How did the steam locomotive help Britain gain power?

Not just the steam locomotive but the steam engine in general. The 'Industrial Revolution' began around 1760 as Britain found itself becoming highly industrialised due to the raw materials coming in from all parts of her empire. The City of Manchester in Britain gave its name to bed linen as most of the world's supply was being produced there, the plantations of early America were trading tobacco to Britain for manufactured goods and so one. Britain had to become more and more highly industrialised. The steam engine allowed Britain to run her industry in a mechanism form rather than by the used of man or horse power. Trains could run goods to the various seaports quickly and return with more raw materials, and of course steam power was starting to find a place in shipping as a supplement to sails. Britain had (for the period) plentiful coal supplies to power the engines. I recall writing a paper for Uni in my dim dark past about population leading to exploration leading to colonisation, leading to industrialisation, leading to revolution. This was Britain's fate and the steam engine which bhelped bring her to world power also helped speed her to eventual decline.