Which railway hosted the first recorded railway journey by a steam locomotive, in 1804?

The Merthyr Tramroad hosted the first recorded railway journey by a steam locomotive in 1804.

On 21 February 1804, Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive hauled a train of wagons along part of the Merthyr Tramroad near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. The demonstration showed that steam power could move heavy loads on rails, although the locomotive was not designed as a modern passenger train.

The tramroad primarily served the industrial transport needs of the South Wales ironworks. Trevithick’s locomotive reportedly hauled iron and passengers during the trial, but its heavy weight damaged the cast-iron track and the experiment was not immediately developed into regular locomotive service.

This event predates the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s public opening in 1825. That later railway is famous for establishing regular public steam railway operation, while the Merthyr journey is remembered as the earlier recorded steam-locomotive railway run.