Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RULE OF THE
railways
There are more “heritage railways” in
Wales (well over 20) than in any other
country in the world, and England is not
far behind. These nostalgic train trips
were all working railway lines once.
Some are former passenger railways,
but many were used by industries such
as coal and slate mines to transport
materials to iron and steelworks, facto-
ries, or the docks. The railways were a
product of the Industrial Revolution and
ensured that Britain's manufacturing
industries led the world. Many were
narrow-gauge tracks that ran through
valleys and around mountains where
there were no roads. In some places,
that's still the case, so you're seeing
countryside that might only otherwise
be accessible to hardened walkers.
James Watt invented the rotary steam
engine in 1783. By 1804 Richard Trevith-
ick had built the first steam locomotive
to run on rails for the Pennydarren Iron-
works in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The
Brecon Mountain Railway now runs from
Merthyr along the old Brecon and
Mer-
thyr Railway Line
(p. 698), opened in
1859 and closed in 1964. There are views
of Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in South
Wales, and the Taf Fechan Reservoir. By
1811, 150 miles of rail track had been built
in South Wales, the powerhouse of the
Industrial Revolution.
George Stephenson, son of a colliery
fireman in Northumberland, became an
engineer after working on James Watt's
engine. He was appointed engineer of
the Liverpool to Manchester Line in
1826—the first passenger railway line in
Britain. Stephenson's locomotive—The
Rocket—reached 30mph, and the line
was opened for business in 1830. You
can still see
Stephenson's Rocket
in
London's Science Museum (p. 153).
By the 1840s, railway lines were built
by private companies all over the country.
There were 8,000 miles of track in Britain
by 1855, which allowed the iron and coal
industries to expand. Ports grew to deal
with exports and fishing towns benefited
from being able to sell to a wider market.
The same was also true of agricultural
products, increasing the farmers' markets
and making food cheaper for people in
urban areas. Manufactured goods also
reached their markets more easily, bring-
ing down prices and increasing demand
and therefore creating jobs.
Railways helped to shape the national
character: Trains led to nationwide
developments such as newspapers,
trade unions, and even a time zone.
2
VII was succeeded by his son George V in 1910, the movement was known for
women chaining themselves to railings and going on hunger strikes in jail. However,
with the advent of World War I, the Suffragettes threw themselves behind the war
effort—many women did men's jobs in munitions factories. They were rewarded in
1918, when Parliament gave women property owners over the age of 30 the vote.
On April 10, 1912, RMS
Titanic
left Southampton and 5 days later sunk after hit-
ting an iceberg in the Atlantic. Most of those on board died, including many of the
crew from Southampton, in Hampshire. The city's
Maritime Museum,
a 15th-
century wool warehouse (p. 301), tells their story and has one of the world's best
collections of maritime history.
In 1913, news arrived of the death of Captain Scott of Antarctica in his bid to reach
the South Pole. He and his team had reached the pole on January 18, 1912, only to
find a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it. On the way
back to their ship, Captain Oates—suffering from frostbite and virtually unable to
