Editing Train (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of rail transport}}

=== Early history ===
[[File:Stockton & Darlington Railway (Brown via Getty Images).jpg|thumb|Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons.]]
Trains are an evolution of wheeled wagons running on stone [[wagonway]]s, the earliest of which were built by [[Babylon]] circa 2,200 BCE.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=8}} Starting in the 1500s, wagonways were introduced to haul material from mines; from the 1790s, stronger iron rails were introduced.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=8}} Following early developments in the second half of the 1700s, in 1804 a steam locomotive built by British inventor [[Richard Trevithick]] powered the first ever steam train.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=9}} Outside of coal mines, where fuel was readily available, steam locomotives remained untried until the opening of the [[Stockton and Darlington Railway]] in 1825. British engineer [[George Stephenson]] ran a steam locomotive named [[Locomotion No. 1]] on this {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=off|adj=on|sp=us|order=flip}} long line, hauling over 400 passengers at up to {{convert|8|mph|km/h|sp=us|order=flip}}. The success of this locomotive, and [[Stephenson's Rocket]] in 1829, convinced many of the value in steam locomotives, and within a decade the [[stock market bubble]] known as "[[Railway Mania]]" started across the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Herring|2000|pp=9-11}}
[[File:Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 Departing Las Vegas, NV, October 8th, 2019.jpg|thumb|The [[Union Pacific Big Boy]] locomotives represented the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power.]]
News of the success of steam locomotives quickly reached the [[History of rail transportation in the United States|United States]], where the first steam railroad opened in 1829.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=12}} American railroad pioneers soon started manufacturing their own locomotives, designed to handle the sharper curves and rougher track typical of the country's railroads.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=12-13}} The other nations of [[History of rail transport#Europe|Europe]] also took note of British railroad developments, and most countries on the continent constructed and opened their first railroads in the 1830s and 1840s, following the first run of a steam train in [[History of rail transport in France|France]] in late 1829.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=14-15}} In the 1850s, trains continued to expand across Europe, with many influenced by or purchases of American locomotive designs.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=14-15}} Other European countries pursued their own distinct designs. Around the world, steam locomotives grew larger and more powerful throughout the rest of the century as technology advanced.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=15}}

Trains first entered service in [[History of rail transport#Latin America|South America]], [[History of rail transport#Africa|Africa]], and [[History of rail transport#Asia|Asia]] through construction by [[Imperialism|imperial powers]], which starting in the 1840s built railroads to solidify control of their colonies and transport cargo for export.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=16-17}} In [[History of rail transport in Japan|Japan]], which was never colonized, railroads first arrived in the early 1870s. By 1900, railroads were operating on every continent besides uninhabited Antarctica.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=17}}

=== New technologies ===
[[File:Djursholmsbanan 1890-tal.jpg|thumb|right|Electric train on [[Djursholmsbanan]] in Stockholm in the 1890s.]]
Even as steam locomotive technology continued to improve, inventors in [[Germany]] started work on alternative methods for powering trains. [[Werner von Siemens]] built the first train powered by electricity in 1879, and went on to pioneer electric [[tram]]s.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=15}} Another German inventor, [[Rudolf Diesel]], constructed the first [[diesel engine]] in the 1890s, though the potential of his invention to power trains was not realized until decades later.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=15}} Between 1897 and 1903, tests of experimental electric locomotives on the [[Royal Prussian Military Railway]] in Germany demonstrated they were viable, setting speed records in excess of {{convert|100|mph|km/h|sp=us|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=20-21}}[[File:Locomotora_FSBC_2203.jpg|thumb|The [[EMD FT]] set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over from steam.]]Early gas powered "[[Doodlebug (railcar)|doodlebug]]" self-propelled railcars entered service on railroads in the first decade of the 1900s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Schafer|first=Mike|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38738930|title=Vintage diesel locomotives|date=1998|publisher=Motorbooks International|isbn=0-7603-0507-2|location=Osceola, WI|pages=10–12|oclc=38738930}}</ref> Experimentation with diesel and gas power continued, culminating in the German "[[DRG Class SVT 877|Flying Hamburger]]" in 1933, and the influential American [[EMD FT]] in 1939.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=20-22}} These successful diesel locomotives showed that diesel power was superior to steam, due to lower costs, ease of maintenance, and better reliability.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=20-23}} Meanwhile, Italy developed an extensive network of electric trains during the first decades of the 20th century, driven by that country's lack of significant coal reserves.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=20-21}}

=== Dieselization and increased competition ===
[[World War II]] brought great destruction to existing railroads across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Following the war's conclusion in 1945, nations which had suffered extensive damage to their railroad networks took the opportunity provided by [[Marshall Plan]] funds (or economic assistance from the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] and [[Comecon]], for nations behind the [[Iron Curtain]]) and advances in technology to convert their trains to diesel or electric power.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=22-24}} [[Rail transport in France|France]], [[Rail transport in Russia|Russia]], [[Rail transport in Switzerland|Switzerland]], and [[Rail transport in Japan|Japan]] were leaders in adopting widespread [[railway electrification|electrified railroads]], while other nations focused primarily on [[Dieselisation|dieselization]].{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=23-24}} By 1980, the majority of the world's steam locomotives had been retired, though they continued to be used in parts of Africa and Asia, along with a few holdouts in Europe and South America.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=22-23}} [[History of rail transport in China|China]] was the last country to fully dieselize, due to its abundant coal reserves; steam locomotives were used to haul mainline trains as late as 2005 in [[Inner Mongolia]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Don|last2=French|first2=Howard W.|date=2005-11-06|title=Last great steam railroad nears end of line|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/world/asia/last-great-steam-railroad-nears-end-of-line.html|access-date=2021-11-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Trains began to face strong competition from automobiles and freight trucks in the 1930s, which greatly intensified following World War II.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=23}} After the war, air transport also became a significant competitor for passenger trains. Large amounts of traffic shifted to these new forms of transportation, resulting in a widespread decline in train service, both freight and passenger.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=23-24}} A new development in the 1960s was [[high-speed rail]], which runs on dedicated rights of way and travels at speeds of {{convert|150|mph|km/h|sp=us|order=flip}} or greater. The first high-speed rail service was the Japanese [[Shinkansen]], which entered service in 1964.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=23-25}} In the following decades, high speed rail networks were developed across much of [[high-speed rail in Europe|Europe]] and Eastern Asia, providing fast and reliable service competitive with automobiles and airplanes.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=23-25}} The first high-speed train in the Americas was [[Amtrak]]'s [[Acela]] in the [[high-speed rail in the United States|United States]], which entered service in 2000.{{sfn|Herring|2000|p=25}}
[[File:Fuxinghao CR400 high-speed train front.jpg|thumb|China operates an extensive high speed rail network.]]

=== To the present day ===
Towards the end of the 20th century, increased awareness of the benefits of trains for transport led to a revival in their use and importance. Freight trains are significantly more efficient than trucks, while also emitting far fewer greenhouse gas emissions per ton-mile; passenger trains are also far more energy efficient than other modes of transport. According to the [[International Energy Agency]], "On average, rail requires 12 times less energy and emits 7–11 times less [[Greenhouse gas|GHGs]] per passenger-km travelled than private vehicles and airplanes, making it the most efficient mode of motorised passenger transport. Aside from shipping, freight rail is the most energy-efficient and least carbon-intensive way to transport goods."<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 7, 2022|title=Rail - Fuels & Technologies|url=https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/rail|access-date=2022-01-23|website=IEA}}</ref> As such, rail transport is considered an important part of achieving [[sustainable energy]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 2019|title=The Future of Rail – Analysis|url=https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-rail|access-date=2021-11-05|website=IEA|language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Intermodal freight transport|Intermodal]] freight trains, carrying [[Double-stack rail transport|double-stack]] [[shipping container]]s, have since the 1970s generated significant business for railroads and gained market share from trucks.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blaze|first=Jim|date=2020-01-02|title=Will Short-Haul Rail Intermodal Ever Work?|url=https://www.railwayage.com/freight/will-short-haul-rail-intermodal-ever-work/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Railway Age|language=en-US}}</ref> Increased use of commuter rail has also been promoted as a means of fighting [[traffic congestion]] on highways in urban areas.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Associated Press|date=August 6, 2002|title=Shore Line East ridership is up|work=[[Record-Journal]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7JbAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6|access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref>{{better source needed|This is an article about a single US rail line -- surely this concept has been covered by sources with wider scopes?|date=October 2023}}