Download or read book The Birth of the Locomotive (1780-1820) written by Joanne Mattern and published by Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-09-30 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For hundreds of years, people faced the problem of how to transport goods and passengers over long distances. But what could create enough power to move tons of freight? The answer came with the invention of the steam engine! Engineers in England worked for years to perfect an engine that used the power of steam to run large machinery. From simple pumps in the mines to small boilers, engines got better, bigger, and stronger. Finally, by the late 1820s, inventors had created powerful locomotives that could pull many times their weight and the first commercial railways were built. The age of the locomotive was born. Follow the technical challenges and meet the clever inventors who changed the world and gave people a whole new way to travel.