The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-10-31
EARLY RAILROADS.
rhs Fx,t Passenger Trains Run In England
srsd the United Statea-


and the United States-
SIxty-five years ago the first steam
railway in the world for the carriage OF
passel gers was formally opened in En-
gland There are many men still living
who RENE mber that day The road was
called the Stockton & Darlington rail-
road The speed was not q thing to
brag about A stand ng reward OF ESQ
was offered for an engine that would
travel ten miles an hour drawing three
times its own weight The first road
for carrying freight in the United States
was opened At Quincy. Mass, in the fol-
lowing year, but it was not until two
years after that Cs2s) that the Barti-
moro s. Ohio ran the first passenger
train in the United States and Peter
Cooper designed the locomotive. The
first steam railway in New York State
began running from Albany to Shenect-
Rdy in 1880
The Rensselaer, & Saratoga railroad
was originally incorporated April IL,
1854 Tbs construction of the road vas
commenced the next year. The purpose
of constructing this road was to prevent
the diversion of the trade of North
ern New York to Albany via
the roads from Saratoga to
Schenectady and from the latter place
to Albany. The Troy terminus of the
Rensselaer, & Saratoga was on First
the present site of the Young Mems AS
sOciation building. The road was opened
from Troy to Ballston October 6, 1883
The Schenectady & Saratoga Railroad
Company, which was controlled by AL
bany people, refused to carry the Rens-
selaer & Saratoga railroads freight from
Ballston tc Saratoga a number of
Troy capitalists then purchased the
majority of the stock of the Schenectady
& Saratoga Railroad Company and for a
time Albany's freight was under an en-
barge on the railroad.
The utilization of the railroad idea
may be traced much further bacS than
September %, 1925 when the Stockton
& Darlington railroad was opened for
passenger traffic In the coal districts
of the north of England early in the
last century, rails of wood were laid for
the purpose of reducing the friction
! caused by pulling coal carts from the
! work .ngs to pit mouths About 1907
I cast-iron rails were introduced he
/ tween 1854 and 1870 Murdoch, Treve-
thick and Gray, all Englishmen. made
/ experiments w tn steam engines The
/ success OF the modern railway, by gen
eral consent, is due to George stephen.
son, who constructed the first locomo
/ tive for the Stock ton & Darlington rail
! way and who was its engineer for SOW
! eral months
StephcnsOn's eng mes were adopted
by other railways, hut they were not in
troduced without opposition. The stage
coach owners and the canal projectors
were opposed to railway competition.
Landowners were frigh tened at the
prospect of going iron Monsters belch
| ing forth fire and smoke, flying over
their property. The English spirit Of
conservatism, too, was aroused, and il
was voiced by the Brit sh Quarterly Re
! view in these words:
! W. should Don expect the people o
/ Wo 1lwch to fer themselves to be fired of
! upon one o. Congrevc's rock { a. TO trust
! them>c YES 10 the mercy of such u machine
] going 1t such rate.
The machines that excited such feaI
were very insignificant in comparison
with the smallest locomotive now in
use.-Troy IN. y. } Press.