This steam locomotive has been steaming ahead for two centuries. The railway locomotive was invented by a Cornishman called Richard Trevithick in February 1804. No longer was man dependent on moving at his own speed or that of a horse. With smoke belching from its chimney, the steam locomotive could carry freight and passengers at unheard of speeds. It was even thought that men would die of asphyxiation at speeds greater than 30mph! From small beginnings the railway locomotive was responsible for the speed of industrialisation in many countries, for commuting, for tourism, for industrial progress in all fields and for making the people of the world a transient workforce. Without it, the world would be a different place.

David Ross is a well-known author of railway and Scottish-interest titles. He recently wrote the Highland Railway for Tempus Publishing.