Coal, Steam, and
Iron
Ingredients for an Industrial
Revolution
Coal
The Iron Age started 3000BCE

Iron was first made
from iron ore and
charcoal.

The process used
huge amounts of
wood for fuel and
helped deplete forests
near populated areas.
It took until the 18th century to
make iron with coal
Now iron could be made in larger
amounts

Iron was used to produce machines that
replaced human labor

Increased demand for iron meant
increased demand for coal
But, back at the coal mine…

Greater demand for
coal to make more
iron meant mining to
new depths

Problem…how to
keep mines from
flooding
Solution to flooded mines…

The Newcomen pump
used a wood fire to
power a large piston
that pumped water
from the mines.
Later, coal was used to
fuel the fire

The ability to pump water from mines
increased coal production.

Needed more coal to run the pumps

More coal meant more iron could be
produced
Sixty years later, James Watt made
changes that lead to the steam engine
Watts adapted his steam pump for
other uses
The steam engine was used to
mine more and more coal

Rising demand for coal to make more iron

Rising demand for iron to make more engines
and other machinery

Lead to….
… a Transportation Bottleneck
Wooden railways

The first railways in Great Britain were built
in the early 17th century, mainly for
transporting coal from the mine to the water
where it could be loaded on to a boat. These
had wooden rails. However, the rails wore
out and had to be replaced often. In 1768,
the Coalbrookdale Company laid cast iron
plates on such wooden rails to provide a
more durable surface. The wooden “trains”
were pulled by horses.
With modifications from others,
Watt’s steam engine began a new
era in transportation
The Bottleneck was opened.

The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway in September 1830 was one of the key
events of 19th century England. It was the first
railway, which used steam locomotives, and the
first to link two major cities
The steam engine railroad was an
instant success and the age of
railroad building began

Coal

Iron

Railroads

The demand for each
depended on availability
of the others.

All three were necessary
for industrialization