First history of the modern railroad system, however, may be said to date from 1829, when the first railroad built for general traffic and travel was completed. Down to the year 1825 all the railroads that had been built were employed exclusively for the transportation of coal and similar crude products of the mine, furnace, and quarry. In that year the Stockton and Darlington Railroad—projected for the purpose of securing transportation to tide-water for the output of the valuable coal fields of Durham—was opened. On this road the experiment of transport ing- passengers and goods WaS first attempted. It is curious to note that the passenger-coaches were for some time drawn by horses. Mixed pas senger- and freight-trains were next introduced upon the line, and later special passeng-er-trains; and the new method of transportation becaine popular and profitable to the company. The want of confidence felt in the new method of transportation so far as it applied to passenger traffic is ex hibited in the curious illustration (pi. 23, jig. 3), which represents a man on horseback, who, until the engine developed a dangerous rate of speed, marched in front of the first traiu of the Stockton and Darlington road.
Opening of the illanchester and Liverpool 1829 the first railroztd designed and built for g-eneral traffic and travel—the Manchester and Liverpool Railroad (jigs. I, 2)—was completed, and it is a matter of record that the consent of the directors " to give the travelling engine a chalice " was obtained only after the most persistent effort. Some of them favored the use of horses; others advocated the stationary hauling-engine; and evert the experimental demonstration of the practical value of the locomotive engine on the Stockton and Darlington road failed to impress them. Filially, they were persuaded to offer a reward of five hundred pounds for the best locomotive engine, the principal conditions prescribed being that it must be able to draw on a level three times its OW11 weight at a speed of ten miles an hour. The wide publicity given to this announce ment stimulated a number of engine-builders to compete for the reward. Only three locomotives were filially entered for the trial, which took place on the of October, 1829. These were the " Novelty," built by Braith waite and Ericsson; the "Rocket," built from the plans of George Stephen son; and the " Sanspareil," built by Timothy Hackworth.
The Rocket (pl. 22, Jig. 9) proved successful over its rivals, though, considering the time and the circumstances, the performance of all the en gines was very remarkable. The Rocket, carrying- a tender with water and coke (three tons four cwt.) and two loaded wagons (nine tons ten cwt.), attained a maximum speed of twentr-four and one-sixth miles an hour, with an average consumption of two hundred and seventeen pounds of coke per hour. The Novelty attained a maximmu speed of twenty-eight miles
hotir, but, in consequence of the repeated failure of its blowing appa ratus, was withdrawn. The Sanspareil made twentv-two and two-thirds miles an hour, but its fuel-consumption (six hundred and ninety-two pounds per lionr) was excessively high.
The success of the Rocket was doubtless due in largre measure to the high efficiency of its boiler, WiliCh WaS of the so-called " multitlibular " type, by which form of construction a larg,e increase of heating,- surface, with con sequent rapid steaming-power, is obtained. It was provided, also, with the steam-blast in the chimney. These early trials fully established the value of the multitubular boiler over all others for locomotives, and also the great advantage of the steam-blast; and these important elements of construction have retained their pre-eminence to the present time. This engine continued in service on the Liverpool and Manchester road until 1837, when it was withdrawn. After several years of inglorious service in the collieries it was finally placed in honorable retirement in the patent museum at South Kensington, London, where it is now preserved as a relic of historic interest.
The fame of these remarkable performances, so far in advance of all anticipations, spread rapidly throughout the world, and the railway era, which has wrought so profound a revolution in the system of transporta tion, and has so prodigiously stimulated the activities of modern life, was ushered into existence.
It will be interesting at this point to devote some attention to the pio neering- work that was being done in the introduction of the railroad in other countries.
Early Railroaa's France, Seguin is credited with having begun in 1826 the construction of a railroad running from Roanne (via St. Etienne) to Lyons, on which locomotives were placed in service in t832; but it appears that railroads for general traffic were not introduced in that country until the year 1839, nearly ten years after the opening-of the Man chester and Liverpool road.
Early Railroads in Belgium ana' is credited with being the first of the nations of Continental Europe to develop a system of railways, the moving spirit in the work having been Pierre Simon, who, in conformity with a government decree issued July, 1834, prepared compre hensive plans for railroad communication throug,hout the king-dom. These plans were promptly approved, and the Brussels and Mechlin Railroad was opened for traffic on the 6th of May, 1837. In Germany, about the same time, the first general-traffic steam-railroad was built by Denis. It ran be tween Nuremberg and Fiirth.