8. The first successful steam locomotive in Britain ran for the first time during the Regency
As the Regency began, railways were in use, particularly in coal fields, where animal power pulled cars laden with coal. In 1812 three men developed a practical working steam locomotive to haul coal. They called the first Puffing Billy. They called it a “traveling engine” and it moved on the rails simply by the adhesion of the wheels. Puffing Billy, in comparison to later engines, had little power, and the slightest upgrade caused it difficulties, particularly when hauling a laden tram. Nonetheless, it was modified several times, including its wheel arrangement. It remained in service until its owner, Edward Blackett sent it to the Patent Office for public display in 1862. By then steam locomotives dominated the mining industry.
The earliest steam engines in America burned mainly wood, widely available in the virgin forests of the continent. British designers relied on coal. Coal smoke in industrial areas and urban concentrations emerged as a potential health problem during the Regency. Nonetheless, coal use expanded in each year of the Regency and the decades which followed. It powered ships, locomotives, and the engines of industry, and provided heat for homes and businesses. Great Britain’s coal mining industry expanded dramatically. With it came the problems of smoke and coal dust, both of which presented hazards to health and personal cleanliness.