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The Evolution of Wagons, Cars, and Trains

By Dylan Bui, California, USA


Dylan wrote this essay to compare three modes of transportation and their evolution in a writing class he took with Eduling International.

Traveling far away is now a breeze. Many modern innovations let us travel with ease. However, hundreds of years ago, it wasn’t like that. People back then had limited travel options. Many old vehicles like the wagon are going to be compared to modern ones to see how far as a society we’ve gone.


One hundred years ago, the wagon was the best choice for travel when people wanted to move reasonable distances. It could go on most land terrain like hills, trails, and roads, which were not paved or crowded as the present time. This mode of transportation normally consists of a big wagon at the back and some horses in the front to pull the wagon. One of its flaws was that it could be easily robbed by bandits who could take everything of value because there was no roadside assistance at the time. A modern invention related to this type of vehicle is the car. The car has an engine that acts like the horse of a wagon and it pulls the car forward. Cars are obviously faster and safer thanks to its design, materials, and technological features that wagons didn’t have.


Another travel option common in the past was the train. The train was the fastest option on land in the 1900s. It could travel at about 60 mph without break. Trains were and still are coal-powered with wagons attached on its back. Some flaws of riding the train in the past include the fact that it was really loud and it had a set path. Trains also couldn’t stop until they reach a train station so passengers couldn’t leave a train whenever they wanted to. Modern trains today, however, are much faster and have way more stops. The fastest train in the world, the “SCMaglev,” can go up to 286 mph.


The last travel option during the industrial revolution is the boat. The boat was the only option for sea travel. It was faster than the wagon but slower than the train. Many boats from 100 years ago were mostly made of wood hull. It had a half circle shape with a sail at the top. The biggest flaw with a boat is that it was dependent on the wind. If the wind wasn’t blowing the right way, it would go the wrong way. Boats now are made of metals and aren’t wind-based. Instead, it normally uses coal or gasoline to run.


Clearly, the wagon, train and boat really don’t stand a chance to their counterparts. However, without these older inventions, we would never get the newer, faster, and more convenient ones today.


NOTE: To participate in Eduling's writing classes and services, please see: www.eduling.org/shop


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