1804: The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its
outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales. The engine
successfully carried 10 tons of iron, five wagons and 70 men
nearly 10 miles in four hours and five minutes, an average speed
of approximately 2.4 mph. However, it was too heavy for the cast
iron rails used at the time. The locomotive only ran three trips
before it was abandoned. Pictured is a model of the locomotive
at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, Wales.