Steam Engines

The steam engine was arguably the most important machine technology in the Industrial Revolution. The steam engine is a mechanical device that was used to transfer the energy of steam into mechanical energy. This was used for a wide variety of applications, including propulsion and generating electricity. The basic principle of a steam engine involves transforming the heat energy of steam into mechanical energy. This is done by permitting the steam to expand and cool …

…also began to grow at an unprecedented rate. The canals and railroads that were built between West and East were important to their growth. This gave them easier access to the products of the West. These new means of steam-driven transportation replaced the crude roads that were almost the only means of east to west travel in the first quarter of the 19th century. Railroads included the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Mohawk and Hudson.