Important figures in railroad history
Flanged Rails
John Curr invented the flanged rail while in the employ of Sheffield colliery. Building upon the concept that a stiff wheel on a rigid rail uses less energy to transport heavy loads, Curr developed unflanged wheels running on L-shaped plates; further reducing the energy needed move heavy loads. Over time and experience the uniformity of iron rails and wood spanning proved superior, especially for curves.
Steam Powered Locomotive
The introduction of a steam driven engine by Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, James Watt, was built upon an engine created by Thomas Newcomen used to pump water out of coal mines. Watt developed the engine into a reciprocation process which could power a wheel to move. The power was transferred to moving a piston which drove gears and the wheels of an entire locomotive which was capable of pulling heavily laden wagons.
Economically Hardened Steel Rails
The Bessemer process led to the expansion of railways in the 1860s. Two men actually created the process to harden steel economically, William Kelly in the United States and Robert Forester Mushet in England, independent of one another. Sir Henry Bessemer was able to financially bear the expense to bring their discoveries to commercial fruition; thereby the name Bessemer process was endowed.