July 1857: The portable railway
When it's not overcrowded and/or broken and doesn't cost the same price as a flight on Richard Branson's spaceship, UK rail travel is, occasionally, an enjoyable, relaxing, and romantic experience.
But it is still hamstrung by one glaring restriction that has dogged our railways since the golden age of steam — trains will only stop at stations, and most passengers have to find some other way of completing their journey. Readers will agree that in these sedentary days to ask anyone to walk anywhere is clearly unacceptable.
Fortunately, a quick scan of the Engineer archives provides a ready-made solution to rail's limitations: simply attach a rotating piece of railway track to each of your vehicle's wheels, and the romance of rail will follow you all the way to your front door.
READ OUR ARCHIVE COVERAGE OF THE PORTABLE RAILWAY
In its description of Cambridge's portable railway, the magazine outlines a design for 'portable or endless railways' that can be 'applied to the wheels of engines and carriages, for the purpose of facilitating their movement over loose ground and irregular surfaces.'
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