh about 6tons, cost not more than $2750, and be capable of hauling a train of 20 tonsat 10 miles per hour. This led to the now historical trials at Rainhill, inOctober, 1829, between the Rocket (Stephens

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