![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Stephenson%2527s_Rocket.jpg/640px-Stephenson%2527s_Rocket.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Iron horse
Term for steam locomotives and railways / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Iron horse (disambiguation).
Iron horse is a pervasive term (considered by the early 21st century to be transitioning into an archaic reference) for a steam locomotive and the railway on which it travels, originating in the early 1800s, when horses still powered most machinery.[1][2]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Stephenson%27s_Rocket.jpg/640px-Stephenson%27s_Rocket.jpg)
The term was common and popular in both British and North American literary articles.