The development of rail transport in Britain in the nineteenth century occurred at a terrific rate. The Darlington and Stockton Railway opened in 1825, making a quicker and cheaper form of transport available for the first time. At a time when the fastest means of transport was a galloping horse, a train that could travel at speeds of up to 60mph was an amazing advance to travellers who could cut their journey times from days to hours.
Scarborough Station: SC115342
Thirsk Railway Timetable, 1905: NYCRO1101
Train at Hawes: DCM0005
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Nidd Valley Railway: BU00553
As a result of this railways spread, so passengers deserted stagecoaches, preferring the new trains instead. This led to a rapid expansion, with 7,000 miles of track in place by the 1850s, only a quarter of a century after the first railway had opened. Travel by road did not become really popular again until the rise of the motorcar, a century later.
Railway Leaflet, 1890: NYCRO1100
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