![theatlantic:
On This Day: The Steam Locomotive Gets Going
On this day in 1804, the world’s first steam-powered train hauled 10 tons of iron and 70 men for nine miles at a speed of five miles an hour in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, opening a century whose history would be defined and guided by the expansion of the railway. The engine was designed by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833). Above, a drawing of an earlier Trevithick design, thought to be quite similar to the locomotive that ran in 1804.
Read more. [Image: irsociety.co.uk]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzr4rfb7ym1qcokc4o1_500.jpg)
On This Day: The Steam Locomotive Gets Going
On this day in 1804, the world’s first steam-powered train hauled 10 tons of iron and 70 men for nine miles at a speed of five miles an hour in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, opening a century whose history would be defined and guided by the expansion of the railway. The engine was designed by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833). Above, a drawing of an earlier Trevithick design, thought to be quite similar to the locomotive that ran in 1804.
Read more. [Image: irsociety.co.uk]
