385.0973 C468 1957 Ass'n of American Railroads. A Chronology of American Railroads; Inclu^Mileage by States & by Years. ilWIiTii1i'ill1Mll!MH!llHl Including Mileage by States and by Years '?^^v -^sr A-.-^ ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS • TRANSPORTATION BUILDING • WASHINGTON 6, D. C. THE AMERICAN RAILROAD SYSTEM I am the Burden Bearer of the Nation. I am the Nation's Number One Delivery Boy. I carry the products of millions of American farms to thousands of American factories and to millions of American homes. I take the coal from the mines, the ore from the hills, the stone from the quarries, and carry them to the market places. I keep the factories of the Nation supplied with raw materials. I distribute the products of these factories to cities and towns and hamlets from Maine to California, from Washing-ton State to Florida. I meet the ships of the Seven Seas at our seaports. I receive the coffee, the sugar, the spices, the rubber, the copra, and the countless other things which these ships bring to our shores, and I deliver them to the factories and stores and homes where they are wanted. I gather up the surplus products of farms, forests, mines, and mills and carry them in endless streams to fill the ships that come for cargo. I bring the circus to your city, the entertainers to your theaters, the films to your movies. I speed across America, from city to city, from town to town, with your express shipments — parcels and crates and boxes — picking them up or delivering them at your doors. I am the chief mail carrier for the Nation. I carry eighty-five out of every one hun- dred pieces of non-local mail in this country. 1 bring you letters from distant relatives and friends— letters that mean so much in your life. I also bring you packages and your favorite magazines. I am the Nation's safest carrier of passengers. I am the swiftest carrier of pas- sengers by land. At this very moment, tens of thousands of people are speeding across America in my comfortable traveling hotels — businessmen on important missions, students going to and from schools and colleges, newlyweds on their honeymoons, vacationists en route to distant resorts, parents going to visit their children, children going to visit their parents. Not only do I carry the American people on their myriad errands, I provide them with comfortable beds in which to sleep; I serve them food and refreshments; I look after their every want while they are my guests. I am an employer as well as a transporter. More than a million men and women work for me and with me in performing my great transportation tasks. I am one of the chief shoppers of the Nation. I am constantly buying ; my wants are never satisfied. Yesterday I spent millions; today I am spending millions more ; tomorrow I shall spend other millions with mines and mills and factories and wholesalers for the many things I must have to keep my millions of wheels rolling. I am one of the chief supporters of government. The taxes I pay — amounting to millions of dollars a day — help pay the salaries of our public oflicials, meet the expenses of our public schools, protect the health of communities, provide police and fire protec- tion, build roads, airports, and waterways all over America. I am an empire builder and a promoter of unity. I have knit this far-flung Nation together, linking North with South, East with West, in one great community of com- mon interest and common understanding. I never sleep. Night and day, month in and month out, year after year, summer and winter, rain or snow, in storm or flood — I carry on! I am a vital part of the Nation's economic life. I am the American Railroad System ! ILLINOIS HISTOk-C/U. SURvF/ S«5. 775 THf AMERICAN RAILROADS CHRONOLOGY 1807 — Silas Whitney operated a horse-drawn and gravity wooden tramway on Beacon Hill, Boston. 1809 — Thomas Leiper built a wooden tramway, operated by horses, to connect quarries in Dela- ware County, Pa., with tidewater. February 6, 1815 — John Stevens, of Hoboken, was granted first railroad charter in America, by the New Jersey Legislature, which authorized con- struction between the Delaware and Raritan rivers, near Trenton and New Brunswick. February, 1825 — First locomotive to run on rails in America, built by John Stevens and operated experimentally on a half-mile circular track at Hoboken, N. J. October 7, 1826 — Gridley Bryant's Granite Railway was opened at Quincy, Mass., to transport gran- ite used in building Bunker Hill Monument; horses supplied motive power for the three- mile long broad-gauge railroad. February 28, 1827— Charter granted for the first railroad in Maryland — now the oldest railroad charter in America; the first stone was laid in construction on Independence Day, 1828. May, 1827 — Mauch Chunk Railroad, operated by gravity and mule power, opened at Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), Pa., for transpor- tation of coal. August 8, 1829 — Locomotive "Stourbridge Lion," imported from England, put on track at Hones- dale, Pa., and operated three miles with Horatio Allen as engineer. August 25, 1830 — Trial trip of Peter Cooper's loco- motive "Tom Thumb," from Baltimore to Elli- cott's Mills, Md., and return. December 25, 1830 — Railroad at Charleston, S. C, began scheduled passenger service, using Ameri- can-built locomotive, "Best Friend of Charles- ton"; the first public carrier by rail in South Carolina and the first railroad in America to use steam power in regular service; completed to Hamburg. S. C, 136 miles, on October 3, 1833. 1830 — Anthracite coal used as fuel by locomotive "Tom Thumb." 1830 — Robert L. Stevens designed forerunner of the T-rail used today; first iron rails of American design were rolled in 1844; Bessemer steel rails first rolled at North Chicago Rolling Mills on May 25, 1865. April 14, 1831 — First railroad in Louisiana ready for traffic between New Orleans and Milneburg; formal opening on April 23; locomotive "Pont- chartrain," first in Mississippi Valley, made initial scheduled run, September 17, 1832. July 4, 1831 — First railroad in Delaware opened at New Castle; horses were used. July 4, 1831 — First issue of first railroad journal in the United States, the Rail-Road Advocate, pub- lished at Rogersville, Tenn. August 9, 1831 — First steam train in New York State ran from Albany to Schenectady, pulled by locomotive "DeWitt Clinton." November 12, 1831 — Locomotive "John Bull" placed in service at Bordentown, N. J.; Isaac Dripps put the engine together — and added a pilot, subse- quently. November, 1831— United States Mails carried for first time by rail — in South Carolina. 1831 — A pine-knot fire on open platform car in South Carolina served as first locomotive headlight; 1830's to 1850's, candles and whale oil were used in reflector lamps; 1859, kerosene lamps, followed by gas; 1881, electricity; 1936, figure-8 oscillating headlight; 1944, oscillating headlight that flashes white or red, for safety purposes; 1946, sealed-beam headlight. 1831- Virginia's first railroad completed, about 12 miles in length, in Chesterfield County; char- tered February 27, 1828, to build and operate a railroad from the Falling Creek coal mines to tidewater on the James River, near Richmond. June 12, 1832 — First railroad in Alabama opened from Tuscumbia to Tennessee River, where Sheffield now stands. October, 1832 — First railroad connecting Virginia and North Carolina opened from Petersburg southward; completed to Roanoke River in North Carolina in 1833. November 23, 1832 — "Old Ironsides, " Matthias Bald- win's first locomotive, made initial run from Philadelphia toward Germantown. June 6, 1833 — Andrew Jackson became the first Pres- ident of the United States to ride on a railroad train — between EUicott's Mills, Md., and Balti- more. January 30, 1834— Kentucky's first railroad com- pleted from Lexington to Frankfort. April 16, 1834 — First passenger train service in New England began between Boston and Newton, Mass. July 4, 1835 — Oldest stone arch railroad bridge in the United States opened at Relay, Md. August 20, 1835 — Boston-Providence line opened for regular service; first in Rhode Island. August 25, 1835 — First railroad to Washington, D. C, opened from Baltimore. February 5, 1836 — Henry R. Campbell, of Philadel- phia, patented an eight-wheeled engine (4-4-0), subsequently termed the American type; engine was completed May 8, 1837; with numerous mod- ifications, it remained a popular type until 1895. March 14, 1836 — West Virginia's first railroad began regular transportation and travel service from Winchester, Va., to Harper's Ferry, W. Va. (then in Virginia) ; locomotive "Tennessee" ar- rived from England on March 9; road opened with ceremony on March 31. April, 1836 — First car ferry, the "Susquehanna," was placed in service on the Susquehanna River, between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Md. July 13, 1836— John Ruggles, U. S. Senator from Maine and "Father of the U. S. Patent Office," was issued Patent No. 1 — first in the numbered series — for a device to increase the power of railway locomotives and to prevent their wheels from sliding. July 21, 1836 — Canada's first locomotive, the "Dor- chester," puffed her way from Laprairie to St. Johns, Que., to open first Canadian railroad. October 3, 1836 — First railroad in Ohio and Michigan opened between Toledo, Ohio, and Adrian, Michi- gan Territory. November 6, 1836 — First locomotive in Maine made initial run from Bangor. 1836 — First two locomotives known to have been equipped with whistles were built at Lowell, Mass., under the supervision of George Wash- ington Whistler. The "Hicksville" was put in service at Jamaica, Long Island, and was re- ported to make "a shrill, wild unearthly sound something like drawing a saw flat across a bar of iron." The "Susquehanna" was tried out at Wilmington, Del., traveling at "35 or 40 miles an hour" and was said "to give awful notice of its approach to any point." 1836 — Florida's first railroads completed from Talla- hassee to the Gulf at St. Mark's, and from St. Joseph (now Port St. Joe) to Lake Wimico; the former operated with horse or mule power while the latter used steam power. April 24, 1837 — First steam train in Mississippi oper- ated a short distance from Natchez, hauled by the locomotive "Mississippi." May 13, 1837 — Georgia's first railroad opened at Augusta. ISZT— The United Slate» Gazelle (Philadelphia) reported that "Mr. Norris, of this city, . . . has applied a new instrument to steam locomotives, viz: a trombone . . ." It was made of a pipe of a single key, or with several pipes of different keys, "so that there may be a concert of steam instruments" (the forerunner, possibly, of the chime whistle of today) to be heard above the noise of the steam engine and cars. 1837 — World's first sleeping car operated between Harrisburg and Chambersburg, Pa. — a remodeled day coach, crudely built. January, 1838 — New York (South Amboy) and Wash- ington, D. C, linked by a chain of railroads, with ferry service across major rivers and omni- bus service through principal cities; line opened from Jersey City, January 1, 1839. July 7, 1838 — Act of Congress making every railroad a post route signed by President Martin Van Buren. November 8, 1838 — Illinois' first steam railroad opened at Meredosia; locomotive "Rogers" ran to end of track eight miles away; line opened to Springfield, May 13, 1842. November 28, 1838 — First railroad train in Indiana steamed over nine miles of track at Madison, drawn by locomotive "Elkhorn"; the first train arrived in Indianapolis, October 1, 1847. December 23, 1838 — First railroad in New Hamp- shire opened from Lowell, Mass., to Nashua, N.H. 1838 — Connecticut's first railroad opened part way between Hartford and New Haven. March 4, 1839 — America's first long-distance railway express service started by William F. Harnden, former railroad conductor, between Boston and New York. November 24, 1842 — Rail route from Boston to Great Lakes at Buffalo completed. 1842 — The arrival, from Philadelphia, of the first locomotive to travel on Tennessee soil was made the occasion for a considerable celebration, a special train being run from Memphis to a turn- table six miles away. June 26, 1848 — Vermont's first train service begun between White River and Bethel. September, 1848 — Rail route opened from Cincinnati to Great Lakes at Sandusky. October 24, 1848 — Chicago's first locomotive, the "Pioneer," placed on tracks; first run made the following day. December 29, 1848 — First direct rail route between Boston and New York completed. April 23, 1849— Railroad from Detroit completed to Lake Michigan at New Buffalo. September 20, 1850 — President Millard Fillmore signed first Federal railroad land-grant act; last grant to aid in pioneer railroad develop- ment made in 1871; land-grant rate deductions on government traffic and mail continued until October 1, 1946, resulting in savings to the Fed- eral Government of $1,250,000,000 from the time of the first grants in 1850. November 20, 1850 — Wisconsin's first railroad opened, Milwaukee to Wauwatosa. 1850 — Oil lamps were introduced on trains for night travel; gas light in 1860; Pintsch gas in 1883; electricity in 1885; fluorescent lights in 1938. May 14-15, 1851 — Great celebration opening first railroad from Piermont, N. Y., to Lalce Erie at Dunkirk; President Fillmore participated. July 1, 1851 — The first refrigerator-type car known to have been built in this country began service when eight tons of butter were transported to Boston from Ogdensburg, N. Y. August 16, 1851— Marked the opening of the first international railway link on the North Ameri- can Continent — Laprairie, Que., to Rouses Point, N. Y., and thence by connecting roads to New York and Boston; passengers and freight were conveyed without transshipment; by interna- tional agreement, first of its kind in the world, rolling stock of foreign ownership was permitted free entry into Canada and the United States, a ruling still in effect. September 22, 1851 — First recorded use of telegraph for train dispatching took place at Turner (now Harriman), N. Y. October 1, 1851— New York and Buflfalo linked by rail — via Albany. May 21, 1852 — First passenger train from the East (Detroit) entered Chicago. December 9, 1852 — First locomotive west of Missis- sippi River, "The Pacific," ran from St. Louis to Cheltenham, five miles. December 10, 1852 — Philadelphia linked by rail with Ohio River at Pittsburgh; ten incline planes used. December 24, 1852 — Railroad from Baltimore com- pleted to Ohio River at Wheeling. January 24, 1853 — All-rail route completed between Eastern cities and Chicago; several changes of cars were necessary. June, 1853 — A Connecticut railroad equipped a pas- senger train with flexible connections which provided covered and enclosed passageways (ves- tibules) between cars. August 1, 1853 — First railroad in Texas opened at Harrisburg; first locomotives were the "Texas" and the "General Sherman" (named for Gen- eral Sidney Sherman, railroad promoter, and credited as originator of "Remember the Alamo" battle cry). February 22, 1854 — Railroad completed from Chicago to Mississippi River at Rock Island, opening first rail route from Eastern seaboard. 1854 — Luxurious, adjustable, reclining-seat coaches, "night seats" as they were called, placed in serv- ice between Philadelphia and Baltimore. 1854 — The use of both bituminous and anthracite coal as fuel for locomotives had by this time become a practical success. February, 1855 — Susan Morningstar, of Baltimore, Md., is recorded as the first woman railroad em- ployee. March, 1855 — Niagara Suspension Bridge completed, opening another rail route between East and West. September, 1855 — Horse and buggy flat car services, presently termed "piggyback" services, became popular transportation for farmers en route to market in Nova Scotia; 1885 marked the in- auguration of farmers' truck-wagon trains on Long Island. November 20, 1855 — First train in Iowa ran from Davenport to Muscatine. 1855 — First through rail route between Chicago and St. Louis opened. February 22, 1856 — California's first railroad opened, Sacramento to Folsom. April 21, 1856 — First railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River opened at Davenport, Iowa; partially burned on May 6 following collision by steamer "Effle Afton' ; rebuilt and reopened on September 8, 1856. September 27, 1856 — World's longest railroad com- pleted, Chicago to Cairo and Centralia to East Dubuque, 705y2 miles. December 2, 1856 — First sleeping car patents issued to T. T. Woodruff. April 1, 1857 — First Southern rail route between Atlantic seaboard and Mississippi River com- pleted — Charleston to Memphis. June 4, 1857— Completion of first direct rail route from Baltimore to East St. Louis via Cincinnati. August 24, 1857 — "The first step of the steam loco- motive on Arkansas soil, was taken by the 'Little Rock' which ran out from Hopefield to the end of the laid track, under steam." Six bales of cot- ton were received in Memphis from this road, on November 6, the first ever transported over a railroad in Arkansas. February 14, 1859 — Iron Horse reached Missouri River at St. Joseph. September 1, 1859 — First Pullman sleeping car left Bloomington, 111., on overnight trip to Chicago; first Pullman conductor was Jonathan L. Barnes. April 23, 1860 — Locomotive "Albany," first in Kansas, arrived at Elwood. I860 — Chicago, with 11 railroads, had become America's leading railway center. March 31, 1862 — "Oregon Pony," first locomotive in Pacific Northwest, arrived at Portland, Oregon. April 12, 1862 — Race and battle between Union sold- iers on locomotive "General" and Confederates on locomotive "Texas," from Big Shanty to Ringgold, between Atlanta and Chattanooga. June 28, 1862 — Minnesota's pioneer locomotive, "Wil- liam Crooks," hauled first passenger train from St. Paul to St. Anthony (Minneapolis). July 1, 1862 — President Lincoln signed Act authoriz- ing construction of a line of railroads from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast. July 28, 1862 — Experimental post office car for sort- ing mail en route placed in service between Hannibal and St. Joseph, Mo. April 20, 1863 — First steam railroad— six miles long — in Washington Territory, between Upper and Lower Cascades. 1863 — Dining cars introduced; ran between Phila- delphia and Baltimore. August 28, 1864 — First permanent Railway Post Office car for picking up, sorting, and distribut- ing mail en route was placed in operation on a run from Chicago to Clinton. Iowa. September 20, 1865— Railroad opened between St. Louis and Kansas City. September 22, 1865 — First railroad in Nebraska open- ed westward from Omaha, 10 miles. November 1, 1865— A tank car especially built for transporting oil took on its initial load at Titusville, Pa 1865— Block-signal system, through telegraphic com- munication, introduced by Ashbel Welch. April 20, 1866— The first code of rules to govern the interchange of freight cars was adopted at a meeting of fast freight lines held in Buffalo. 1866 — Automatic block signals introduced. January 17, 1867 — First railroad line completed across Iowa — to Council Bluffs, opposite Omaha; first through train from Chicago reached Mis- souri River on February 8. June 25, 1867 — First railroad in Colorado opened at Julesburg; completed to Denver, June 22, 1870. November, 1867— Wyoming's first railroad reached Cheyenne from East. December 13, 1867 — Railroad pushing eastward from Sacramento entered Nevada, near Crystal Peak. 1867 — St. Paul and Minneapolis linked with Chicago by rail. April 21, 1868 — Eli H. Janney obtained patent for an automatic coupler; second patent was issued April 29, 1873, for the basic car coupler design generally in use today; standard, interchange- able, automatic car couplers were introduced in 4 1887, following extensive experiments; further advance improvements made and standardized in subsequent years. 1868— First Pullman-built dining car, the "Delmon- ico," placed in service. January 23, 1869 — George Westinghouse applied for air-brake patent. February, 1869 — Railroad building westward from Omaha entered Utah T*erritory, at Wahsatch. May 10, 1869 — Golden Spike ceremony at Promon- tory, Utah, signalized completion of the first transcontinental rail route. July 4, 1869 — First bridge to span the Missouri River opened at Kansas City, thus establishing a through route from Chicago. June 6, 1870 — First locomotive entered Indian Terri- tory (now Oklahoma). August 16, 1871 — First narrow-gauge railroad opened a few miles out of Denver, Colo.; road opened to Colorado Springs on October 27, 1871; locomo- tive "Montezuma" was the first narrow-gauge passenger engine built or operated in this country. June 8, 1872— First railroad in what is now North Dakota completed from Minnesota line to Fargo; to Bismarck, June 3, 1873. 1872 — First railroad in what is now South Dakota completed from Sioux City, Iowa, to Vermillion. December 24, 1873 — First through passenger train between Chicago and New Orleans, using ferry across Ohio River; car trucks changed at Cairo on account of break in gauge. May 3, 1874 — Idaho's first railroad opened from Ogden, Utah Territory, to Franklin, Idaho. July 1, 1876— Great Hoosac Tunnel, in Western Massachusetts, officially opened for traffic. May 21, 1877 — Tests at Altoona, Pa., marked the first use of telephone communication for railroad purposes. September 30, 1877 — First locomotive and train en- tered Arizona Territory, at Yuma. December 7, 1878 — New Mexico's first railroad reach- ed Raton Mountains from Trinidad, Colo. May 1, 1880 — Montana's first railroad opened be- tween Monida and Red Rock. March 8, 1881 — Completion of first rail route to Southern California via New Mexico and Ari- zona. 1881— Railway mileage in United States exceeded 100,000 route miles for the first time. 1881 — Steam heating system first installed in pas- senger trains, replacing stoves and hot water heaters. January 12, 1883 — Completion of direct rail route from California to New Orleans; first through train service began on February 5. September 8, 1883 — Entrance of first rail route from Great Lakes into Washington Territory cele- brated; many American and foreign notables attended the spike-driving ceremony; extended to Puget Sound via Cascade Mountains, July 1, 1887. November 18, 1883 — Standard time, sponsored by the railroads, adopted throughout the United States. November 25, 1884 — Middle transcontinental route from Chicago to Pacific Northwest joined at Huntington, Oregon; through traffic com- menced December 1, 1884. November 7, 1885 — Last spike driven in first Canad- ian transcontinental line at Craigellachie. B. C, the first "special" train reaching Port Moody from Montreal the next morning; line fully opened to Vancouver. B. C, May 23, 1887. 1886 — Standardization of gauge (4 ft. Si^ in.) of railroads in the South completed, enabling in- terchange of cars throughout the country for first time. Februar>- 4. 1887 — Interstate Commerce Act, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission, signed by President Grover Cleveland. April 14, 1887 — General Time Convention, a predeces- sor of the Association of American Railroads, adopted the first standard code of train rules. April, 1887 — First modern solid vestibule train placed in service, between New York and Chicago. June 17-18, 1887 — Successful test runs were made of a passenger train hauled by an oil-burning loco- motive, Altoona to Pittsburgh and return. December, 1887 — Completion of a direct rail route linked Seattle and Portland with San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. 1887 — Extensive air-brake tests conducted during 1886-87 on 50-car freight trains at Burlington, Iowa, led to the adoption of an automatic, quick- action, triple-valve brake for freight service. 1887 — First trains in America to be fully equipped with electric lights ran between New York and Chicago, Boston and New York, New York and Florida, and from Springfield, Mass., to North- ampton, January 6, 1893 — Second rail route completed from Great Lakes to Puget Sound, May 10, 1893 — Locomotive No. "999" made the world's first 100-mile-an-hour record run. 1895 — First steam railroad electrifications in the United States completed, in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland. April 15, 1896 — Miami. Fla., reached by railroad from Jacksonville, and the North. 1900 — Total investment in railroad properties ex- ceeded $10,000,000,000 for first time; net capi- talization, $9,548,000,000. 1901 — Mechanical coal stokers for locomotives in- troduced. 1902 — Railroad route mileage in United States passed the 200,000-mile mark. 1904 — All-steel passenger-train cars placed in steam railway service. June 12, 1905 — Fastest train speed officially recorded on an American railroad was made on a three- mile run near Ada, Ohio, at 127.06 miles per hour. May 19, 1909 — Third northern rail route from Great Lakes to Puget Sound completed; through freight service began July 4, 1909, Chicago to Seattle, and through passenger service on July 10. 1910. August 22, 1910 — First passenger train arrived in San Francisco over the new second rail route from the Great Salt Lake. 1914 — Tests were begun looking toward the use of radio in railroad communications. 1915 — Second and third Canadian transcontinental routes opened for operation, from Eastern Can- ada to Prince Rupert and Vancouver. B. C. March, 1917 — The American Short Line Railroad Association was organized. December 28, 1917— Federal Government took con- trol of railroads of the United States as a war- time emergency measure; fiscal control became effective January 1, 1918; returned to owners by Federal Government, March 1, 1920. August 26, 1920 — Motion pictures were shown on trains between Atlanta, Ga., and Montgomery, Ala., with musical accompaniment furnished by an Edison phonograph; the showings con- tinued for several months, October 20, 1925— First Diesel-electric locomotive (a switcher* installed in railroad service. July 25, 1927— A co-ordinate system of centralized traffic control, installed on a 40-mile route at Berwick, Ohio, was placed in operation; "CTC" has since been installed on over 28,400 miles of track. 1927— Beginning of modern developments in me- chanical air conditioning of railway passenger cars. February 26, 1928 — In formal opening, first train passed through Moffat Tunnel, west of Denver; 6.2 miles, second longest in United States. December 7, 1928 — Railway Express Agency organ- ized to handle nation-wide express business. January 12, 1929 — Cascade Tunnel, 7.79 miles in length, longest in Western Hemisphere, opened in Washington State. September 9, 1929— First air-conditioned Pullman car operated between Chicago and Los Angeles. May 24, 1931- World's first completely air-condi- tioned passenger train placed in service between Washington and New Yoric. November 21, 1932— Recreation car "Miami Bilt- more" placed in service between New York and Miami, providing entertainment and recreation facilities supervised by a hostess. February 12, 1934 — First light-weight streamliner, equipped with distillate-electric motive power, delivered by manufacturer; after extensive ex- hibition tour, the train was placed in scheduled service between Salina, Kans., and Kansas City, Mo., on January 31, 1935. May 26, 1934 — First Diesel-electric powered stream- lined train, completed April 9, 1934, ran non- stop 1,015 miles, Denver to Chicago, at an aver- age speed of 77.6 miles per hour. October 12, 1934 — Association of American Railroads formed by consolidation of American Railway Association and other organizations, some of which dated to 1867. October 22-25, 1934 — Diesel-powered streamlined train ran from Los Angeles to New York City, 3,258 miles, in 56 hours, 55 minutes; average over-all spyeed 57.2 miles per hour. November 11, 1934 — First light-weight streamlined passenger train to use Diesel-electric power, and first in regular daily service, placed in operation between Lincoln, Nebr., and Kansas City, Mo. May 12, 1936 — First 39%-hour passenger schedule put into effect between Chicago and Los Angeles. March, 1937 — Two-way train telephone communica- tion system inaugurated in mainline railroad operations, between Albion, Pa., and North Bessemer Yard, Pittsburgh. July 1, 1937 — Federal Railroad Retirement Act went into effect for all railroads, replacing voluntary retirement and disability benefits on some 80 major railroads. March 1, 1938 — Anti-telescoping tightlock couplers adopted as alternate standard for passenger- train cars; became standard in 1946 after years of service tests. June 15, 1938 — First 16-hour passenger train sched- ules put into effect between New York and Chi- cago. 1941— First Diesel-electric road freight locomotives placed in regular service. May 17, 1945 — Federal Communications Commission allocated radio channels for exclusive railroad use; first construction permit granted by the F.C.C. on February 27, 1946. July 23, 1945 — First modern domed observation car introduced, operating between Chicago and Minneapolis. September 2, 1945— V- J Day ended World War II; during 45 months of war, the railroads moved 90 per cent of all Army and Navy freight and more than 97 per cent of all military personnel in organized groups within the United States; the latter included the operation of 113,891 special troop trains. November 15, 1948 — Track tests begun on first gas- turbine-electric locomotive to be built and op- erated in the United States; first unit went into regular pool service January 1, 1952. May, 1952 — Diesel ownership, as expressed in power units, exceeded ownership of steam locomotives for the first time, 19,082 Diesel-electric units to 18,489 steam locomotives. 1954 — Total investment in railroad property, $33,- 952,000,000; net capitalization (stocks, bonds, and other securities outstanding In the hands of the public), $15,840,000,000. December 1, 1955 — Remote control of a multiple- unit car was demonstrated between New Ro- chelle and Rye, N.Y., from a control panel located at Larchmont, N.Y. The car's move- ments were protected at all times by standard automatic train control equipment. January 1, 1956 — More than $10,800,000,000 spent for improvement of facilities and equipment since the end of World War II. Included in the improvements were new yards, terminals, and sidings, roadway and machinery, signals and communications, almost 21,000 new Diesel loco- motive units, 5,775 passenger-train cars, 585,- 000 new freight cars, and 20,000 track-miles of CTC. February 11, 1956 — New type, low-center-of-gravity trains went into service between Peoria and Chicago, 111.; cars of the Diesel-powered trains are articulated. GROWTH OF RAILWAY MILEAGE BY STATES ^ The following figures represent miles of railroad operated for the years 1830-1880, inclusive, and miles of railroad owned for the years 1890-1955, inclusive. State Alabama ... Arizona Arkansas. . . California . Colorado . . Connecticut . Delaware ... Dist.of Columbia Florida- Georgia Idaho Illinois- Indiana^ Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts - Michigan Minnesota Mississippi - Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey. . . New Mexico . New York North Carolina. North Dakota . Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania^ Rhode Island . South Carolina^ South Dakota . Tennessee^ Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington' . West Virginia' Wisconsin Wyoming 1830 1840 1850 1860 United States' 46 183 102 39 402 39 21 643 111 228 28 78 40 80 11 245 213* 259* 301 1,035 59 342 38 23 "601 127 402 1,420 2,790 2,163 655 534 335 472 386* 1,264 779 53 186 75 467 206 862 817 661 560 374 1,361 53 283 2,682 937 30 575 2,946 754 1,240 50 68 137 289 147 290 384 2,598 108 973 1,253 307 554 1,379 352 905 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1955 1,157 1,843 3,314 4,226 5,226 5,378 5,249 4,996 4,668 349 1,097 1,512 2,097 2,478 2,494 2,228 2,179 256 859 2,196 3,360 5,306 5,052 4,826 4,482 4,001 925 2,195 4,356 5,751 7,772 8,356 8,240 7,947 7,531 157 1,570 4,176 4,587 5,533 5,519 4,972 4,552 3,866 742 923 1,007 1,024 1,000 1,001 969 887 831 197 275 323 347 335 335 325 295 293 • • 30 32 36 36 36 35 35 446 518 2,471 3,299 4,432 5,212 5,666 5,218 4,691 1,845 2,459 4,532 5,652 7,056 7,326 6,672 6,334 5,945 206 941 1,261 2,179 2,877 2,965 2,746 2,691 4,823 7,851 10,214 11,003 11,878 12,188 12,500 11,949 11,384 3,177 4,373 6,971 6,471 7,420 7,426 7,107 6,889 6,614 2,683 5,400 8,366 9,185 9,755 9,808 9,698 8,950 8,542 1,501 3,400 8,806 8,719 9,007 9,388 9,339 8,564 8,416 1,017 1,530 2,746 3,060 3,526 3,929 4,055 3,691 3,558 450 652 1,759 2,824 5,554 5,223 4,654 4,357 4,025 786 1,005 1,338 1,915 2,248 2,295 2,194 1,882 1,794 671* 1,040* 1,231 1,376 1,426 1,436 1,443 1,367 1,273 1,480 1,915 2,094 2,119 2,115 2,106 2,022 1,793 1,693 1,638 3,938 7,243 8,195 9,021 8,734 8,072 7,303 6,680 1,092 3,151 5,466 6,943 8,669 9,114 8,779 8,421 8,303 990 1,127 2,332 2,920 4,506 4,369 4,209 3,919 3,741 2,000 3,965 6,004 6,875 8,083 8,117 7,897 7,042 6,714 106 2,181 3,010 4,207 5,072 5,228 5,149 5,029 705 1,953 5,295 5,685 6,067 6,166 6,174 6,044 5,748 593 739 925 909 2,277 2,160 2,109 1,941 1,649 736 1,015 1,145 1,239 1,246 1,252 1,166 1,002 871 1,125 1,684 2,047 2,257 2,260 2,352 2,299 2,108 1,971 758 1,324 1,753 3,032 2,972 2,973 2,812 2,475 3,928 5,957 7,661 8,121 8,430 8,390 8,312 7,739 7,291 1,178 1,486 3,001 3,831 4,932 5,522 5,161 4,668 4,325 t t 1,941 2,731 4,201 5,311 5,276 5,266 5,257 3,538 5,792 7,912 8,807 9,134 9,002 8,805 8,501 8,377 289 1 168t 828 1 5,980 6,572 6,678 6,302 5,957 159 508 1,428 1,724 2,285 3,305 3,456 3,385 3,232 4,656 6,191 8,453 10,331 11,290 11,551 11,141 10,328 9,305 136 210 213 212 212 211 191 194 181 1,139 1,427 2,194 2,818 3,442 3,814 3,780 3,466 3,194 65t l,225t 2,486 2,850 3,948 4,276 4,238 4,006 3,916 1,492 1,843 2,752 3,137 3,816 4,078 3,940 3,573 3,431 711 3,244 8,613 9,886 14,282 16,125 17,069 16,356 13,441 257 842 1,090 1,547 1,986 2,161 2,196 2,082 1,731 614 914 921 1,012 1,100 1,077 1,056 919 860 1,486 1,893 3,160 3,779 4,535 4,703 4,516 4,261 4,128 289 1.783 2,914 4,875 5,587 5,542 5,243 4,983 387 691 1,328 2,228 3,601 3,996 4,046 3,831 3,710 1,525 3,155 5,584 6,531 7,475 7,554 7,288 6,639 6,257 459 512 942 1,229 1,645 1,931 2,036 2,008 1,883 23 2,808 9,021 30,626 52,922 93,267 163,597 193,346 240,439 252,845 249,052 233,670 220,670 ■ Sources: Poor's Manual o/ Railroads, 1890, p. vi; 1912, p. cxxxviii, for the years 1830-1880, inclusive. Totals for the United States check for addition but differ from the Manual for the years 1S40 and 18K0. Statistics oj Railways in the United States, compiled by the Interstate Commerce Commission, for the years 1890-1955, inclusive. (Beginning with 1954, the title "Statistics of Railways in the United States" was changed to "Transport Statistics in the United States.") Totals for the United States are correct as reported by the I.C.C. 1890-1930, inclusive, but differ slightly from totals of addition of individual state mileages because basic figures for the latter were reported in fractions and have been rounded off for table. United States totals for 1890 and 1900 include 1,046 and 1,323 miles, respectively, in Indian Territory. The total was subsequently adjusted by the I.C.C. to read 240,293 miles. n the preceding "Chronology" which are not included in Poor's Table of Railroad Mileage by SUtes : 1830— I182r,|; Pennsylvania, V, mile (1809), 9 miles (1827), 16 miles (1829): South Carolina. 6 miles (Poor, 10 \ Drida. 22 miles (18361; Illinois, 24 miles (18401: Indiana, 20 miles (1839): Mississippi. 25 miles eluded with Virginia). 32 miles (1836). 1850— Tennessee, 9 miles (1850). 1870— Washington, 6 for 1910. 240,439 ; ^ Railroads represe Massachusetts. 3 (1830). 1840— Flc ( Poor possibly riy belli the foregoing the "Chr liles) 1 1 839): West Virginia niles (1863). According in operation during the decennial year under which they are listed. Poor's mileage table are mentioned in various well-known historical • District of Columbia mileage included with that of Maryland prior to 1890. T North and South Dakota combined in Dakota Territory prior to 1890. Mileage for Oklahoma Territory, 18 eludes Indian Territory. RAILWAY MILEAGE IN THE UNITED STATES' Miles Miles of of Road All Track Operated* Operated* 1830 23 1831 95 1832 229 1833 380 1834 633 1835 1,098 1836 1,273 1837 1,497 1838 1,913 1839 2,302 1840 2,808 1841 3,535 1842 4,026 1843 - 4,185 1844 . ._- 4,377 1845 4,633 1846 4,930 1847 5,598 1848 _ 5,996 1849 . 7,365 1850 9,021 1851 10,982 1852 12,908 1853 15,360 1854 - 16,720 1855 18,374 1856 22,016 1857 24,503 1858 26,968 1859 - 28,789 1860 - 30,626 1861 .. 31,286 1862 . 32,120 1863 - 33,170 1864 _ ... 33,908 1865 35,085 1866 36,801 1867 - - - 39,050 1868 _ _ 42,229 1869 46,844 1870 , 52,922 1871 , . 60,301 Miles Miles of of Road All Track Year Operated* Operated* 1872 66,171 1873 70,268 1874 72,385 74,096 1875 1876 76,808 94,665 1877 79,082 97,308 1878 81,747 103,649 1879 86,556 104,756 1880 93,267 115,647 1881 . 103,108 130,455 1882 114,677 140,878 1883 121,422 149,101 1884 ... 125,345 156,414 1885 .... .. 128,320 160,506 1886 136,338 167,952 1887 149,214 184,935 1888 . 156,114 191,376 1889 .. ... 161,276 Miles of Road Owned* 202,088 1890 163,597 199,875 1891 ... . 168,403 207,445 1892 ... .... 171,564 211,051 1893 .. .... 176,461 221,864 1894 ... - .. 178,709 229,795 1895 .... .. 180,675 233,275 1896 ... 182,777 239,141 1897 - . .... 184,428 242,013 1898 ... .... 186,396 245,333 1899 189,295 250,143 1900 .... . 193,346 258,784 1901 .. 197,237 265,353 1902 .. 202,472 274,196 1903 ... .. 207,977 283,822 1904 213,904 297,073 1905 218,101 306,797 1906 . _ . 224,363 317,083 1907 . . .. 229,951 327,795 1908 . . 233,468 333,646 1909 . 236,834 342,352 1910 .. 240,293 351,767 1911 . ... -. 243,979 362,825 Year Miles of Road Owned* 1912 246,777 1913 249,777 1914 - 252,105 1915 ...V 253,789 1916 254,037 1917 253,626 1918 253,529 1919 253,152 1920 252,845 1921 251,176 1922 250,413 1923 250,222 1924 250,156 1925 - 249,398 1926 249,138 1927 249,131 1928 249,309 1929 249,433 1930 249,052 1931 248,829 1932 247,595 1933 245,703 1934 243,857 1935 241,822 1936 240,104 1937 238,539 1938 236,842 1939 235,064 1940 233,670 1941 231,971 1942 229,174 1943 227,999 1944 227,335 1945 226,696 1946 226,438 1947 225,806 1948 225,149 1949 224,511 1950 223,779 1951 223,427 1952 222,508 1953 221,758 1954 221,098 1955 220,670 Miles of All Track Operated* 371,238 379,508 387,208 391,141 397,014 400,353 402,343 403,892 406,579 407,531 409,359 412,993 415,028 417,954 421,341 424,787 427,750 429,054 429,883 429,823 428,402 425,664 422,401 419,228 416,381 414,572 411,324 408,350 405,975 403,625 399,627 398,730 398,437 398,054 398,037 397,355 397,203 397,232 396,380 395,831 394,631 393,736 392,580 390,965 'Sources: l»3n to 18S9, inclusive. Poor's Manual of Railroads: 1H90 tc. IDf).''.. inilusive. Interstate Commerc< years 1830 to 1889. inclusive, and 191B to 1955. inclusive, cover calendar years. Data for 1890 to 1915. incl June 30. No mileage is included for Alaska or insular possessions. Mileages shown exclude switching and ter GROWTH OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DURING FIRST CENTURY OF RAILWAY ERA (Compiled from U. S. Government Reports) 1830 1850 Miles of Railroad Land Area, Square Miles Population, United States Population, U. S. East of Miss. River Population, U. S. West of Miss. River Population, Boston Population, New York City Population, Philadelphia Population, Baltimore Population, Washington Population, Buffalo Population, Pittsburgh Population, Cleveland Population, Cincinnati Population, Detroit Population, Chicago .' . . . . Population, Milwaukee Population, St. Louis Population, New Orleans Population, Minneapolis Population. Los .\ngeles Population, San Francisco National Wealth Farms, Number of Farms, Acres in Farms, Value of Farm Income Cotton Production, Bales Com Production, Bushels Wheat Production, Bushels Cattle, Number Sheep, Number Swine, Number Horses and Mules, Number Lumber Mills, Number Lumber Mills, Workers Lumber Cut, Board Feet Value of Mineral Products Coal Mined, Tons Iron Ore Mined, Tons Pig Iron. Tons Made Petroleum Production, Barrels Manufacturing Establishments Manufactures, Value of Manufactures, Wage Earners Manufactures, Payrolls Exports, Value of Imports, Value of Banks, Number of Banks, Resources Banks, Deposits Newspapers and Periodicals Colleges and Universities Public Schools, Expenditures Public Schools, Pupils Enrolled Post Offices, Number of Postal Receipts Beginning Beginning of of Great Trans- Railway Mississippi Era R. R. Expansion 23 1,753,588 12,866,020 12,705,227 160,793 61,392 242,278 80,462 80,620 18,827 8,653 15,369 1,076 24,831 2,222 5,852 46,310 9,021 2,944,337 23.191,876 21,710,234 1,481,642 136,881 515,547 121,376 169,054 40,001 42,261 46,601 17,034 115,436 21,019 29,963 20,061 77,860 116,375 732,218 '17,778,907 1,610 34,870 $7,066,562,966 1,449,075 293,560,614 $3,271,575,426 $1,311,691,326 2,445,793 592,071,104 100,485,944 18,378,907 21,723,220 30,354,213 4,896,050 17,895 52,218 285,779 286,903 $73,849,508 $70,876,920 .506 $418,933,000 $102,269,000 1,403 59 8,450 $1,850,583 563,755 123,025* 51, 019, 106,616' 957,059* $236,755,464* $151,898,720 $178,138,318 824 $532,261,000 $146,304,000 2,526 239 $9,529,542 3,354,011 18,417 $5,499,985 1870 Following Opening of First R. R. to Pacific 52,922 973,965 558,371 408,217 150,154 250,526 478,130 674,022 267,354 109,199 117,714 139.256 92,829 216,239 79,577 298,977 71,440 310,864 191.418 13,066 5,728 149,473 518,507 659.985 735,041 803,861 538,658 011,966 944,549 745,626 074,582 477,951 134,569 270,785 26,930 163,511 543,000 598,994 863,690 395,718 665,179 014,326 252,148* 860,354* 053,996' ,467,474' 771,768 .958,408 1,937 ,830.000 ,100,000 5,871 266 396,666 871,522 28,492 .772,221 1900 1930 $30,068, 2, 407,' $9,262, $2,447, 3 760 287, 28, 28, 25 12,755 $152 32 3 1, $3,385 2 $620; $392 $435 $1,780 $775 Railway Centenary Network of Covers Railway Country Development $63, 6 $19 193.346 2,974.159 75,995,000 56,405,563 19,589,437 560,892 3,437.402 1,293,697 508.957 278.718 352,387 321,616 381,768 325.902 285,704 1,698,575 285,315 575,238 287,104 202,718 102,479 342,782 $88,517,307,000 5,737,000 838,592,000 $16,614,647,000 $4,717,000,000 9.434,000 2.105,102,000 522.229,000 67.719.000 61.504.000 62.868,000 21.532.000 33.010 283.179 34.780,513,000 $1,108,936,000 297,157,554 35,567,410 13,789.242 63.620,000 205,2371 $ll,103,727,539t 4,509,684t $1.895,513.660t $1,394,483,000 $849,941,000 4,888 $10,785,800,000 $8,513,030,000 20.806 624 $214,964,000 15.503,110 76,688 $102,354,579 249,052 2,977,128 122,775,046 87,506,672 35,268,374 781,188 6,930,446 1,950,961 804,874 486,869 573.076 669.817 900,429 451,160 1,568,662 3,376,438 578,249 821,960 458,762 464,356 1,238,048 634,394 $329,700,000,000 6.288,648 986.711,016 $57,245,544,269 $12,478,060,000 13,932,000 2,060,185.000 858,160,000 60,915,000 52,745,000 54,374,000 18,380,000 12,915 419,084 26,051.473,000 $4,810,400,000 536,911,000 58,409,000 31,752,000 898,011,000 206,811t $68,178,340,278t 8,380, 536t $10,909, 814, 795t $3,843,181,000 $3,060,908,000 24,079 $74,020,124,000 $59,847,195,000 11,524 1,078 $2,305,017,000 25,678,000 49,063 $705,484,098 * 1849: 1869, hand and neighborhood industries included, t 1899; 1929. hand and neighborhood industries excluded. RAILWAY INFORMATION SERIES W»ESPONDING to the widespread ** popular demand for information about the American raih-oads, the Asso- ciation of American Raih'oads has made available in printed form, for free dis- tribution, the titles listed below: The American Railroads — Their Growth and Develop- ment. Bibliography of Railroad Literature. A Chronology of American Railroads — Including Mileage by States and by Years. Clear the Track. College Courses in Railroad Subjects — A List of Colleges and Universities Offering Courses in Engineering, Transportation, and Traffic Management. The Day of Two Noons. Highlights of American Railroad History. The Human Side of Railroading. Inside Railroading. List of Maps Showing Railway Lines. List of Principal Railroads in the United States, with Home Address of Each. Quiz, Jr. Quiz on Railroads and Railroading. Railroad Film Directory. The Railroad Story. Railroads at Work. Railroads Deliver the Goods. Rails Across America. Ride the High Iron. Train and Engine Books for Children — A Bibliography. Library of Congress Card No. A49-7570 Rev. January, 1957