Railroad History
Railroad history in the United States is nearly as old as the country itself,
dating back to the mid-1820s. As we know, this great nation would not have grown
and prospered as it did without the railroads, which brought together the young
country and allowed for unprecedented prosperity.
The "Golden Age" lasted from roughly the 1880s until the 1920s, at which time other
modes (automobiles and airplanes) slowly eroded the railroads' transportation monopoly.
In addition, stifling government regulation beginning in the early 20th century eventually
choked them to the point of desperation.
Unable to set their own freight rates, abandon unprofitable routes, or rid themselves of
money-losing passenger trains many were on the brink of collapse by the 1970s; names like
the Penn Central, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, Reading, Jersey Central, and others.
Following deregulation in 1980 the industry made a comeback and today is witnessing a
renaissance. In this section we will look at the history of our country's involvement
with trains from its earliest beginnings in the 1820s through today.
Timeline
Railroads in America can be traced back to 1815 when Colonel John Stevens gained the
first charter in North America to build the New Jersey Railroad Company, although it
was not constructed until 1832.
The NJRR later went on to become part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's far-reaching
network. Colonel Stevens also tested the first type of steam locomotive in 1826,
when he showcased his "Steam Waggon" (basically a steam-powered horse carriage)
on a small circular track he had built at his estate in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Later, in August of 1829 Horatio Allen, a chief engineer for the Delaware &
Hudson Canal Company (which went on to become the Delaware & Hudson Railway)
tested an early English steam locomotive on a 16-mile stretch of company-owned
track between Honesdale and Carbondale, Pennsylvania.
The locomotive was named the Stourbridge Lion, a very simple two-axle machine
with a vertical boiler. It, along with three other similar designs, was
envisioned to handle coal from the D&H mines at Carbondale to Honesdale.
Alas, only the Lion was ever tested and ultimately proved too heavy for the
track, spending most of its time stored away in a shed.