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Transport Inventions Collection

Transport inventions have revolutionized the way we move from one place to another, shaping our world and enabling us to explore new horizons

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: R101

R101
4th October 1930: R101 at its moorings in Cardington, Bedfordshire prior to its departure for India. It crashed en-route. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Stephensons Rocket

Stephensons Rocket
October 1829: Stephensons Rocket, designed by English railway engineer Robert Stephenson, winner of the prize for best locomotive in a contest of steam engines at Rainhill

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: R-101 Airship in a hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire

R-101 Airship in a hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire
1929: The R101 airship in a hangar at Cardington in Bedfordshire. The R101 was 221 m (724 ft) long and had a gas capacity of 140 million litres (5 million cu ft)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Dufaux IV

Dufaux IV
19th July 1910: A Dufaux IV biplane built by Armand and Henri Dufaux at Geneva with a Swiss cross on the rear fuselage. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 27 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Dufaux Biplane

Dufaux Biplane
circa 1910: A Dufaux IV biplane built by Armand and Henri Dufaux at Geneva. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 26 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Santos-Dumont

Santos-Dumont
28th June 1909: A front close-up view of a Demoiselle monoplane, designed and built by Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873 - 1932) the aeronaut

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Turbinia

Turbinia
1894: The SS Turbinia, the first vessel fitted with steam turbines designed by Charles Parsons, under way with flags flying. C A Parsons and R J Walkers Marine Steam Turbine Development - pub

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Phantom Bike

Phantom Bike
circa 1869: Phantom bicycle, invented by W F Reynolds and J A Mays. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: First Tram

First Tram
1861: The first tram in London running between Marble Arch and Notting Hill Gate. It was patented by George Francis Train but withdrawn shortly after its first run due to local opposition

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Rocket By Stephenson

Rocket By Stephenson
circa 1900: Stephensons Rocket, designed by English railway engineer Robert Stephenson. In October 1829 the machine won the prize for best locomotive in a contest of steam engines at Rainhill

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Saving Petrol

Saving Petrol
circa 1940: An Austin Therm balloon car. The bag on the roof is full of coal gas used to fuel the saloon car thus saving petrol during World War II

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Goupy II

Goupy II
8th April 1910: A Goupy II biplane built by Ambroise Goupy in collaboration with Mario Calderara in Bleriots shop. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 68 (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Flying Failure

Flying Failure
19th September 1911: An armoured plane with cantilever wings and a Leon Levavasseur designed Antoinette engine which proved too heavy to fly more than a few yards

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Bellamy Plane

Bellamy Plane
18th June 1908: Bellamys aeroplane at trials in Petersham Meadows showing a front view of the propellers. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: RAC Dust Trials

RAC Dust Trials
1st July 1908: A racing car with anti-dust devices at the RAC Dust Trials at Brooklands race-track. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Replica Of Rocket

Replica Of Rocket
21st April 1913: A replica of the steam locomotive Stephensons Rocket, designed by English railway engineer Robert Stephenson, on display at Crewe for a visit by King George V and Queen Mary

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Early Aircraft

Early Aircraft
1910: A crowd gathered around an aircraft at Claude Grahame-Whites passenger flights event at Ranleagh. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Barton Airship

Barton Airship
1906: Doctor Bartons airship tethered in Alexandra Park, north London. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Wrights Biplane

Wrights Biplane
29th March 1910: Alex Ogilvies Wright biplane at Camber Sands. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Single Or Double

Single Or Double
November 1915: A van with a collapsible top section which converts the vehicle into a double decker. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Farman Plane

Farman Plane
1911: Reynolds Farman bi-plane on the ground at Brooklands, with Lathams Antoinette in the background just taking off. (Photo by Henry Bury/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Tricycle

Tricycle
circa 1900: An early tricycle. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Early Plane

Early Plane
circa 1909: An unusual mono-plane on the airfield at Brooklands. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Rolls Sommer Plane

Rolls Sommer Plane
English motoring and aviation pioneer Charles Rolls (1877 - 1910) in his Sommer 1910 biplane, at Eastchurch airfield on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, 2nd April 1910

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Maurice Farman

Maurice Farman
6th March 1910: A Maurice Farman biplane design. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 58 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Esnault Pelterie

Esnault Pelterie
December 1910: A side view of an Esnault-Pelterie REP monoplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 67 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Laurens

Laurens
December 1910: An Esnault-Pelterie REP influenced design of monoplane belonging to Laurens. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 74 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Hanriot VI

Hanriot VI
28th May 1910: A view of an Antoinette inspired design, the Hanriot VI monoplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 79 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Wright Biplane

Wright Biplane
circa 1910: A modified Wright biplane being pushed on wheels into a shed. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 60 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Anzani

Anzani
November 1909: An Anzani monoplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 71 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Clerget

Clerget
17th October 1910: A monoplane and a group of onlookers. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 80 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: De Pischoff

De Pischoff
7th July 1910: A group of helpers around a de Pischoff monoplane No 63 at Reims. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 66 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Caudran II

Caudran II
14th August 1910: The Caudron No 2 biplane and mechanics at an Air Meet. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 73 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: The Coffee Pot

The Coffee Pot
August 1910: An early Breguet biplane called The coffee pot due to its aluminium covering, with the Air Meet number 19 on the tail

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Aviation History

Aviation History
1907: A Dunne Model DI powered glider. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Bird Man

Bird Man
circa 1781: Book illustrations showing hero Victorin and early designs of parachute or glider. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 5 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Naus Monoplane

Naus Monoplane
13th May 1910: A monoplane belonging to Robert Nau. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 33 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Tethered Hop

Tethered Hop
circa 1906: The Jacob Ellehammer Danemark II making an unmanned tethered hop. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 47 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Ferber Power

Ferber Power
circa 1905: A powered aircraft built by Ferdinand Ferber being launched into flight. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 45 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Archdeacon

Archdeacon
12th October 1905: One of Ernest Archdeacons gliders on its launching rails. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 44 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Bleriot V

Bleriot V
14th March 1907: A Bleriot V monoplane being erected in front of a crowd of onlookers. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 70 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Auffin

Auffin
23rd April 1908: A workman leaving a Auffin-Ordt monoplane aircraft. Aeroplane Album - Vol 1 Page 79 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Wright Engine

Wright Engine
25th July 1908: The engine propeller chain drive and twin seating of the Wright Flyer II biplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 2 Page 54 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Lifting Off

Lifting Off
5th November 1908: The Koechlin monoplane being prepared for flight. Aeroplane Album - Vol 2 Page 33 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Road Plane

Road Plane
19th August 1908: A Ferber biplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 2 Page 19 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Wright Biplane

Wright Biplane
15th July 1908: The Wright Flyer II biplane. Aeroplane Album - Vol 2 Page 53 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Monoplane

Monoplane
18th May 1910: A tidy Robert Nau monoplane tractor design. Aeroplane Album - Vol 3 Page 32 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Background imageTransport Inventions Collection: Air Meet

Air Meet
circa 1909: Two biplane boxkites of Farman-Voisin influence guarded by the military or police with crowds kept behind at a distance



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Transport inventions have revolutionized the way we move from one place to another, shaping our world and enabling us to explore new horizons. From the grandeur of the R-101 Airship in a hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire, to the iconic Stephensons Rocket and Turbinia, these remarkable creations have left an indelible mark on history. The R101 airship stands as a testament to human ingenuity and ambition. Its colossal size and advanced technology made it a marvel of its time. Similarly, Stephensons Rocket propelled the development of railways with its innovative design and unmatched speed. In contrast, Santos-Dumont's pioneering aircraft showcased mankind's dream of conquering the skies. The Phantom Bike challenged conventional notions by combining two-wheeled transportation with futuristic aesthetics. Trams became an integral part of urban life after the introduction of the first tram system. It provided efficient public transport that connected communities like never before. Stephenson's Rocket also played a crucial role in saving petrol during World War II when fuel conservation was paramount. Goupy II may not have achieved great success but it represented experimentation and risk-taking in aviation history. Likewise, Bellamy Plane pushed boundaries with its unique features that aimed for enhanced performance. While some inventions soared high above expectations, others faced setbacks like Flying Failure - reminding us that innovation comes with both triumphs and failures along the way. These transport inventions embody humanity's relentless pursuit of progress; they are testaments to our desire for exploration and efficiency in moving people and goods across vast distances.