..remained as backwaters" (pg. 14). The effect then of steam engine technology was to bring Great Britain much closer together while at the same time making goods and services much more available and less expensive. Though other forms of transportation now overshadow steam locomotion it still has much influence over citizens lives. Sometimes the impact can be negative, especially as the railroad lines grow more aged and brittle.
One recent article tells of a recent accident stating, "the cause of the crash was identified as a broken rail weakened by internal cracking" (Berry, 2008). As the train lines grow more decrepit through the years it is important to remember that they still serve a useful purpose throughout England. Society would not be as progressive today as it is if the steam engine had not been invented. Traveling, and transportation of everyday goods that society both needs and wants in order to maintain a high standard of living are still accomplished via rail.
Much of that cargo is being transported to cities in England and is also being...
(2008). Britain on the slow track. Britain's railways. Retrieved January 11, 2009, at http://www.la-articles.org.uk/rw.htm.
It's a Wi-Fi World (2005) Hospital & Health Networks, Vol. 79, No. 8, pg. 32
Lowson, M.V. (1998, Feb.). Surface transport history in the UK: Analysis and projections Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs Transp., 1998, 129, Feb., 14-19 Paper 11548. Retrieved January 11, 2009, at http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:BUEpMUMUxnEJ:atsltd.co.uk/media/papers/docs/surfac_1.pdf.
Simmons, J. (2008, Jan). The Impact of the railway on society in Britain. Retrieved January 21, 2009, at http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0754609499&id=VVXjt4KZWL8C&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&dq=railway+history+britain&sig=XDydoiYUDz6n2FYBbPqfdT-NpzM#PPR13,M1.
