First electric model train: 1837

[velotrain]

http://ethw.org/Archives:The_Inventions_of_Thomas_Davenport

 

http://www.edisontechcenter.org/DavenportThomas.html

 

 

There may well be other claims for this, most likely in Europe.

 

Just think - in a mere 20 years we can celebrate the bicentennial of our hobby ;-)

[kvp]

I think the title of the builder of the first electric train should go to Ãnyos Jedlik as he built the first one in 1928.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81nyos_Jedlik

1827: first electric motor (static)

1828: first electric model vehicle, a 4 wheeled car travelling on two metal rails and powered by an electric motor

 

http://www.hobbielektronika.hu/cikkek/jedlik_nyos.html?pg=2

One build of his electric train is actually still operational and could be seen in the Hungarian Electrotechnical Museum in Budapest: (it was made as a teaching aid -sort of a concept demo- like most of his inventions that were built irl)

http://www.hobbielektronika.hu/cikkek/files/380/kocsi.jpg

 

http://www.electricvehiclesnews.com/History/historyearlyII.htm

On this picture, you could better see the gearing:

http://www.electricvehiclesnews.com/History/images/Jedlikelectriccar.jpg

 

Davenport just made the electric motor powerful enough to run 1:1 machinery, so we only have to wait 11 years as Jedlik's electric train was the first operational electrically powered model train. He made it a model as that was the largest thing this early 2 pole motor could power, but using 2 rail DC power with a 4 wheeled locomotive using a geared drive was fairly innovative. The official name for the model was electric motor coach.

Edited February 10, 2017 by kvp