From the opening of the first few railroads in the east coast states at the beginning of the 1830s, America’s rail network began its rapid expansion westwards as technology and investment in railroad companies took off. At first the railroads were fiercely opposed by canal corporations, which conducted the bulk... More
The 1840s saw massive expansion of America’s railroad network and by 1850 the total length of railroads was triple that of just ten years earlier. By this point all of America’s eastern states, besides Florida, had stretches of railroad running through them and a number of large cities were supplied... More
The rail network played an important role in the American Civil War, which pitted the southern Confederation against the northern Union states between 1861–65. The Union states of the north held an advantage in the form of a larger and more extensive railroad network, along with the accompanying telegraph communications... More
Following the Civil War the United States government had begun a widespread effort to reconstruct the southern states and bring them more in line economically and socially with the north. This included a major effort to financially invest in the existing railroad network and to provide grants for the construction... More
The 1880s was the decade that saw the greatest total railroad mileage constructed in American history, however the majority of this expansion occurred outside the eastern states, which had previously been the railroad heartland. The prosperous economic climate of the 1880s provided the funding and incentives for railroad development into... More
Between 1890–1900 the rate of new railroad construction had dropped significantly from the peak of the early 1880s. The trend of network growth into the western states continued as their coverage began to catch up with the states of the east coast. The introduction of two major safety innovations, the... More
The American railroad network reached its peak track mileage in 1916 with over 254,000 miles of operational railway that served rural areas and cities alike. Although track construction had significantly tailed off since the turn of the century, passenger demand and transport requirements for agriculture still made the smaller branch... More
Severe shortcomings in the general organization and capacity of the rail industry were exposed upon America’s entry into World War I in 1917. The railroads’ lack of capability to assist the war effort through vital freight transport led the US government to assume control of the country’s railroads in a... More
The sharp increase in both passenger and freight demand during World War II led many of the major railroad operators to invest in new rail infrastructure ready to continue high capacity operations following the war. Contrary to prior predictions, there was a steep decline in overall rail use following World... More
By 1860 the American rail network stretched across the eastern states and was owned by numerous competing railroad companies that used many different track gauges. Much of the early rail network used the narrower 4 ft 81/2 in., 4 ft 10 in. or 5 ft gauges. Newer railroads whose construction... More
After the US declared war upon the Central Powers in April, 1917, President Wilson introduced compulsory conscription. This was after the first six weeks of voluntary enlistment produced only 73,000 recruits, rather than the anticipated million. The Selective Service Act introduced a ‘liability of military service of all male citizens’... More
Under the Lend-Lease policy of March 1941, the US agreed to supply its Allies with food, oil and weaponry until the end of the war. In return, the US leased army and naval bases in Allied territories. When the Lend-Lease policy was established, the US was neutral; in December 1941,... More