Where were the first passenger railways built?

Most of the early railways identified in The First Railway Projects were built for the transport of freight cargos, usually coal.  Some of these lines did carry passengers as a sideline, but were not built for a combined passenger / freight operation. This post looks at some of the early passenger railways and/or tramways that included passenger operations from a very early stage in their development:

The Swansea and Mumbles Railway

Probably the first fare-paying, horse-drawn, passenger railway service in the world, was the Oystermouth Railway, later known as the Swansea and Mumbles railway.

Originally built under an Act of Parliament of 1804 to move limestone from the quarries of Mumbles to Swansea and then onto the markets beyond, it carried the world’s first fare-paying railway passengers under an agreement effective from 25 March 1807. This line transitioned from horse power to steam locomotion in 1877, and was finally converted to electric power, before closing in January 1960. The original stations, were located at The Mount in Swansea, and in Oystermouth. The Mount is the world’s first recorded railway station, but its physical form is not known, it is unlikely that any special facilities were provided.

Stockton and Darlington Railway

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863, and was the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives. Its first section of line was officially opened on 27 September 1825, connecting collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal wagons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were initially carried in coaches drawn by horses until passenger trains pulled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833.

Canterbury & Whitstable Railway

The first steam powered railway for fare-paying, passenger was probably the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway (C&W) which opened on 3 May 1830. This railway also issued the first season ticked in 1834. The line provided a direct link between Canterbury and Whitstable, then a small village on the coast of the Thames Estuary about seven miles (11 km) due north of the city. Passenger stations were located at Canterbury North Lane, and Whitstable Harbour. However, because of steep gradients on the line, the C&W used stationary engines and cables to power the trains for much of its length. From the beginning, the railway was a public railway, intended for passengers as well as freight.

Liverpool & Manchester Railway

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the first inter-city railway in the world. It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. The railway was primarily built to provide faster transport of raw materials, finished goods, and passengers between the Port of Liverpool and the cotton mills and factories of Manchester and surrounding towns. Trains were hauled by company steam locomotives between the two towns, though private wagons and carriages were allowed to be attached to some trains.

The L&MR was the first railway to rely exclusively on locomotives driven by steam power, with no horse-drawn traffic permitted at any time; the first to be entirely double track throughout its length; the first to have a true signalling system; the first to be fully timetabled; and the first to carry mail. The only exception to the use of steam locomotives was a short section built to deliver freight to the Liverpool Docks, a cable haulage system was used down the steeply-graded 1.26-mile (2.03 km) Wapping Tunnel from Edge Hill Junction to the Liverpool docks. The double tunnel in the centre of the picture above (the Wapping tunnel) goes down to the Wapping dock on the waterfront with the continuous cable for raising and lowering wagons clearly shown. The tunnel to the right goes up to the original passenger terminus at Crown Street.

The terminal stations for the L&MR were at Crown Street in Liverpool and Liverpool Road in Manchester. These are the first stations that would be recognized as railway stations in the modern sense, not just stopping places along the line. The Manchester station is still in existence and is part of the Manchester Museum of Technology. The Crown Street terminus is pictured.

Australian Railways

The first steam powers passenger railway in Australia was 2.5 mile line constructed between the City of Melbourne and its port at Sandridge, opening in 1845, see: The First Steam Powered Railway in Australia.

USA Railroads

The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company was a railroad in South Carolina that operated independently from 1830 to 1844. The company operated its first 6-mile (9.7 km) line west from Charleston, South Carolina in 1830. Beginning in 1833, the railroad ran a scheduled steam service over its 136-mile (219 km) line from Charleston, South Carolina, to Hamburg, South Carolina. This was probably the first passenger service in the USA.

The first section of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the United States opened in 1830. The railway was tasked with building a railroad from the port of Baltimore west to a suitable point on the Ohio River. Opened on May 24, 1830, a horse pulled the first cars 26 miles and back, the railway did not transition to use steam power, or start a passenger service for several years.

Conclusion

From the 1830s on, passenger rail became increasingly important. For more on the development of railways see:  https://mosaicprojects.com.au/PMKI-ZSY-005.php#Process2