History of rail transportation in the United States

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Railroads played a large role in the development of the United States from the Industrial Revolution in the Northeast (1820s–1850s) to the settlement of the West (1850s–1890s). The American railroad mania began with the founding of the first passenger and freight line in the country, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in 1827 and the "Laying of the First Stone" ceremonies. Its long construction westward over the Appalachian Mountains began in the next year. It flourished with continuous railway building projects for the next 45 years until the financial Panic of 1873, followed by a major economic depression that bankrupted many companies and temporarily stymied growth. Railroads increased the speed of transport and dramatically lowered its cost. In the West where navigable rivers were few, the low cost allowed shipping of primary sector products hundreds of miles at a profit. Converting the Great American Desert of the Louisiana Purchase into the American breadbasket took decades rather than...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Andrew J. Russell (1830-1902), photographer, Public domain