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THE LITTLE WONDER ATLAS · AGES 6–12 WITH A GROWN-UP

How a steam train moves

Follow energy from a steam locomotive’s fire to its wheels.

No timer. No account. Learn at your pace.
Simplified learning picture, not to scale. Numbers match the explanations below. All meaning is available in words; colour is not required.

Follow the wonder

Choose a numbered step to highlight its place in the picture.

  1. Burning fuel transfers heat to water in a boiler.

  2. Hot, pressurized steam travels to cylinders.

  3. Steam pushes pistons; connecting rods transfer their motion.

  4. The rods turn driving wheels, which push against the rails.

TRY ONE QUESTION · HINTS ARE WELCOME

What joins the piston’s motion to the wheels?

Take your time. You can read the map again.

Show me the answer

Connecting rods

Where shall we go next?

When water becomes steam →How a bridge carries a load →A simple electric circuit →
For grown-ups: sources and learning notes

Reviewed 28 September 2026. These are introductory explanations; the diagrams simplify real structures and processes.