10. A Steaming First - Richard Trevithick

[@v8pilot]

Years ago my GF lived in Merthyr Tydfil. We used to walk along the track of the Pen Y Darren (spelling?) tramway and there were still fragments of the cast iron plate rails. On of the streets in Merthyr was still called "The Tram Road".

[@InterestInHeritage]

That’s interesting, would have thought from that long ago, the rails would be long gone. Cheers

[@Benedict.Calder]

Wow ! Trevithick is a hero . He started with an idea and then had to work out the gear ratio to make it work . Everything afterwards comes from his efforts . Wonderful .

[@InterestInHeritage]

Thanks for watching and commenting. We should hear more of Trevithick.

[@normanwallace7658]

It had a sister in merthyr tidal in Wales called Pen Y Daren this one actually ran on rails the Coalbrookdale engine was de- wheeled & used as a static engine.

[@InterestInHeritage]

There is doubt as to how much the Coalbrookdale engine was used and even if it ran at all, as a workman was killed, whch rather put a dampener on things.

[@Kat69nh]

Subscribed. But never go any notifications. Was black bell (all) Glad your merger is coming

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

It will be easier with the one channel going forward.

[@kenn879]

We spent two weeks caravaning in Much Wenlock and spent every other day exploring the Iron Bridge Gorge. We covered the blast furnaces and foundry at Coalbrookdale, the gorge, Jackfield tile museum, Broseley Pipeworks, and Blist Hill Victorian town. The area is such a journeyinto the past and would recomend that a visit. I have seen the Penydaren replica many time when visiting the Swansea Waterfront museum. Thank you Alan, lovely vlog

[@InterestInHeritage]

Hi Kenn, I’ve visited all those places you mention in the past and was last in the area last year. I loved Broseley pipeworks and at some time it might appear here. Thanks for watching and commenting, all the best.

[@richardstone3473]

There is a small book, The Penydarren Locomotive by Stuart Owen Jones. Still in print, and, because I have just watched this have purchased a copy off Amazon. Lost my copy many years ago.. Explains the history and route. Quite a lot of the southern part of the tramway route can still be walked (about 4 miles). Further north is a small tunnel that the tram line went through.. Cannot walk through it now as it is sealed but it has painted murals celebrating the journey. I was brought up 6 miles from Abercynon and walked it a few times. To my mind. While Napoleon was bloodily strutting his military forces destructively across Europe real history was being made in the valleys of South Wales.

[@InterestInHeritage]

That was very interesting thank you for that.

[@richardstone3473]

Even better is Merthyr tunnel. Used to walk through it regularly as a youngster. 1 1/3 miles long constructed by Brunel. On the hill slopes above western portal are the remains of navvies stone built huts. Do not know if the tunnel can be entered now as it is regularly sealed up until someone manages to batter a way through @@InterestInHeritage

[@MARKLOCKWOOD2012]

if i’m not mistaken they also had steam powered first subway 🚇 built along this era.

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

That’s right. The London Underground was steam powered but that came 60 years later.

[@solentbum]

Blist Hill is a great place to visit, I must time my next visit with a 'steam day' for this wonderful exhibit.

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

It certainly is. My visit was over 10 years ago, so I'm not sure if or when it steams now. I didn't look into that aspect.

[@bobt3374]

Hi Alan What an amazing engine excellent review. Take care.

[@InterestInHeritage]

Thank you so much Bob, very kind of you, all the best.

[@StevesRepairs]

Thanks Alan for this brilliant vlog with all the historic engineering information, it is extremely interesting. Take care and all the best. Stevie

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

I'm so glad you liked it Stevie, thanks for watching and commenting, sorry for the delayed response. Take care, cheers.

[@hughcarson6837]

Good stuff Alan, very interesting

[@InterestInHeritage]

Glad you enjoyed it Hugh.

[@whatsocc55]

Richard Trevithick built his first steam locomotive at Samuel Homfreys ironworks penydarren in 1804 it ran the ten miles from the ironworks to the Glamorgan canal hauling Ten tons of iron and 70 men , it was the first steam locomotive in the world

[@InterestInHeritage]

I mentioned this in the video, technically it was the second, as the first was built at Coalbrookdale, though there is doubt whether that actually ran.

[@whatsocc55]

@@InterestInHeritage Hi I’m deaf so didn’t hear the video as there was no subtitles , I’ve heard of coalbrookdale , but have never associated it with Trevithick , thanks for the update 👍

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

⁠​⁠@@whatsocc55Hi John, thanks for watching. There are subtitles, it’s a matter of knowing how to switch them on and I believe that depends on what media you watch. On a phone, click the three dots in the top right corner and go to playback settings. There is a drop down list and they can be switched on from there. On a TV you need to look for the CC symbol in the right corner. This is normally found when you pause and the settings option comes up. I hope that helps.

[@stephenjacobs4692]

At school I gained a GCE O Level in British Economic History and remember learning about the part Richard Trevithick played in the Industrial Revolution. Very interesting, Alan.

[@InterestInHeritage]

Hi Stephen, thanks for your comment. I don’t recall British Economic History being an O level subject but as I’ve got older I have a better appreciation of social and economic history as a subject for study.

[@HighFell]

I took O level Social and Economic History (got a B) absolutely fascinating subject and gave me a lifetime interest in relevant history. RT was such an important part in shaping the world, sadly often overlooked.

[@stephenjacobs4692]

@@HighFell Quotation from an old text book I have "Already in 1803 the Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick had constructed a locomotive which he ran about the streets of London. In the next year, on the inducement of Samuel Homfray, he ran a locomotive along rails for a distance of ten miles from Penydarren to Quaker's Yard, and drew a load of twenty-five tons as well as a number of passengers. The was the first "railway" in the world, and the work of George Stephenson was merely an improvement upon it."

[@HighFell]

@@stephenjacobs4692 I am from deepest Stephenson country and Live not far from his cottage outside Wylam, he and Robert were incredible engineers but Trevithick was the spark of genius that started it all 👍

[@renefrijhoff2484]

Nice coincidence, I happen to have a plastic model kit of it (1/38 scale).

[@InterestInHeritage]

I didn’t know a model was available.

[@renefrijhoff2484]

@@InterestInHeritage It's from Minicraft. I just checked some more and the model was 1st released somewhere in the 70's by Gakken, my version is from 1996 by Minicraft.

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

@@renefrijhoff2484 Thanks for letting me know.

[@SteampunkGent]

Not lesser known in Cornwall! He also made "Catch Me Who Can" a demonstration passenger loco which he showed in London in 1808

[@InterestInHeritage]

Lesser known by the general public who have Stevenson in mind as creator of the first steam loco. Sadly, this was the last of his 4 locos.

[@amazingdecks1]

A great video, added now to my collection of Trevithick knowledge - thanks! I find it fascinating that it wasn't just the idea of the engine which is great - that was the easy part! Now you had to get the parts made and assembled and you didn't just go to your local CNC shop with your CAD files.

[@InterestInHeritage]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Trevithick is a lesser known character but he was well ahead of Stephenson. I’m amazed by all moving machinery and how it’s designed.

[@andycap6786]

By the early 1800's nearly every town in England had at least one very proficient clock maker, so the calculating of gear ratios etc was probably not a problem. Getting a foundry making them on this scale was perhaps the difficult part!

[@lindyc.2552]

Beautiful!!! Thank you for posting this! I absolutely love history and I love the old steam powered trains! I was born in the wrong century. I would give anything to have lived somewhere between 1750 through 1850. So, thanks for sharing this video and a warm hello from North Carolina USA. I just subscribed! 😊

[@InterestInHeritage]

Greetings across the pond Lindy, thank you so much for watching, commenting and subscribing. I’ve often felt the same, it would have been interesting to have been around during the Industrial Revolution. All the best, take care.

[@lindyc.2552]

@@InterestInHeritage I wholeheartedly agree! 🙋

[@PeterfromQld]

I love everything to do with steam engines. Thank you Alan for this very entertaining video.

[@InterestInHeritage]

That’s very kind of you to say Peter, cheers.

[@ramseybarber8312]

Hi Alan another interesting look into History, Trouble is it's not long enough !!!!!

[@InterestInHeritage]

Thanks Ramsey, much appreciated. All I can do is give a taster for others to do their own research. I only had these few clips of the action.

[@debbiecopening3407]

Amazing!!!

[@InterestInHeritage]

Sure is!! Hope you're keeping well.

[@stevehoare6378]

Hi Alan, sorry to be slow in watching this. Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. What kind of brain has the foresight and ability to conceive and construct something like that, beyond my capabilities, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing...🍷🍷

[@InterestInHeritage]

Hi Steve. You must watch when it suits you, no need to apologise. I don’t think Trevithick has ever had the recognition he deserved. I’m always amazed by anything of a complex engineering nature. All the best 🥂

[@darreno9874]

No mention of Murdoch who produced the first self propelled vehicle in 1784 or Cugnot who did the same in 1770. Everyone talks about Trevithick but Murdoch was a much better and more prolific engineer.

[@InterestInHeritage]

It was simply a short video about Trevithick’s steam loco utilising footage taken more than 10 years ago not a study of early steam engineers.

[@darreno9874]

@@InterestInHeritage sorry I have had trevithick thrown at me so many times with no mention of the other probably better engineers. I did enjoy your video. God bless

[@InterestInHeritage]

@@darreno9874 Not to worry, it's good of you to reply. A somewhat different topic coming tomorrow. Cheers

[@animaltvi9515]

Probably because they invented different vehicles. The 2 you mentioned invented basic steam engines that powered road vehicles . Trevithick invented the first steam locomotive. Powered by a high pressure steam engine. .

[@markshrimpton3138]

With reference to Cugnot, people in Britain don’t like to admit that a Frenchman got there first! Even though his Fardier à vapeur wasn’t very successful it was the first thing ever to move without the muscles of humans or animals as the motive power.

[@JohnBath-f8p]

Saw a working replica at Waterside museum in Swansea on several occasions. I was advised the Coalbrookdale replica is 7/8 scale.

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

Hi John, the working museum engine is a replica of Trevithick's second loco. I hadn't heard about the Coalbrookdale engine not being full size.

[@vean2004]

Cap'n Dick, as he was known here in Cornwall was our hero. Not only was he famous for creating the first true railway locomotive, but was responsible for his 'Strong Steam' boiler, a type not seen before. It was the first boiler to contain the furnace flue through the middle, which heated the water all around, instead of just below, like the haycock design of former engineers. This enabled much higher steam pressure, making the Cornish pumping enigines of the time more efficient and economical, which was essential, as Cornwall had no Coal and had to be imported from South Wales. These boilers and the Cornish Beam Engines combined were the mainstay of Steam pumping and were built and sold all over the World. Richard Trevithick's original boiler design became the father of high pressure Steam!

[@InterestInHeritage]

Thanks for your comment Michael, Cornwall is one of my favoured areas. I’ve abandoned this You Tube channel and merged the topics with my Narrowboating channel now called, My Narrowboat and Heritage Ventures. I couldn’t get any traction on the channel, so felt it best not to pursue it. Cheers, all the best.

[@keithammleter3824]

Something to note: Trevithick's engine was referred to at the time as "strong steam" or high pressure because it operated the piston above atmospheric pressure, instead of by condensing vacuum as used previously. But it was certainly not high pressure in the modern sense. It operated at about twice atmospheric, whereas modern steam engines (going back about 170 years or so) operate at up to 200 atmospheres or more.

[@colindhowell]

@@keithammleter3824 I think you've confused atmospheres with pounds per square inch (psi). 200 psi became a pretty standard steam pressure for locomotives by the late 1890s and remained so until the end of the steam locomotive era, but 200 *atmospheres* (2,940 psi) is a ridiculously high pressure even today for a steam engine of any sort-it's just below the critical pressure of water, where the distinction of "water" vs. "steam" becomes meaningless! As for Trevithick, he was actually willing to run his engines at surprisingly high pressures for his time, if you believe his letters quoted in the biography of him written by his son Francis Trevithick. Twice atmospheric was more like a minimum for him; in a letter he wrote at the same time the Coalbrookdale engine was built, discussing one of his pump engines, he says that engine was built to run at anywhere from 4 to 10 atmospheres (60-145 psi), and the only reason he stopped at that upper level was because at that pressure the resulting strong draft his engine generated would make the boiler produce more steam than he could use! 145 psi would still be considered a high pressure until the late 1800s.

[@keithammleter3824]

@@colindhowell The critical point for H2O is 705 F and 3,200 PSIG (374 C and 22,MPa). Modern steam engines run beyond the critical point because above the critical point because above this point H2O is a pure gas obeying the kinetic gas laws and is dry - that is contains no liquid. Engines operating beyond the critical point are more efficient. H2O taken beyond the critical point is referred to as "superheated" because if a boiler was taken beyond the critical point, then it could have no liquid water in it, and you have to have liquid somewhere. Thus to get superheated steam there must be heat added AFTER the H2O vapour (termed wet steam) has left the boiler. Look up superheating in steam engines. Modern steam plant operates around 1,000 F and around 4,000 PSIG (540 C and 28 MPa) - about 270 atmospheres.

[@colindhowell]

@@keithammleter3824 Ah, I should have checked the usage in modern power stations before making my comment, I stand corrected. Thank you. Still, that's way beyond all but the most extreme experimental examples of steam locomotive usage; most did not exceed 300 psi. I've heard of superheating before, but superheating for steam locomotives, although it "dries" the steam (heats it well beyond saturation to prevent any condensation), still stays far below the critical point.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Jeez, with all that exposed rod and gear work on Trevithick's locomotive, if that engine dared operate in the United States it'd be shut down by OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration) in a heartbeat! All kidding aside, nice to be able to hear what the world's first railway steam locomotive sounded like. Thanks for sharing!

[@InterestInHeritage]

I’m glad you enjoyed watching, if we’d had all that health and safety then, we’d still be walking everywhere and wearing loin cloths, there would have been no progression. Cheers

[@donotwantahandle1111]

Having the cylinder and firebox next to each other would have been a challenge!

[@InterestInHeritage]

Very much so, as very dangerous for the fireman.

[@RustyInventions-wz6ir]

Just found your channel and Subscribed. Very nice engine.

[@InterestInHeritage]

That's very good of you, thank you.

[@rattywoof5259]

0:32 - Hi Alan - just found this thread for the first time - good to see WZLET! (Harold)

[@InterestInHeritage]

Hi Harold, good to hear from you, hope all well.

[@Senses007-x8x]

Dans cette machine le cylindre à vapeur est à l'intérieur de la chaudière.. En esa maquina el cylindro de vapor es adentro de la caldeira....... On these loco the steam cylinder is into the boiler............

[@elvisciotoi5389]

Respect.

[@InterestInHeritage]

Thank you!

[@BJHolloway1]

Absolutely agree with your statement that it all started with Trevithick. Here is yet another instance of the first in the field not prospering form it ultimately. Died a pauper apparently.

[@InterestInHeritage]

I think some early inventors didn’t realise or appreciate the effect their achievements would have on the world. Trevithick was a sad example.

[@jamesjenner8159]

About time Trevithck and Kernow were recognised as the true birth the steam locomotive, road or rail. Also the beam engines, two of which are in the Chiswick steam museum still in good working order. Strange that the 200th anniversary of his invention, not to mention Cornish stean engineering, should pass by unnoticed while Stevenson's 150th was heralded as the wonder and birth of steam power. By the way, Telford is an artificial 'fown' that did not exixt until the late 1960's or early 1970's. "Going up Camborne Hill coming down, the steam was building up, the wheels going round, going up Camborne Hill coming down-------."

[@InterestInHeritage]

There is no doubt many people regard Stevenson’s Rocket as the first steam loco, more than 25 years after Trevithick. Cugnot had designed a steam powered ‘road vehicle’ before Trevithick but it was the latter that coupled a steam engine to wheels on a track, albeit to a rather dangerous design. Telford is a New Town, one of many that were developed at that time.

[@jurgenlohndorf5364]

Hi again, Very interesting! Been there before several times! On KZbin ofcourse. I spend that much time in GB, bet you I know the place better than the locals! 🚂🚜

[@InterestInHeritage]

I think that’s very true, locals tend to go abroad to find the sun. Glad you enjoyed watching, cheers.

[@kjm-ch7jc]

The worlds first working replica.

[@InterestInHeritage]

It’s the only working replica of this loco, though there is another very similar of the one built a few years later.

[@richardstone3473]

Minor error. The book is not in print but I ordered a second hand copy.

[@SiqueScarface]

My impression is that Richard Trevithick did too many things at the same time, steam powered cranes and carriages and trains, thus none of his constructions were fully developed and kept stuck in some kind of demonstration piece state.

[@InterestInHeritage]

That seems a good way of putting it, hence why he's less well known.

[@womble321]

Was the original the first land vehicle to move under it's own power?

[@InterestInHeritage]

No, Trevithick had designed and built a steam powered road carriage previously and before that Cugnot in France had built a road going vehicle.

[@Plexcom60]

He was an ancestor of mine. He attempted other projects too. Whatever happened to people like that, and the innovation they bring?

[@InterestInHeritage]

That’s interesting to know. Inventors are still around, I suppose Dyson might be a good example.

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Not really the first one but the first one who operated.

[@jp-um2fr]

Stevenson was no better than Marconi and most other so-called American inventors. All they were good at was sorting out the best ideas and putting them together. I have a very soft spot for Trevithick it was he and he alone that invented the steam locomotive. It has also been suggested the there was skulduggery abroad during the Rainhill Trials and that's how he won. He would have probably won anyway, but it's odd that his competitors' cylinder burst, Stevenson owned the foundry. Tut tut.

[@InterestInHeritage]

I’m glad you’re a Trevithick supporter, I’ve always felt he’s lesser known than he should be. Thanks for commenting.

[@DickFrancis-dt3tl]

Technological progress is a relay race not a sprint. New practical inventions are always always the result of more than one mind. Trevithick could not have created the world's first steam locomotive if stationary steam engines did not already exist. This isn't to minimise Trevithick's genius or his pivotal role. But if steam locomotive development had ended with him fast passenger railways could never have existed.

[@rolandbevan7088]

Penny-darren no Pen er darren The y is a definate article Head or ""Top of the Darren" valley

[@philnewcomers9170]

will Murdoc1781 1st loco trevithic got his idias from will Murdoc who built the first mechanicly propeled machine steampowered Murmurmurdoc ttfn&ty

[@InterestInHeritage]

There are many less well known inventors ahead of their time, as was Cugnot in France.

[@abrr2000]

Um actually, it's not as simple as a recreation of the original engine... kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6uklGuOiZd2epo

[@InterestInHeritage]

That’s right, as there is uncertainty about Trevithick’s first loco and no one can be sure what actually happened 200 years ago.

[@jappedut9009]

His engines looks like they are build by the three Stooges ❤️😂

[@MyNarrowboatVenture]

Had to look them up, quite possibly I would say, cheers.

[@ericemmons3040]

Maybe, but unlike the 3 Stooges, whose plots and plans usually failed, this one worked, and, I think, was actually brilliant for its day. Clumsy, yes, but the first of anything is usually primitive and clumsy. . .

[@ironcladranchandforge7292]

You haven't a clue how revolutionary this was and hard it would have been to design and build in 1802. So instead you come on here and make an ignorant comment.

[@fredliperson9171]

I learned in America that it was invented by a black guy in Kenya!

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Well sounds likevpublic shools in the US .