First public railway

The first public railway was the Surrey Iron Railway, which ran from Wandsworth to Croydon, UK, and opened on 26 July 1803. Around the turn of the 19th century, many early tramroads or plateways existed, but these were all privately owned for the use of mines, quarries and steelworks. The Surrey Iron Railway was constructed as a plateway, approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) long, using "L" section rails to a gauge of 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m), which would not support the weight of a locomotive. It was built to allow the public to use the line, but they had to provide their own horses and wagons to carry goods. A fee was paid to the owner of the line based on the weight of material transported. No passengers were ever carried.

The competing Croydon Canal opened in 1809, taking away most of the business and the advent of better-constructed railways meant no more traffic for the Surrey Iron Railway.

It eventually closed on 31 August 1846.