What might be a benefit of using a steam locomotive instead of horses to haul railroad cars?

To achieve motive steam power would, for the first time in history, allow man to travel on land at a speed faster than that of the domesticated horse. In 1802, Richard Trevithick patented a high pressure engine and created the first steam-powered locomotive engine on rails.



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It was easier to increase the horsepower of a steam engine than to up the horsepower of a horse. An improved locomotive reached the ferocious speed of 30 mph in a speed test at Baltimore in 1831. The B&O stopped using horses to pull its carriages on July 31 of that year.

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With the instillation of the transcontinental railroad, Americans were traveling more, learning more about the distant parts of the country, and living as part of a nation with the strongest economy in the world. These changes encouraged pride in their country and brought Americans together in a new way.

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