Show birthday of alia locomotive what has been regarded by some aa the birthday of the railway locomotive occurred on sept 27 1825 with stephenson as the father of the event tho stockton and darlington railway had been built and through his persistent laid with ajon instead 01 ol wooden rails it had been intended merely for horse draft but the inventor prevailed upon the owners to allow him a trial of his steam locomotive stephenson himself was tho driver on that occasion and before a tremendous crowd of and for tho most part incredulous people he drew a train of nearly 80 wagons loaded with passengers and coal at a speed of 13 to 15 miles per hour thus the first train that ever carried passengers made its journey in safety and the enthusiasm of the multitude wag indescribable but notwithstanding this demonstration the locomotive waa still unmercifully ridiculed by tho majority nor was this ridicule confined to the ignorant classes tho ablest engineers contended that it was ridiculous to that steam could ever be practically employed in competition with horse power for transportation almost incredible as it may now seem it is a fact that political economists inveigled inveighed ed against the railway and the engine as constituting an imaginary reform which even if successful which was very doubtful would deprive stage drivers teamsters and inn keepers of their livelihood it was in the face of an almost universal opposition of the wild unreasonable kind that a few men led by the great sto bhenson ph enson labored steadily onward and finally established the railroad and the locomotive as institutions of the land north american review |