I'm sure this is the first time I've learned the actual earliest evolution of the railroad... from horse drawn coal wagons, to wagon wheel improvement, to wood rails, to steel plated rails, and leveling a railway for miles. For the first time. Extraordinary info summed up in minutes. Thank you Stephen!

Another intriguing fact, is the sheer amount of mining going on, and that it was limited to those mines in proximity to the rivers... and THAT changed with railways!