The Romance of the Rails

Who tried to harness steam technology in France?

Nicholas Joseph Cugnot

When did Nicholas Joseph Cugnot try to harness steam technology?

1769

What applications did steam engines find?

Operating stationary equipment in factories

What did inventors beleive about steam power?

It could propel locomotive engines

What was the initial focus of new forms of transport?

To move heavy goods rather than passengers

What was the worlds first documented railway journey?

Richard Trevithick used a mining train to transport iron

When was Trevithicks journey?

February 21, 1804

How many tons of iron did Trevithick transport?

10 tons

Where did Trevithick transport the iron from and to?

Ironworks at Penydarren Wales to a canal wharf in Abercynon

What difficulties did Trevithick run into on the way back?

A bolt sheared and the boiler started leaking

What was later determined about the engine troubles?

The engine was too heavy for the rails themselves

How far did Trevithick travel?

9 miles

How many years after Trevithicks pioneering efforts did the first commercially successful railway begin?

8 years later in 1812

Where did the first commercially successful railway begin running from?

Middleton coal mine near Leeds England

What were the names of the two steam locomotives part of the first successful commercial railway?

Salamanca and Prince Regent

Who bankrolled George Stephenson?

Edward Pease

When did George Stephenson build the steam engine Locomotion No. 1?

1825

Who did Stephenson build Locomotion No. 1 for?

Stockton & Darlington Railway

Where were the Stockton & Darlington Railway located?

Northeast of England

Who launched the worlds first steam powered passenger railroad?

Stockton & Darlington Railway

When was the first steam-powered passenger railroad launched?

September 27

Who bought the retired Locomotion No. 1?

Pease’s song Joseph

How much did Joseph pay for Locomotion No. 1?

£50

Where did Joseph have the engine placed?

On a pedestal in Darlington

The success of Locomotion No. 1 had inspired who to build passenger railways?

The United States

Which cities was the Locomotion No. 1 loaned to?

Chicago and Philadelphia

Why was Locomotion No. 1 loaned to Chicago and Philadelphia?

For the 50th anniversary of the celebrations of the American railroad

When did Chicago and Philadelphia loan the Locomotion No. 1?

1876

What happened to Locomotion No. 1 during the German bombing raids over England?

It was hidden in a secret location

Which football club does the Locomotion No. 1 appear on?

The Quakers

The Quakers belong to which city?

Darlington

Who owns Locomotion No. 1 today?

The National Railway museum in England

Who composed a famous early example of compositions celebrating trains, routes, or railroads?

Johann Strauss, Sr.

When did Johann Strauss, Sr. compose his set of dances?

1836

What was Strauss famous for?

Being one of the great waltz composers

Which set of dances did Johann Strauss, Sr. compose?

Eisenbahn-Lust-Walzer

What does Eisenbahn-Lust-Walzer translate to?

Railway pleasure waltzes

In which song did a specific effort to depict the sound of a train appear?

Le Chemin de fer

Who published Le chemin de fer?

Charles-Valetin Alkan op. 27

When was the first effort to depict the sound of a train in composition?

1844

What does Le chemin de fer translate to?

The Railroad

How does Le Chemin de Fer end?

With a ritardando

What does the ritardando in Le chemin de fer represent?

The train halting

Along with the ritardando what else depicts the train in Le chemin de fer?

High register releases of steam

Who created Pacific 231?

Arthur Honegger

When was Pacific 231 made?

1923

Pacific 231 is widely considered to be a programmatic portrayal of what?

A train journy

Why was Pacific 231 thought to be a programmatic portrayal of a train journey?

Due to its title which references a particular type of locomotive

What did Honegger say about the presumption that Pacific 231 was about a train journey?

He denied that that was his intent

What does Honegger say the intent of Pacific 231 is?

To convey simply a mathematical acceleration of rhythm

Which composer created the composition The Great Crush Collision March?

Ragtime composer Scott Joplin

When did Scott Joplic write The Great Crush Collision March

1896

Which actual event did The Great Crush Collision March commemorate?

A staged trainwreck

Who devised the staged trainwreck

Passenger agent, William George Crush

How many people did George Crush’s staged trainwreck attract?

40,000 viewers

Where did the staged trainwreck occur?

At a valley near Waco Texas

When did the staged crash occur?

September 15, 1896

How many cars were the locomotives carrying?

6

How long was the track?

4 miles

How fast were the trains travelling once they collided?

50 miles per hour

As the dust began to settle from the crash what happened?

Two boilers exploded simultaneously

What was the result of the two boilers exploding?

Metal shrapnel was sent through the crowd

How many casualties occured as a result of the 2 boilers exploding?

2 people died and 6 were seriously injured

What happened to one photographer at the crash?

He lost an eye

The collapsing people reminded a confederate veteran of what?

The Civil War battled experienced

What liberties does Joplin take on the crash?

Mimicking the sound of train whistles

What was the result of Crush’s puiblicity stunt on the railway business?

It saw a surge of business after the publicity stunt

What are the biggest hits of music involving railroads?

Ive Been Working on the Railroad (1894), This Train is Bound for Glory (1922), Chattanooga Choo Choo (1941), On the Atchinson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe (1944), Last Train to Clarksville ( 1966), Long Train Running (1973), and Midnight Train to Gerogia (1973)

What had Midnight Train to Georgia originally been written about?

A midnight plane flying to Houston

Who wrote an entire musical about racing trains?

Andrw Lloyd Webber

Which musical did Andrew Lloyd Webber create about trains?

Starlight Express

When did Andew Lloyd Webber create Starlight Express?

1984

When did Andew Lloyd Webbers theater open?

2024

Where did Andrew Lloyd Webber open his theater?

London

Why did Andew Lloyd Webber open his theater?

To showcase an updated production of his long lived show

What do the actors wear?

Rollerskates and train costumes

Train themed music came in what styles?

Folk, gospel, big band swing, and Motown