THE LOCOMOTIVE 



247 



made a successful trip hauling coal cars at the rate of four 

 miles per hour. The first commercial railroad to carry pas- 

 sengers and freight was built between Stockton and Darling- 

 ton, England; and on the day of its opening, in 1825, the 



FIG. 90. Watt engine. 



engine was driven at the rate of 15 miles an hour. From 

 this date the future of the locomotive was assured. 



The first locomotive was used in this country in 1829. 

 After that railroads developed very rapidly in the United 

 States, many miles being built each year. In 1849 the first 

 continuous line between New York and Boston was com- 

 pleted. In 1869 the first line connecting the Atlantic and 

 Pacific coasts was finished, and now the railroads form a 



