Just
some rusty train parts in nature.
The earliest evidence
of a railway found thus far was the 6 kilometers Diolkos
wagonway, which transported boats across the Corinth isthmus
in Greece during the 6th century BC. Trucks pushed by
slaves ran in grooves in limestone, which provided the
track element, preventing the wagons from leaving the
intended route. The Diolkos ran for over 1300 years, until
900 AD. The first horse-drawn wagonways also appeared
in ancient Greece, with others to be found on Malta and
various parts of the Roman Empire, using cut-stone tracks.
Railways began reappearing in Europe after a hiatus following
the collapse of the Roman Empire from around 1550, usually
operating with wooden tracks. The first railways in Great
Britain (also known as wagonways) were constructed in
the early 17th century, mainly for transporting coal from
mines to canal wharfs where it could be transferred to
a boat for onward shipment. The earliest recorded examples
are the Wollaton Wagonway in Nottinghamshire and the Bourtreehill
- Broomlands Wagonway in Irvine, Ayrshire. Other examples
can be found in Broseley in Shropshire, where wooden rails
and flanged wheels were utilised, as on a modern railway.
However, the rails were prone to wear out under the pressure,
and had to be replaced regularly... |
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