Railroad technology is difficult to explain without knowing railroad technology development. One of them is railroad history.

Railroad use has been known by human since 2000BC. If soil condition is wet then wheel will press the soil and leaving track like. So when it’s passed several times, the soil will stiffen and solid. Pushing the cart thorough solid soil proving that cart is easier to run.

Pushing the cart in mining alley was needed special knowledge of railroad. To make cart does not hit the wall, it was equipped with tool in front of cart that protect cart movement to follow alley direction. In 18 century, it was made wood board which called Wagonway to transport coal.

After iron invention, wheel was made which have durability and coated wheel surface that tangent with road with thin iron layer. Besides that, iron was used to coated wood road surface. In 1767, Von Reynolds coated wood layer with cast iron on top and enhance both side.

After known with effective iron processing, it was made railroad that replace wood road. Railroad was made from cast iron with cleavage that hopes can give accurate wheel direction. Road with this material is called Plateway. In 1782, von Jessops using cast iron rail and change rail shape from canal shape to mushroom shape in line with wheel invention that equipped by flens.

Rail that made by cast iron often breakdown especially in middle part. So it was made rail that enhance in the middle like fish belly. In 1820, it is start to use forged steel rail with better pull forced.

There are two choices for making wheel with flens which is wheel flens in outside or inside. Outside flens cause difficulties when turning. The best way is using inside flens. Cylindrical wheel with inside flens caused wheel will always touch the rail in one side and make constant friction between inside rail and wheel flens when moving. To solve the problem, wheels are made cone.

Width-legged wheel start to use in 1839, develop by Steven which start to make rail experiment since 1830.

The rail construction begins with the first scoop up railway construction by the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, LAJ Baron Sloet Van De Beele on June 17, 1864. The first railway was built by a private company called NIS (Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij) starting from Samarang to Tanggung along the 26 km and inaugurated on August 10, 1867. The railroad was 1435 mm gauge line. Development path continues to Solo and Yogyakarta, and then incorporated on June 10, 1872. As Indonesia's mountainous topography, the Dutch East Indies government set a 1067 mm gauge line as a gauge line more suitable for the topography of Indonesia. During the Dutch East Indies government, precisely to 1939, the length of the tracks in Indonesia has reached 6811 km.

But the history of railways in Indonesia recorded a time of concern that is at times the Japanese government. Along approximately 901 km disappear, which is expected because the rails are unloaded during the Japanese government rule was transported to Burma for the construction of rail roads there. In fact, according to data from the Directorate General of Railways in 2006, railway operating only 4360 km and not operate along the 2122 km.

Railroad is a major infrastructure in the railways because of train can only pass on the road specially constructed for it. Gauge line that ever existed in Indonesia : 1435 mm, 1067 mm, 750 mm and 600 mm. Types of railroads that have been used in Indonesia : R25, R33, R42 and R54. Almost all of the track (both active rail road or not active) in Indonesia is now a valuable history asset and made it one of public facilities and a national asset that needs to be guarded and preserved.