Trevithick wrote the following recollections. "About six years ago I turned my thoughts to this subject, and made a travelling steam-engine at my own expense, to try the experiment. I chained four waggons to the engine, each loaded with 21/2 tons of iron, besides seventy men riding in the waggons, making altogether about 25 tons, and drew it on the road from Merthyr to the Quaker's Yard, in South Wales, a distance of 93/4 miles, at the rate of four miles per hour, without the assistance of either man or beast; and then without the load drove the engine on the road sixteen miles per hour. I thought this experiment showed to the publie quite enough to recommend it to general use; but though a thing that promised to be of so much consequence, has so far remained buried, which dis- courages me from again trying its practice at my own expense."
This photograph is by carnkie and was uploaded March 31st 2009. © carnkie please do not copy or distribute without prior express permission.
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