Steel Rails
In 1857 Mushet was the first to make durable rails of steel rather than cast iron, providing the basis for the development of rail transportation throughout the world in the late nineteenth century. The first of Mushet's steel rails was sent to Derby Midland railway station, where it was laid down at a particularly heavily used part of the station approach where the iron rails had to be renewed at least every six months, and occasionally every three. Six years later, in 1863, the rail seemed as perfect as ever, although some 700 trains had passed over it daily. During its 16 years "life" 1,252,000 detached engines and tenders at the least, apart from trains, had passed over that rail.
Read more about this topic: Robert Forester Mushet
Famous quotes containing the words steel and/or rails:
“Cold eyes ... steel grey, rather small, not unpleasant in good-humour, diabolic in a passion, but worst when a little suspicious; then they watch you as though you were a young rattle-snake, to be killed when convenient.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“The train’s gone, the rails are cold.”
—Russian saying, trans. by Vladimir Ivanovich Shlyakov (1993)