Railways developed quickly following the early successes of the Stephenson's and other pioneers. This new technology was the result of the invention and subsequent development of the steam engine. Steam could be used to power motors and had been used in mines to help bring coal and tin to the surface quicker. This idea was transferred to the notion of pulling wagons along rails and eventually Stephenson took the idea one stage further and built the steam engine into a wagon.

This first 'train' was very slow and initially scared a lot of people but soon the early railway lines between Liverpool and Manchester and Stockton and Darlington were accepted and people began to realise that Rail had a lot to offer industry and society in general.

The railways spread across the country at an amazing rate as companies were established to build and run the new lines. Many were financed by industry, eager to have quicker delivery of goods and a wider sales reach.

The impact of the railways was great. Industry benefited as goods could now be transported faster and in even greater quantities than before, reducing costs and creating bigger markets. The construction of the railway network also fueled demand for coal and steel. Ordinary people saw the benefits too. They could now get around the country much quicker and for the first time holidays out of the city were a possibility (Thomas Cook organising the first 'package' holiday from Leicester Station to the seaside). Communications in general improved as well. Newspapers could now be sent from London and Manchester, where most of the national dailies are printed, to towns across the country, the postage system became much quicker and movement of workers became a more realistic prospect.

One of the most noticeable consequences of the growth of the Railways was the rapid development of a number of towns. Crewe and Peterborough are both examples of towns that grew quickly due to their location on the railway network. 

There were however several negative consequences of the growth of the Railways. Many people lost money from previous investments in canals, people who worked on the canals found themselves out of work. 

The railways were built by workers called Navvies. These men had incredibly difficult jobs to do. A Navvy would need to dig the foundations, lay the stones that the tracks were placed upon, move and fix the tracks and dig tunnels. The picture above is a contemporary image of a Navvy. Much of the work was done by hand, using a pick axe as building machines such as mechanical diggers did not exist at the time. 

Many of the men employed as Navvies originated from Ireland and came to Britain looking for work during the Irish Famines of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Select a form of transport from the list below to find out more about changes in the way we moved around the country.

The images used on this page have been provided by a third party. Should my use of them be a breech of copyright please e-mail me and I will make the necessary amendments to this page.