1843: A Railway Trailblazer Reaches the End of His Life’s Journey

January 9, 1843

Industrial engineer and coal-mining official William Hedley died at the age of 63 near the English village of Lanchester. He was instrumental in harnessing the untapped potential and practical applications of railways. 

Hedley’s greatest contribution in this regard took place when, as a manager at a coal-mining facility near the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, he developed what is generally regarded as the first-ever commercially useful steam locomotive. Hedley sought to build on previous efforts to create a better locomotive and also improve upon means such as cable haulage for moving that mode of transportation. He came up with a design that made the locomotive move via friction between its iron wheels and the iron rails underneath. 

Hedley patented that design in 1813 and, during that same year, his locomotive Puffing Billy began to pull coal trucks on the line between a mine at the village of Wylam to a dock on the River Tyne. The success of Puffing Billy encouraged Hedley to help build a similar locomotive called Wylam Dilly. Puffing Billy can be found today in London’s Science Museum, while Wylam Dilly is on display at the Edinburgh-based National Museum of Scotland. These rail-based pioneers share the distinction of being the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotives.  

Image Credit: Public Domain

For more information on William Hedley, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hedley

Additional information on the locomotive Puffing Billy is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffing_Billy_(locomotive)

Additional information on the locomotive Wylam Dilly is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wylam_Dilly