Modern Railway Development - Assignment Example

MODERN RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT Human history is full of miraculous inventions that have changed the face of the world. As socialization increased so didthe demand for travelling fast in order to reach remote areas without wasting any time. This demand led to the development of the railway system which has proved beneficial for the people till this date. In this paper I aim to discuss the development of modern railways by looking at the different periods through which it has developed. Towards the end I intent to discuss the modern railways and its features that makes it different from the ones in the past. It is stated in the Wikipedia (n.d.) that modern railways are the outcome of the development that took place over the past 500 years, a time when railroads were made of wood and stone. England is the pioneer of the first railway system that marked the beginning of the modern railway system in the 1820s. The system was based on steam locomotive which continued to dominate the railway system till the next century. In the sixteenth century tramways or wagon ways were introduced that could transport coal to and from the mines. Bellis (n.d.) states that this technology was widely used in many European countries including England. By the eighteenth century these tramways or wagon ways had impressed the engineers with its great utility. It could carry huge tones of coal without damaging the roads. It was thus felt that the technology must be improved in order to gain maximum benefit out of it. Around 1760 wooden rails were replaced by iron rails to ease the friction between the rail tracks and the wheels. It was thought that the technology could be used for the transport of people from one place to another. This led to the development of the first passenger train in 1803. However greatest achievement in the modern railway development came with the invention of the steam engine. Samuel Homfray funded the development of the steam engine in 1803. This was the greatest achievement since the steam powered engines replaced the horse drawn trams and wagon ways. The first journey on a locomotive train was done in 1804 by 70 men along with 9 extra wagons and 10 tones of coal. The engine covered a distance of 9 miles in two hours. However the first successful railway emerged in 1825 which was called Stockton and Darlington Railway. The railway connected the town of Darlington to the ports of Stockton and was basically invented for the transport of coal to the docks. A little later a more powerful engine was designed by an English man George Stevenson. The locomotive was able to carry 21 passenger cars along with 450 people and 6 loaded coal cars. This locomotive covered the distance of 9 miles in one hour which was considered a greatest achievement. As stated by Bellis (n.d.) Colonel John Stevens is considered to be the father of American railroads. He in fact practically demonstrated his experiment on the use of steam for running a locomotive three years before George Stevenson. John Stevens was provided funds to build his locomotive engine in 1815. The first American steam engine was built by Cooper in 1830. By this time the idea of a railway network across the country has flourished in America by Oliver Evans. However the plan could not be implemented in America but became successful in England. Traders in England felt a strong need to connect Manchester with the port city of Liverpool for strengthening their business. This led to the development of Liverpool and Manchester Railway which was used both for the transport of goods as well as people. The success of Liverpool and Manchester Railway led to the development of a network of railway all over the country (Wikipedia, n.d.). In 1857 railroad technology further developed with the construction of Sleepers by George Pullman. The Sleepers were built for over night travelling. Sleeping cars were in use in America since 1830 but they were not as comfortable as the ones designed by Pullman. Withuhn (n.d.) states in his article “America on the Move” that till 1870 it had become much easier to travel across the country in one week which actually took no less than several months just a decade back. Experimentation with the steam engines continued for achieving perfection. 2-2-2 Jenny Lind Locomotive was considered the most successful passenger locomotives. On the other hand, Stevenson’s 0-6-0 Long Boiler engine having inside cylinders became very popular among people for carrying goods at a long distance (Wikipedia, n.d.). The Rise of Electric Railways: Electric Railways began to grow in the later half of the nineteenth century. Duffy (2003) writes in his book that at first low voltage direct current (DC) system was adopted which however was considered doubtful in terms of its suitability. In 1890 Heilmann carried out a series of studies and developed a “self contained DC locomotive” called “Electric Rocket” which had its own steam power plant. Most of the early locomotives in America and England were built around DC low voltage. However in North America the superior properties of AC or alternating current were greatly observed. Thus the later locomotives in the twentieth century were built around the AC high voltage technology. High voltage DC electricity ranging from 1200-3000 volts was used in North America. All AC electrification used 11,000 volts. Mike (2006) states that the electric rails continued to run throughout the country in England and in America and many European countries had to build power stations at the bottom of mountains for supplying electricity to the locomotives. The electric locomotives are efficient since they save both time and money and are one of the suitable means of transport in the fast moving world where time is very important. The growth of electric rails led to the development of underground railway system. Many countries have now built the “light rail” systems as the tram system became obsolete in the middle of the twentieth century (Wikipedia, n.d.). In the twentieth century dining cars had replaced the hurried stopovers for meals and parlor cars were available for long time day travelling (Middleton, 1999). It is stated in the Wikipedia that diesel electric locomotives were also in use till 1970. These engines were cleaner and required less maintenance than the steam powered engines. In the decade of 1970s the diesel engines had replace the steam powered engines. Speed is another feature of the modern railways. During the 1990s high speed trains such as Swedish X2000 and German ICE high speeds continued to serve the people with high speed (Middleton, 1999). This bullet train has the capability of taking turns at 90 miles per hour without jolting or slowing down. Under normal conditions the train is able to cover 125 to 150 miles per hour. Similar kinds of trains were also built in France and Germany (Sutton, 1994). The most remarkable invention made in the modern world is the development of the Magnetic Levitation Trans Rapid Line (Meglev). The train has the technology that allows it to run at 250 miles per hour (Sutton, 1994). A look at the speed with which the modern trains move indicate the development of the modern railways. One such country is Japan who has taken keen interest in this technology In Japan: 300 trains run at a speed of 270 km per hour since 1992. 500 trains run at a speed of 300 km per hour since 1997. 200 trains travel at a speed of 275 km per hour. Others travel at 240 km per hour since 1988. The speed of E2 trains is approximately 260 km per hour (The Shinkansen, n.d.). The TGV: According to the article “Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV)” the TGV runs all over France at a very high speed. Special tracks called high speed lines are built for fast movement of the train. On average railroad TGV runs at a normal speed of 138 mph. Several types of TGV include TGV Sud-est, TGV Atlantique, TGV Reseau and TGV Duplex. TGV Duplex is a double decker and runs between Paris and Lyon. Modern railways are the out come of many changes that have taken place in the past so many centuries. Each passing century has brought with itself new technology that has helped the development of the modern railway in a better way. Although the trains have been replaced by planes in the modern world still they are greatly utilized as they are cheaper than the planes. At the same time they turn out to be most useful for commuters as is seen in metropolitan cities of the world. With the steady pace the modern railways has emerged as fast, stylish and comfortable means of transport in the modern world. References Bellis, M. “Outline of Railroad History”, About.com, Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrailroad.htm Duffy, M.C. “Electric Railways”, 1880-1990”. London: Institution of Electrical Engineers, (2003). pg 211 “History of Rail Transport”, Wikipedia Updated on November 23, 2007. Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport" “Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV)”, (n.d.). Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/tgv.htm Middleton, W.D. “Passenger Rail in the Twentieth Century”, Railway Age, (1999), Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://www.railwayage.com/dec99/passenger.html Mike. “Electric Traction”, Mike’s Railway History, (2006), retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r066.html Sutton, R. “Railroads for the Twenty First Century- A look back; A look Ahead”. University of Illinois, (1994), Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1994/ihy941201.htm “The Shinkansen”, (n.d.). Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/bullet.htm Withuhn, B. “Introduction- Rails Accelerate economy and a culture”, America on the Move, (n.d.), Retrieved on December 5, 2007 from http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_42_1.html Read More