<P> The first commercially successful steam locomotive was Salamanca, built in 1812 by John Blenkinsop and Matthew Murray for the 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge Middleton Railway . Salamanca was a rack and pinion locomotive, with cog wheels driven by two cylinders embedded into the top of the centre - flue boiler . </P> <P> In 1813, William Hedley and Timothy Hackworth designed a locomotive (Puffing Billy) for use on the tramway between Stockton and Darlington . Puffing Billy featured piston rods extending upwards to pivoting beams, connected in turn by rods to a crankshaft beneath the frames which, in turn, drove the gears attached to the wheels . This meant that the wheels were coupled, allowing better traction . A year later, George Stephenson improved on that design with his first locomotive Blücher, which was the first locomotive to use single - flanged wheels . </P> <P> That design persuaded the backers of the proposed Stockton and Darlington Railway to appoint Stephenson as Engineer for the line in 1821 . While traffic was originally intended to be horse - drawn, Stephenson carried out a fresh survey of the route to allow steam haulage . The Act was subsequently amended to allow the usage of steam locomotives and also to allow passengers to be carried on the railway . The 25 - mile (40 km) long route opened on 27 September 1825 and, with the aid of Stephenson's Locomotion No 1, was the first locomotive - hauled public railway in the world . </P> <P> In 1830 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened . This set the pattern for modern railways . It was the world's first inter-city passenger railway and the first to have' scheduled' services, terminal stations and services as we know them today . The railways carried freight and passengers with also the world's first goods terminal station at the Park Lane railway goods station at Liverpool's south docks, accessed by the 1.26 mile Wapping Tunnel . In 1836, at the Liverpool end the line was extended to Lime Street Station in Liverpool's city centre via a 1.1 mile long tunnel . </P>

When was the first railway line built in britain