Airfix 05871 Steam Loco

Richard Trevithick, a British engineer and inventor who lived from 1771-1833, can be indisputably considered one of the pioneers of railroads in the British Isles. Already in 1801, at the age of 30, he built a working and relatively efficient steam diesel engine, and in December of the same year he made a public presentation of the vehicle powered by this engine. Shortly later (around 1804) he constructed the first rail vehicle powered by a steam engine. The engine used to power this vehicle was, of course, also designed by Richard Trevithick. In February 1804, the "steam locomotive" traveled a 16-kilometer route hauling a load of 25 tons and wagons with 70 people. However, this structurally interesting vehicle did not achieve financial success. Nevertheless, it is Richard Trevithick who can be considered the creator of the first mechanically efficient steam locomotive in history, and not - as is often commonly believed - Robert Stephenson, "father" of the famous Rocket locomotive from 1829. Incidentally, it can be added that Richard Trevithick also created numerous successful mechanical devices powered by a steam engine - e.g. a steam hammer or a steam crane.