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Almost every country in the world has a railroad. The railroad replaced the horse (people stopped using horses and started riding the train). The first steam powered train was in 1804. Steam comes from a boiler (metal tank full of water that is heated by fire). The steam pushes a piston that turns the wheels on a train.
This worked well for many years. Trains carried passengers and freight. But, the steam engine needed a lot of fuel (coal) and it took awhile to heat the water to make steam (more than an hour). Stopping and starting a steam engine took longer too. The new diesel engine took the place of steam engines. Today, almost all trains are pulled by diesel engines. These engines run on liquid diesel fuel that explodes inside a piston. The piston then pushes down, turning the train engine wheels. The diesel engines start and stop more quickly than steam engines. They use less fuel, too. Electric Electric locomotives (engines) were invented about the same time as diesel engines. These engines use electricity to run. The electricity comes from a central plant. The engine gets the electricity through a third metal rail under the train, or from wires. Electric engines are quiet and produce no smoke or exhaust. They can start and stop more quickly than steam or diesel engines. Electric trains are used all over Europe. In the United States we use diesel trains. Tracks Train tracks are two metal rails, 3 to 4 feet apart, connected to wooden "ties". The wooden ties are set in a "road" specially built for trains. But, some trains run on an overhead track (elevated) and some are underground (subway). New Ideas Today, in the United States, most people use cars or airplanes to travel from city to city. In the rest of the world trains are still used by most people to travel from city to city. Cars can go anywhere, anytime, but they cause pollution, traffic jams and use a lot of space for roads.
A new type of train is the monorail which glides over a large single rail.
Today, trains are developed using many of the same principles used
in aircraft and car design. Engineers use the most modern
methods to reduce noise, improve safety, and reduce drag.
Streamlining the train or monorail design generally
reduces the fuel or energy required to operate the vehicle.
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