Don't forget canals. They were the transport infrastructure beta test for England. With canals it finally made economic sense to extract more and produce more

Don't forget canals. They were the transport infrastructure beta test for England. With canals it finally made economic sense to extract more and produce more than the immediate local economy could use. Canal building also prepared the public to invest/speculate on the new infrastructure and provide capital the government was unable or unwilling to risk. Railroads poured fuel on the fire, but the first spark came from canals.