The story of rapid transit (1903) (14783757385)

Identifier: storyofrapidtran00willrich (find matches)
Title: The story of rapid transit
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Willson, Beckles, 1869-
Subjects: Local transit -- History
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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roken and a stop thereby put to steam locomo-tion in this quarter, for a time. Ere the inventorcould renew it, local opposition had crushed thewhole enterprise. While this was happening to automobiles atCheltenham, Hancock started a steam-carriage-the Infant—to run between Stratford andLondon. It excited much attention owing tothe compactness and efficiency of its arrange-ments, and led to attempts in other quarters. Itwas even proposed by the more sanguine pro-jectors to run steam omnibuses in all the greatthoroughfares of London — a consummationwhich three-quarters of a century has not sufficedto bring about—as well as in the suburban dis-tricts and coaches for Birmingham and Bristol. Hancock built nine carriages altogether, thefirst being the Infant and the Era, built in 1831-2.The latter was intended to run the coach between MOTOR CARRIAGES 165 London and Greenwich, but the company forwhich it was built never got into working order.Another, however, the London and Paddington
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<D bo 03o 1) -4-» C/3 <D s Steam Carriage Company, was started in 1832,and Hancocks next carriage was built to itsorder. The fourth, he ran daily for twenty-four 166 THE STORV OF RAPID TRANSIT weeks between Finsbury Square and Pentonville.But although thousands of passengers were car-ried by these vehicles, yet commercial successwas not very promising for town service at thetime, and extended practise and experience wererequired to make what, even with good roads,would have proved attractive and successfulvehicles. Frequent mishaps occurred, and it is