Early Electric Trains

Electric trains have a long and fascinating history, in which, as with steam trains, British engineers pioneered many developments. The first electric locomotive ran in Scotland in 1842 but it was a commercial failure. The world's first successful electric tube railway opened in London in 1890. It was soon followed by the world's first 'overhead electric' railway in Liverpool. By 1940 more people travelled to work by electric train in Britain than in any other country in the world. This book describes those first fifty years of successful electric traction in Britain and the development of the vehicles. Between 1890 and 1940 electric trains were transformed from a new experimental form of transport into one so reliable that it was taken totally for granted. Also included is information on where to see early electric trains that have been preserved.