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Caption:

The first journey on an underground railway, London, 24 May 1862. This journey, on the Metropolitan Railway, was a trial trip, the year before the line opened to paying passengers. Among the guests travelling on the railway were Lord Derby, and William Gladstone, who was later Prime Minister. The train, made up of goods wagons with temporary seating, is pulled by a steam locomotive. The line from Paddington into the City of London was steam hauled until 1905. This gave significant problems with ventilation in the long underground sections.