Steam Locomotives
Steam locomotives were invented in the 1500's. In the 19th century it
made the world smaller by making traveling faster. The American locomotive
was built in 1865. The steam locomotives were wasting a lot of money for
fuel, and the trains often broke down. But caring for horses cost more than
locomotives. Lots of locomotives have been made.
In the early 1920's, diesel locomotives took over the steam locomotives
because they can run longer than the steam locomotive. Diesels don't make
as much damage on the tracks as the steam locomotives. Diesel locomotive
oil is not burned under a boiler to make steam. Instead it is sprayed into
the cylinder of the engine,where it burns with powerful force. When the
oil burns, it releases gasses which explode, which makes the pistons move
up and down. This drives the generator that makes the power for the motors
to make the wheels turn. Sometimes the diesel engine makes the wheels turn
by running the gears directly.