Why does putting a carriage on rails make it much easier to pull? As in, how were the first trams such an improvement from omnibuses when the same weight was still being pulled?

Question

Why does putting a carriage on rails make it much easier to pull? As in, how were the first trams such an improvement from omnibuses when the same weight was still being pulled?

In: 520

Answer 1

Friction and pathways.

Putting something “on rails” makes a determined pathway with navigable channels. By these two metrics alone rail travel is much smoother and faster than roads…