Trenul de pe șinele Progresului: de la diligența cu cai la caii de fier
The Train on the Tracks of Progress: From Horse-Drawn Stagecoach to Iron Horses

Summary/Abstract: The nineteenth century saw remarkable progress in the field of land communications. A sign of technological advancement was the appearance of the train and the railway system, first in the countries of Western Europe and later across the entire continent. Horse-drawn vehicles and railway transport coexisted for a time. However, starting in the 1840s, with the English “railway fever,” the new “railway civilization” took hold, allowing for faster movement of people and goods. Railways encouraged the reshaping of cities around train stations and led to the creation of new industries connected to the train.Rail transport technologies experienced a constant trend toward innovation and the establishment of new standards focused on efficiency, speed, safety, and, for passengers, comfort and openness toward the surrounding landscapes. The train changed the face of urban civilization, making it crowded, noisy, and clouded with smoke.The supremacy of railways in passenger and freight transport was to last until the beginning of the twentieth century, when the automobile and aircraft began to gain priority in public opinion. After the Great War, all modern networks gradually abandoned the use of steam locomotives. A major railway crisis occurred between 1920 and 1960, mainly due to the very high costs of maintaining and expanding railway networks. At the end of the twentieth century, the decline of the railways became visible worldwide, even though high-speed models were introduced.

• Details
• Contents