"All aboard!" Well, not quite yet...

Steam locomotives were making noise (literally and figuratively) in the early 1800s, but your typical Regency gent or lady would not have taken one for a country jaunt.

The very first puff of steam on rails happened in 1804, designed by Richard Trevithick. It hauled 10 tons of iron! But the first passenger line didn't open until 1825, well after Jane Austen's characters were flirting at the assembly (and even then, this was only in the north).

It wasn't until 1830 that England saw its first full-on, inter-city passenger railway (still in the north!).

So, if your fictional viscount is riding the rails in 1812, he may need to exchange that train ticket for a post chaise. Wink.

Can you answer any of these research challenges?

• Which city had the first regular passenger service in England?

• How fast was a horse-drawn coach in comparison (tip: one of my Fast Facts has the answer!)

• What engineering feat made the Liverpool & Manchester line a marvel?