(a] Roads, Railways, and Tramways 83 



The early years of the nineteenth century saw the 

 greatest improvements in locomotion, and in 1825 the 

 first steam railway in England was opened between 

 Stockton and Darlington. The period since then has 

 been a railway-making era, and the improvements in 

 locomotives have been going on constantly, leading to 

 increased speed at a smaller cost of fuel. Railways now 

 form a close network over the coal-fields and commercial 

 districts of the kingdom, and penetrate the less densely 

 populated regions as trunk lines with a few branches. 

 In 1850 there were less than 7000 miles of railways in 

 the United Kingdom, and during the next twenty 

 years the mileage was more than doubled. Now there 

 are nearly 24,000 miles open for traffic, of which over 

 16,000 miles are in England and Wales, about 4000 

 miles in Scotland, and 3500 miles in Ireland. Although 

 these lines are worked by many companies, the gauge 

 is uniform, and so a truck of goods may be sent through 

 without reloading to any part of the country. 



Railways compete with canals for the transport of 

 goods on the plains, while in the more mountainous 

 districts they are practically, the only means of carrying 

 on trade. London is naturally the centre of the 

 railway system of the country, and from it important 

 lines radiate in all directions. The Scottish lines 

 radiate from Edinburgh and Glasgow, but they connect 

 with the great English lines at Berwick and Carlisle. 

 In Ireland the railways radiate from Dublin. 



The routes and efficiency of railways are affected by 

 the surface features of the country. Thus the Pennine 

 Chain forms a serious hindrance to communication 

 between the populous districts of Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire, and three tunnels upwards of three miles 



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