Trains page 2

Trains page 2 by ric gustafson


Now that the problem of track was solved, the development of a power source had to be solved. Steam power could be used but there were obstacles to that. The first steam engines were devised probably by Thomas Newcomen in the early eighteenth century. One of the first ideas was to have a piston within a cylinder exploit the power of steam. Newcomen worked on the development of a working engine that could be used to pump water. Boulton and Watt of England became the first builder of steam engines. This same company provided the engine for the first steamboat, the Charlotte Dundas.
Because of Boulton and Watt, the use of steamboats became popular in America. River transportation became very important and was about the only way to reach a lot of America. But there were obstacles to river transportation including swift currents and shallow water at times. The farther west they went, the more obstacles there were. Steamships transformed the rivers and the villages and towns themselves. In 1807, the North River Steamboat became the first commercially successful paddle steamer. In 1811-1812, the steamboat New Orleans became the first steamship to navigate the western waters of the United States.


research help: ' The Great Railroad Revolution' by Christian Wolmar


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric