Railroads played a large role in the development of the United States from the Industrial Revolution in the Northeast to the settlement of the West. The American railroad mania began with the founding
The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869
Replica of the "Tom Thumb" locomotive, photographed in 1927
Freight being transferred from rail cars to wagons. When a rail line entered a region, typically stagecoach and wagon cartage (which was slower and more expensive) over that route ended. However, stage and wagon service would then be offered between the railroad and smaller off-line towns. As a result of the lower transportation costs provided by arrival of the railroad, overall economic activity in the region (e.g., farming, ranching and mining) grew dramatically.
A mortar mounted on a railroad car used during the Civil War, 1865.
Rail transportation in the United States includes freight and passenger service. Freight moves along a well integrated network of standard gauge private freight railroads that also extend into Canada
History of rail transportation in the United States
…Rail transport in Mexico#History Rail transportation in the United States Railroad land grants in the United States…
A BNSF engine leads an empty crude oil train up the grade to Mountainair, New Mexico
The first American locomotive at Castle Point in Hoboken, New Jersey, c. 1826
The Canton Viaduct, built in 1834, is still in use today on the Northeast Corridor.
The celebration at the meeting of the railroad in Promontory Summit, Utah in May 1869