With the rapid spread of high-speed railway technology, there is a resurgence of interest in trains and railways. The main propulsive engine for railways was the steam engine for over a century, which gave way to the diesel and electrical engines. The steam engine was crucial to the birth and development of the railway industry, and understanding its evolution and application to railways can usefully illustrate a number of key principles in physics, particularly in heat and thermodynamics.

Topics
Laws of thermodynamics, Physics of gases, Thermodynamic states and processes, Thermodynamic properties, Geophysical techniques, Heat engines, Combustion engine, Alloys, Education, Industry
1.
“
Aeolipile
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile, accessed May 22, 2018.
2.
Dionysius
 
Lardner
,
The Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated: With an Account of its Invention and Progressive Improvement, and its Application to Navigation and Railways; Including Also a Memoir of Watt
(
Taylor and Walton
,
London
,
1840
).
Google Scholar
 
3.
B. J. G.
 
Van der Kooij
,
The Invention of the Steam Engine
(
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
,
Netherlands
,
2015
).
Google Scholar
 
4.
“
Steam characteristics
,” Thermexcel, https://www.thermexcel.com/english/tables/vap_eau.htm, accessed May 25, 2018.
5.
“
Newcomen atmospheric engine
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomen_atmospheric_engine, accessed May 22, 2018.
6.
“
Newcomen Memorial Engine
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomen_Memorial_Engine, accessed May 22, 2018.
7.
“
James Watt
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt, accessed May 22, 2018.
8.
“
Joseph Black
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Black, accessed May 22, 2018.
9.
“
Centrifugal governor
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor, accessed May 22, 2018.
10.
Metals and Alloys – Densities, The Engineering Toolbox
, https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metal-alloys-densities-d_50.html, accessed May 25, 2018.
11.
Specific Heats for Metals, The Engineering Toolbox
, https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-metals-d_152.html, accessed May 25, 2018.
12.
Richard Trevithick, Engineering Timelines
, http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Trevithick_R/trevithickRichard4.asp, accessed May 22, 2018.
13.
“
Hypocaust
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocaust, accessed May 25, 2018.
14.
“
Richard Trevithick
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trevithick, accessed May 22, 2018.
15.
L. T. C.
 
Rolt
,
George and Robert Stephenson
(
Amberley Publishing
,
Stroud Gloucester
,
2012
).
Google Scholar
 
16.
“
Carnot cycle
,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_cycle, accessed May 22, 2018.
17.
Greg
 
Morse
,
British Diesel Locomotives of the 1950s and ’60s
(
Shire Publications
,
Oxford
,
2016
).
Google Scholar
 
18.
“Rankine cycle,” Encyclopaedia Britannica
, https://www.britannica.com/science/ Rankine-cycle, accessed May 23, 2018.
© 2019 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2019
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.