USA HISTORY

WESTWARD EXPANSION INDUSTRIALIZATION URBANIZATION 1870 1900

WESTWARD EXPANSION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What powered the railroads that began carrying people and goods in the 1830s?
A
steam
B
electricity
C
magnets
D
None of the above
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive was built in the United Kingdom in 1804 by Richard Trevithick, a British engineer born in Cornwall. This used high-pressure steam to drive the engine by one power stroke.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1825, Stephenson built Locomotion No. 1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north-east England, which was the first public steam railway in the world.

Detailed explanation-3: -On February 21, 1804, British mining engineer, inventor and explorer Richard Trevithick debuted the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive in the Welsh mining town of Merthyr Tydfil. Following that debut, locomotives have been powered by a myriad of fuels, including wood, coal and oil.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 1830, inventor and businessman Peter Cooper developed and built a small coal-burning steam locomotive that was suitable for the B&O’s planned right of way and track, then from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills, MD (now Ellicott City).

Detailed explanation-5: -On February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first U.S. railway chartered for commercial transport of passengers and freight. There were skeptics who doubted that a steam engine could work along steep, winding grades, but the Tom Thumb, designed by Peter Cooper, put an end to their doubts.

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