Victorian Railways

1. The first truly successful steam railway was the Liverpool and Manchester.

2. This sparked a railway boom for the following twenty years.

3. By 1854 there was hardly a small town in Victorian Britain that didn’t have access to a railway.

4. Rail was the most popular means of transport for both people and goods throughout the Victorian era.

5. Queen Victoria herself travelled by rail.

6. Railways had a huge impact on society and set the tone for the progress and success of the Industrial Revolution.

7. By moving raw materials and finished goods around the country quickly, railways boosted the economy.

8. Massive amounts of iron, steel and coal were needed to build the lines and run the engines, so those industries grew.

9. Victorian railway pioneers were George Stephenson, his son Robert and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

10. Building the railways was a huge job, viaducts, bridges, tunnels and embankments all needed to be designed and built.

11. Navvies were hired to dig the land, and construct the tracks, bridges, tunnels and embankments.

12. There were few machines at the time.

13. Over two hundred and fifty thousand navvies built the railways, they were well paid because the work was dangerous.

14. Many accidents happened, with tunnels collapsing and explosions occurring.

15. The navvies lived in shanty towns at the side of the track

16. Victorian railways could have different size gauges

17. This meant that trains built for one line could not be used on another and everything had to be unloaded and transferred.

18. Celebrations would be held to mark the opening of new railway lines.

19. These were attended by important people and watched by huge crowds.

20. Souvenirs, such as medals, mugs and jugs were produced to mark the event.

21. Stations were built as railway lines appeared in many cities.

22. These could be very elaborate and impressive.

23. Many had glass roofs, stone arches and wooden platforms.

24. The railway stations were very busy, with thousands of people using them each day

25. Companies discovered that railway stations were a great place to advertise their goods.

26. Early Victorian trains were uncomfortable.

27. Passengers sat on wooden benches and carriages often had no roofs or windows.

28. Gradually, conditions improved; upholstered seats introduced in 1870’s; heating in 1884 and restaurant cars in 1892.

29. The 1844 Railway Act stated at least one train a day must stop at every station.

30. The trains must have third class carriages, which had to be enclosed.

31. The Act also set the price of third class travel at a penny per mile.

32. Initially all passenger trains went at a speed of about 12 mph, by 1895 this had increased to 70mph.

33. Railways made a huge difference to travel and leisure and offered opportunities for holidays and day trips, opening up the seaside.

34. Accidents did happen, but they weren’t always the fault of the train - landslides occurred and bridges collapsed.

35. In 1879 the Tay Railway Bridge collapsed while a train was crossing and all passengers and crew died.

36. Some passengers in roofless carriages flew out of the train or fell between carriages and were crushed in accidents.

37. The first underground line, the Metropolitan Railway, opened in 1863.

38. It used steam trains at first, but in the 1890s deeper tunnels were made and trains were powered by electricity.