Invention Railroad Steam Locomotive
Declan Kuhn, P6 Hernandez
George Stephenson, Inventor of Railroad Steam Locomotive
George Stephenson was extremely poor and self taught in reading and writing. In 1812 he began working with steam engines and in 1814 he built the first steam locomotive. His company Stephenson Works sold the first steam locomotives in America.
His design was demonstrated in the state of New Jersey in 1826. By 1830 a design called the Thom Thumb was built for railway carrier use across America.
This invention was one of the most important to the Industrial Revolution. It dropped the cost of moving people and supplies by 70%. These trains contributed to construction across the country. They brought social, economic and industrial change to a country only 50 years old. Over the next 50 years, America would come to see bridges and other structures on which trains would run, depots, and businesses involved in trains.
Today, trains are used in many ways – city transportation, long distance trains, freight trains, and high-speed bullet trains that can reach speeds over 175 mph. Today's trains look aerodynamic and sleek like a bullet.