BR 1-22 The Story of Trains

New challenge(P.28)




I was read this book first time. Hundreds of years ago, it was hard to travel from place to place. Most people walked or rode on horses. If they needed to go a long way - as far as the next town or beyond - they took a carriage. But taking a carriage was dangerous. The roads were full of highwaymen, lying in wait to attack. Every passenger rode in fear of the dreaded words, "Your money or your life!" Merchants didn't risk carriages. They used barges and sent their goods by canals. The problem with barges was their speed. It was s...l...o...w... Some took weeks to travel from one city to the next. "We need a fast, cheap and safe way to travel!" people cried. And then they thought, "Tracks!" Since Roman times, every cart driver knew his cart ran more smoothly if it followed the tracks made by other carts. But horses were pulling very heavy loads. Even using the tracks, it was hard to pull a wagon full of coal or iron. Then, one day, a group of coal miners had a great idea. "What about building iron rails for our wagons to run on?" The rails were a huge success. But now the horses had to walk on rails and that was tricky. What was needed was an engine... In 1712, an English blacksmith invented one. It worked using steam, only it couldn't pull a wagon so it didn't help much. Almost a hundred years later, Richard Trevithick had the answer. Excitedly, he attached his engine to five wagons full of people.

302 words

I was read this book first time. Train is very useful I think. I want to read many books after this.

Reference

Jane Bingham. (2004). The Story of Trains. London, England: Usborne.