1712: the atmospheric steam engine: Thomas Newcomen … His first engine was installed at a coal mine near Birmingham in 1712. The Genius of Invention I, BBC 2013
James Watt: A separate condenser … allowed Watt to build steam engines that were more powerful, more efficient, more portable. ibid.
The Steam Locomotive: Richard Trevithick 1804. The Genius of Invention II: Speed, BBC 2013
Trevithick had shown how to use high-powered steam. ibid.
The next change came with the introduction of steam machinery. That power came to the aid of mankind in their struggle for existence, enabling them to create easily and in abundance those things which they had previously been able to produce only a bare sufficiency. A wonderful power – equalling and surpassing the marvels that are imagined by the writers of fairy tales and Eastern stories – a power so vast – so marvelous, that it is difficult to find words to convey anything like an adequate conception of it. Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist
Manchester’s steam-powered mills: they needed a revolution and fast. The Railways that Built Britain with Chris Tarrant I, Channel 4 2017
Rocket could produce far more steam than any of its rivals. ibid.
Throughout the early ’50s British Railways stuck with steam … The peak of the age of steam. The Railways that Built Britain with Chris Tarrant III
The Trainspotters Club had around 150,000 numbers. ibid.
Within just 13 years every single one of those 20,000 steam locomotives were scrapped. ibid.
James Watt: The answer was to cool and condense the steam in a separate chamber outside the main cylinder. Genius of Britain V, scientist, Channel 4 2010
For over 200 years trains have changed our lives. They reshaped our towns and cities with literally ground-breaking engineering. Inventions like The Rocket powered Britain’s industrial revolution and helped build an empire. They ushered in an age of leisure tourism and luxury travel that we still enjoy today. Ian Hislop’s Trains that Changed the World, Channel 5 2021
Britain became addicted to speed obsessed with moving people and goods faster and faster. ibid.
The Flying Scotsman: the most famous locomotive of all time running non-stop along the 393-mile route, it cut the journey time between London and Edinburgh to just over 8 hours. ibid.
Mallard: Its sleek curvy look announced a new era in high-speed train design. ibid.