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Trevithick, Richard
| (1771-1833), British mechanical engineer and rail transportation pioneer, built the world's first steam locomotive (1803) using high-pressure steam. He adapted his high-pressure engine to drive a rolling mill and propel a barge with paddle wheels. After several successful demonstrations of his locomotives, he abandoned the field for lack of adequate railing, and used his engines to power mills, dredgers (1806), and a threshing machine (1812). His boiler improvements led to the Cornish boiler and his perfecting of Watt's Cornish pumping engine. He was born April 13, 1771, Illogan, Cornwall, England, and died April 22, 1833, Dartford, Kent. |
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