When electric train born?

Question

When electric train born?

Answer 1

The very first electric train to run was built by Robert Davidson in 1839 in Scotland. A miniature, battery-powered one was built and operated by the Siemens-Schuckert company of Germany at The Berlin Trade Fair of 1879.

The first public, regular passenger carrying railway was the Volks Electric Railway in Brighton opened in 1883, which is still in operation today, making it the oldest electric railway still in existence.

The first underground electric train ran on the South London Railway in 1890.

Answer 2

The oldest electric railway still operating is The Volks Electric Railway in Brighton, England. Look at http://www.volkselectricrailway.co.uk/

The first mainline electrification in the UK was the line from Shildon to Newport docks on the River Tees, which was a coal carrying railway. This followed electrification of the Tyneside suburban lines and was seen as a precursor to electrifiction of the York to Newcastle line of the North Eastern railway - which didn't happen, in fact, for another 75 years, Details of the locos can be found at http://www.lner.info/locos/Electric/ef1e...

Both the London Brighton and South Coast Railway and the London and South Western railways began electrification of suburban lines before WWI.

Answer 3

Prior to the development of electric railways, most overland transport aside from the railways had consisted primarily of horse powered vehicles. Placing a horse car on rails had enabled a horse to move twice as many people, and so street railways were born. In January of 1888, Richmond, Virginia served as a proving grounds for electric railways as Frank Sprague built the first working electric streetcar system there. By the 1890s, electric power became practical and more widespread, allowing extensive underground railways. Large cities such as London, New York, and Paris built subway systems. When electric propulsion became practical, most street railways were electrified. These then became known as "streetcars," "trolleys," "trams" and "Strassenbahn."

In many countries, these electric street railways grew beyond the metropolitan areas to connect with other urban centers. In the USA, "electric interurban" railroad networks connected most urban areas in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. In Southern California, the Pacific Electric Railway connected most cities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and the Inland Empire. There were similar systems in Europe. One of the more notable rail systems connected every town and city in Belgium. One of the more notable tramway systems in Asia is the Hong Kong Tramways, which started operation in 1904 and run exclusively on double-decker trams.

The remnants of these systems still exist, and in many places they have been modernized to become part of the urban "rapid transit" system in their respective areas. In the past thirty years increasing numbers of cities have restored electric rail service by building "light rail" systems to replace the tram system they removed during the mid-20th century.

Answer 4

@french touch: please tell your source (in this case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_...