Mainline steam trains in Great Britain
The most famous steam locomotive operating on the British main line is the 1923 built "Flying Scotsman". After being taken into public ownership in 2004, following a decade long refit it returned to mainline service in 2016. The fastest steam locomotive ever built, the 1938 built "Mallard", was also certified for main line operation briefly in the 1980s.
Steam engine
Trevithick continued his own experiments using a trio of locomotives, concluding with the Catch Me Who Can in 1808. Only four years later, the successful twin-cylinder locomotive "Salamanca" by Matthew Murray was used by the edge railed rack and pinion Middleton Railway. In 1825 George Stephenson built the "Locomotion" for the Stockton and Darlington Railway. This was the first public steam railway in the world and then in 1829, he built "The Rocket" which was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened in 1830 making exclusive use of steam power for both passenger and freight trains.