The mining connection

The earliest railways to exist in Britain were operated in mining towns where wagons would run along a simple track and a rigged up pulley system would be used to pull heavy raw materials such as coal and iron out of the mines. It is estimated that by the early 18th century, there were almost 300 wooden tracks in Tyne alone along which wagons were pulled.

A wagon runs on tracks outside Killingworth mine

The earliest forms of railways were:

• In 1758, the first Act of Parliament to pass the rights for a colliery wagonway at a mine in Leeds was passed.
• In 1767, a mine in Coalbrookdale used iron tracks for its wagonway for the very first time in Britain.
• James Watt invented a stationary system called the Sun and Gear system in 1781, which could haul wagons along a track more efficiently.
• 1803 saw the opening of the Surrey Iron Railway that linked Croydon and Wandsworth. It was the first line to be used to carry passengers as well as heavy goods.

Problems

• No one knew how to build efficient and fast railways properly.
• The navvies who were asked to build early railways were often seen as loutish drunkards.
• Financing early railways was also difficult because banks were not sure if they would be successful.

Not only were there problems with early railways, but people also objected to the idea of railways for a number of reasons.