Transport Atlas

How The World Moves
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Mode

Rail Transport

Also Known As Train Transport
Rail Mode
Parallel Rails on Sleepers

The movement of people and goods over fixed steel rails by wheeled vehicles running on low friction flanged wheels. Rail transport depends on a centrally scheduled, shared network rather than point to point routing, which lets a single train move very large loads efficiently but requires the whole route, from track gauge to signalling, to be built and maintained as one coordinated system. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Concern
Moving large, scheduled loads efficiently along a shared fixed guideway. 1
Origin Year
1825 1
Connections

Exemplified By

British Rail Class 20, Vehicles
British Rail Class 55, Vehicles
DB Class 103, Vehicles
DRG Class 05, Vehicles
Electric Multiple Unit, Vehicles
EMD F7, Vehicles
EMD FT, Vehicles
EMD GP9, Vehicles
EMD SD40-2, Vehicles
Evening Star (locomotive), Vehicles
Flying Scotsman, Vehicles
Source Wikipedia: Flying Scotsman (locomotive)
GE Genesis, Vehicles
GWR Castle Class, Vehicles
LMS Coronation Class, Vehicles
LNER Class A4 Mallard, Vehicles
Milwaukee Road Bipolar, Vehicles
Multiple Unit, Vehicles
New York Central Hudson, Vehicles
Pennsylvania Railroad GG1, Vehicles
Rocket, Vehicles
Source Wikipedia: Rocket (locomotive)
Shinkansen 0 Series, Vehicles
Source Wikipedia: Shinkansen
Steam Locomotive, Vehicles
TGV, Vehicles
Source Wikipedia: TGV
Union Pacific Big Boy, Vehicles

Pioneered By

George Stephenson, Figures
Source Wikipedia: George Stephenson
George Westinghouse, Figures

Westinghouse pioneered the fail-safe air brake, one safety-critical element of rail transport, rather than the mode as a whole; recorded associated rather than holds for that reason.

Source Wikipedia: George Westinghouse
Richard Trevithick, Figures

Built and ran the first steam locomotive to haul a load on rails, 1804, twenty one years before George Stephensons Stockton and Darlington Railway, this axiss other pioneered-by holder, opened the first public railway in 1825; the two pioneered different milestones of the same mode.

Source Wikipedia: Richard Trevithick
Werner von Siemens, Figures

Pioneered electric traction specifically: the worlds first electric passenger train (1879) and first electric tram service (1881), distinct from the earlier steam era pioneers Trevithick and Stephenson also holding this edge.

Source Wikipedia: Werner von Siemens
Sources
1. Wikipedia: George Stephenson
WikipediaOverview
Quote, Overview
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 - 12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the 'Father of Railways,' Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Rail transport
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a mode of transport using wheeled vehicles running on tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Union Pacific Railroad
Wikipedia
  • Has Part: Union Pacific Railroad
  • Has Part: Union Pacific Railroad, Overview
View the Source
Wikipedia: Amtrak
WikipediaHas Part: AmtrakView the Source
Wikipedia: International Union of Railways
WikipediaHas Part: International Union of RailwaysView the Source
Wikipedia: London and North Eastern Railway
WikipediaHas Part: London and North Eastern RailwayView the Source
Wikipedia: Rocket (locomotive)
WikipediaExemplified By: RocketView the Source
Wikipedia: Shinkansen
WikipediaExemplified By: Shinkansen 0 SeriesView the Source
Wikipedia: TGV
WikipediaExemplified By: TGV, OverviewView the Source
Wikipedia: Flying Scotsman (locomotive)
WikipediaExemplified By: Flying Scotsman, OverviewView the Source
Wikipedia: Trans-Siberian Railway
WikipediaHas Part: Trans-Siberian RailwayView the Source
Wikipedia: Channel Tunnel
Wikipedia
  • Has Part: Channel Tunnel
  • Has Part: Channel Tunnel, Overview
View the Source
Wikipedia: Liverpool and Manchester Railway
WikipediaHas Part: Liverpool and Manchester Railway, OverviewView the Source
Wikipedia: Japanese National Railways
WikipediaHas Part: High-Speed Rail, Shinkansen
Quote, Has Part: High-Speed Rail, Shinkansen
Shinkansen, the world's first high-speed railway was debuted by JNR in 1964.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Orient Express
WikipediaHas Part: Orient ExpressView the Source
Gotthard Base Tunnel (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)Has Part: Gotthard Base TunnelView the Source
Øresund Bridge (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)Has Part: Øresund BridgeView the Source
Wikipedia: George Westinghouse
WikipediaPioneered By: George Westinghouse, Railroad air brakes and signaling/switching systemsView the Source
Wikipedia: Piggyback (Transportation)
WikipediaHas Part: Piggyback TransportView the Source
Wikipedia: Headway
WikipediaHas Part: HeadwayView the Source
Wikipedia: Beeching Cuts
WikipediaHas Part: Beeching CutsView the Source
Wikipedia: TTX Company
WikipediaHas Part: TTX CompanyView the Source
Wikipedia: Richard Trevithick
WikipediaPioneered By: Richard TrevithickView the Source
Wikipedia: Werner von Siemens
WikipediaPioneered By: Werner von SiemensView the Source
Wikipedia: George Pullman
WikipediaHas Part: Pullman Palace Car CompanyView the Source
Wikipedia: Monorail
WikipediaHas Part: MonorailView the Source
Wikipedia: Hyperloop
WikipediaHas Part: HyperloopView the Source
Wikipedia: Light Rail
WikipediaHas Part: Light RailView the Source
Wikipedia: Maglev
WikipediaHas Part: MaglevView the Source
Wikipedia: Tram
WikipediaHas Part: TramView the Source
Wikipedia: Commuter Rail
WikipediaHas Part: Commuter RailView the Source
Wikipedia: Rapid Transit
WikipediaHas Part: Rapid TransitView the Source
Wikipedia: Standard-gauge Railway
WikipediaHas Part: Standard GaugeView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.