Trevithick, Richard
Published: August 18, 2006, 4:49 pm
Updated: August 18, 2006, 4:49 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) was an inventor from England who designed and built what is considered to be the first steam-powered vehicle in 1801, which he called his Puffing Devil. In 1804, he built the world's first railway steam locomotive that was used at the Penydaren ironworks near Merthyr Cardiff canal in Wales; it pulled up to 10 wagons at speeds of around 5 mph (8 km/h). Although it worked, it was not financially successful as it was too heavy and thus kept breaking the rails that were designed for horse-drawn trains. Trevithick also built steamboats, river dredgers and threshing machines.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Trevithick, Richard". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved June 20, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trevithick,_Richard>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) was an inventor from England who designed and built what is considered to be the first steam-powered vehicle in 1801, which he called his Puffing Devil. In 1804, he built the world's first railway steam locomotive that was used at the Penydaren ironworks near Merthyr Cardiff canal in Wales; it pulled up to 10 wagons at speeds of around 5 mph (8 km/h). Although it worked, it was not financially successful as it was too heavy and thus kept breaking the rails that were designed for horse-drawn trains. Trevithick also built steamboats, river dredgers and threshing machines.
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