History of Locomotives Timeline

(1804–Present)

The history of locomotives traces the development of rail vehicles from early steam engines to today’s diesel, electric, and high-speed trains. More Less

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Steam locomotives

Trevithick builds the first full-scale locomotive

1802

Richard Trevithick built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive in 1802, demonstrating the potential of high-pressure steam power for moving railway vehicles.

Image source: Richard Trevithick

First recorded steam-hauled railway journey

Feb 21, 1804

On 21 February 1804, one of Richard Trevithick’s locomotives hauled a train from the Penydarren ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon in South Wales. It is regarded as the first recorded steam-hauled railway journey.

Salamanca enters commercial service

1812

Matthew Murray’s twin-cylinder rack locomotive Salamanca first ran on the edge-railed rack-and-pinion Middleton Railway in 1812. It is generally regarded as the first commercially successful locomotive.

Image source: Salamanca (locomotive)

Puffing Billy is built

1813 - 1814

Engineer William Hedley built Puffing Billy in 1813–14 for the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne. It became one of the best-known early steam locomotives.

Image source: Puffing Billy (locomotive)

Origin of the word locomotive

1814

The word locomotive derives from the Latin loco, meaning “from a place,” and Medieval Latin motivus, meaning “causing motion.” The shortened term locomotive came from locomotive engine, first used in 1814 to distinguish self-propelled steam engines from stationary engines.

Image source: Locomotive

Robert Stephenson builds The Rocket

1829

In 1829, Robert Stephenson built The Rocket in Newcastle upon Tyne. The locomotive became a landmark in the development of practical railway steam power.

Image source: Stephenson's Rocket

Steam locomotives begin widespread retirement

1950 - 1970

Between about 1950 and 1970, most steam locomotives were retired from commercial service and replaced by electric and diesel-electric locomotives.

Image source: History of rail transport

Steam locomotives remain in use internationally

1970 - 1999

Although displaced from most commercial operations, steam locomotives continued to be used in many countries until the end of the 20th century.

Image source: Steam locomotive

Steam power becomes concentrated on heritage railways

2000

By the end of the 20th century, almost the only steam power still in regular worldwide use was operating on heritage railways.

Image source: Heritage railway

Steam power becomes concentrated on heritage railways

Alternative and remote propulsion

Davidson builds the Galvani

1841

After building the first known electric locomotive in 1837, chemist Robert Davidson constructed a larger battery-powered locomotive named Galvani. It was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Society of Arts Exhibition in 1841.

Image source: Robert Davidson (inventor)

Kennecott uses battery locomotives underground

1917

At the Kennecott Copper Mine in Latouche, Alaska, underground haulage ways were widened in 1917 to permit the operation of two 4.5-short-ton battery locomotives.

Image source: Electric locomotive

Kennecott orders 700-series battery locomotives

1928

Kennecott Copper ordered four 700-series electric locomotives with onboard batteries in 1928.

Remote control locomotives enter switching service

1950 - 1999

During the second half of the 20th century, remotely controlled locomotives began entering switching operations. These locomotives were operated from outside the locomotive cab.

Image source: Remote control locomotive

Toronto operates a Nippon Sharyo battery locomotive

1968 - 2009

The Toronto Transit Commission operated a battery-electric locomotive built by Nippon Sharyo in 1968. The locomotive was retired in 2009.

Hydrogen mining locomotive is demonstrated

2002

In 2002, the first known hydrogen fuel-cell-powered mining locomotive was demonstrated in Val-d’Or, Quebec. It weighed 3.6 tonnes and produced 17 kilowatts of power.

Image source: Hydrogen train

Educational mini-hydrail enters service

2007

An educational mini-hydrail entered service in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2007, demonstrating hydrogen-based rail propulsion in an educational setting.

Electric locomotives

Siemens presents the first electric passenger train

1879

Werner von Siemens presented the first electric passenger train in Berlin in 1879, demonstrating railway traction powered by electricity.

Image source: Electric locomotive

Lichterfelde electric tram line opens

1881

The world’s first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near Berlin, Germany, in 1881.

Image source: Railway electrification

Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram opens

1883

The Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram opened near Vienna, Austria, in 1883, adding an early electric railway to the growing network of experimental systems.

Image source: Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram

Volk's Electric Railway opens

1883

Volk’s Electric Railway opened in Brighton in 1883. It is the oldest surviving electric railway.

Image source: Volk's Electric Railway

Richmond electric trolleys are pioneered

1888

Electric trolleys were pioneered in the United States in 1888 on the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, using equipment designed by Frank J. Sprague.

Image source: Richmond Union Passenger Railway

Mather and Platt electric locomotives enter service

1890

An electric railway system using locomotives built by Mather & Platt opened in 1890.

Brown demonstrates long-distance AC transmission

1891

In 1891, Brown demonstrated long-distance power transmission using three-phase alternating current between a hydroelectric plant at Lauffen am Neckar and Frankfurt am Main West, a distance of 280 kilometers.

Image source: Three-phase electric power

Kandó develops three-phase locomotive motors

1894

Hungarian engineer Kálmán Kandó developed a new type of three-phase asynchronous electric drive motors and generators for electric locomotives in 1894.

Image source: Kálmán Kandó

Kandó designs the Evian three-phase tramway

1894 - 1898

Kandó’s early 1894 designs were first applied to a short three-phase AC tramway in Evian-les-Bains, France, constructed between 1896 and 1898.

Baltimore Belt Line receives main-line electrification

1895

The first use of electrification on a main line took place in 1895 on a four-mile stretch of the Baltimore Belt Line. The electrified section connected the main Baltimore & Ohio line with a new route to New York through downtown Baltimore tunnels.

Image source: Baltimore Belt Line

Oerlikon installs the Lugano electric system

1896

In 1896, Oerlikon installed the first commercial three-phase electric railway system on the Lugano Tramway.

Image source: Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon

Sprague develops multiple-unit train control

1897

Frank J. Sprague’s invention of multiple-unit train control in 1897 helped make electricity the preferred power supply for subways by allowing several powered vehicles to operate as one train.

Image source: Multiple-unit train control

Brown supplies locomotives for Burgdorf–Thun

1899

The first main-line three-phase locomotives were supplied by Brown, then partnered with Walter Boveri, in 1899 for the 40-kilometer Burgdorf–Thun line in Switzerland.

Image source: Burgdorf–Thun railway

Oerlikon develops single-phase AC locomotive supply

1901 - 1904

Oerlikon introduced the first implementation of industrial-frequency single-phase AC supply for locomotives in 1901, using designs by Hans Behn-Eschenburg and Emil Huber-Stockar. The Seebach–Wettingen installation of the Swiss Federal Railways was completed in 1904.

Valtellina line opens with Kandó electrification

Sep 4, 1902

The 106-kilometer Valtellina line opened on 4 September 1902. It was designed by Kálmán Kandó and a team from the Ganz works.

Kandó leads Italian electric locomotive development

1905

Kálmán Kandó was invited in 1905 to manage Società Italiana Westinghouse, where he led the development of several Italian electric locomotives.

Internal-combustion locomotives

Daimler builds a kerosene rail vehicle

1887

Gottlieb Daimler built the first internal-combustion rail vehicle in 1887. It was powered by kerosene, but was not technically a locomotive because it carried a payload.

Image source: Gottlieb Daimler

Best builds an early gasoline locomotive

1891

The Best Manufacturing Company built the earliest gasoline locomotive in the western United States in 1891 for the San Jose and Alum Rock Railroad.

Image source: Locomotive

Best gasoline locomotive is returned

1892

The Best Manufacturing Company’s gasoline locomotive achieved only limited success and was returned to Best in 1892.

Maudslay builds a petrol locomotive

1902

The Maudslay Motor Company built the first commercially successful petrol locomotive in the United Kingdom in 1902 for the Deptford Cattle Market in London.

Hungarian Weitzer railmotor becomes petrol-electric

1903

The Hungarian Weitzer railmotor became the world’s first petrol-electric locomotive in 1903, combining a petrol engine with electric traction equipment.

Image source: Petrol–electric transmission

Lemp patents direct-current locomotive control

1914

In 1914, General Electric electrical engineer Hermann Lemp developed and patented a reliable direct-current electrical control system. Later improvements to the system were also patented by Lemp.

GE produces experimental diesel-electric locomotives

1917 - 1918

General Electric produced three experimental diesel-electric locomotives in 1917–18 using Hermann Lemp’s control design.

Image source: Diesel locomotive

Lomonosov diesel-electric locomotive is built

1923 - 1924

A team led by Yury Lomonosov designed a diesel-electric locomotive that was built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen in Germany during 1923–24.

Image source: Yury Lomonosov

Eel2 begins operations

1924

The diesel-electric locomotive Eel2, originally numbered Юэ 001, started operations in 1924. After testing, it hauled trains for almost three decades, from 1925 to 1954.