19TH CENTURY TRAINS

At the turn of the 19th century, horseback had become a thn! of the "ast, "eo"#e
$ere no$ rdn! the ne$ steam%"o$ered machnes kno$n as the tran& 'y the 1())*s ht
the tran had become the ne$est $ay to !et from "ont to "ont& The tran $as e+treme#y
"ractca# because the Unted States $as !ro$n! n s,e and e+"#orers $anted to !o to the
-est and dsco.er t secrets, such as the !o#d rush& I thnk that the tran has e.o#.ed as
one of the most "ractca# and usefu# methods of trans"ortaton&
In 1()/, Samue# Homfray funded the research and refnement of a steam "o$ered
.ehc#e& After about a year, Rchard Tre.thck created the frst #ocomot.e to run on ra#s,
the system $e ha.e de.e#o"ed today& 0n ts frst .oya!e t hau#ed ten tons of ron,
se.enty men, and f.e $a!ons nne m#es n about t$o hours tme& 1Tre.thck2s
#ocomot.e, the frst to run on ra#s, made a successfu# 3ourney o.er t $th a #oaded tran
on 4ebruary 1/th, 1()5&&&after ts maden .oya!e t $as shorn of ts $hee#s and con.erted
nto a statonary en!ne&6 % 7Sne##,1)8
Near#y t$enty years #ater, n 1(9:, an en!#shman by the name of ;u#us <rffths
"atented a "assen!er #ocomot.e& 4our years #ater Stockton = >ar#n!ton Ra#road
Com"any started as the frst ra#road to trans"ort not on#y !oods, but a#so "assen!ers&
Ste"henson*s #ocomot.e "u##ed s+ #oaded coa# cars and t$enty one "assen!er2s cars $th
o.er 5:) "assen!ers o.er 9 m#es n about one hour& <eor!e Ste"henson s consdered to
be the n.entor of the frst steam #ocomot.e en!ne for ra#$ays& Rchard Tre.thck*s
n.enton has been decded#y the frst ra#road #ocomot.e, ho$e.er, t $as des!ned for a
road and not for a ra#road&
Ste"henson $as .ery "oor $hen he $as !ro$n u" and ne.er !ot a forma#
educaton& He $orked n the to$n2s #oca# coa# mnes and had tau!ht hmse#f to read and
$rte& In 1(19, he became a coa# en!ne bu#der, and #ater n 1(15 he bu#t hs frst fu##
#ocomot.e for the Stockton = >ar#n!ton Ra#$ay Com"any& Ste"henson $as hred as
ther "r.ate en!neer and soon s"oke to the o$ners about the use of steam "o$er, they
$ere con.nced and bu#t the steam "o$ered machne, the ?ocomoton& 1Ste"henson2s
method of carryn! $e!ht on a "ston forced by steam to one end of a cy#nder $as a
satsfactory makeshft&6 % 7Sne##,1@8 ?ater, n 1(9:, Ste"henson mo.ed to the ?.er"oo#
and Aanchester Ra#$ay, $here to!ether, $th hs son Robert, they bu#t the machne they
deemed to be The Rocket&
;ohn Ste.ens s deemed as the father of Amercan ra#roadn!& In 1(9@, Ste.ens
demonstrated the "ractca#ty of steam #ocomot.es on a crcu#ar track constructed on hs
"ro"erty n Hoboken, Ne$ ;ersey, ths ha""ened three years "ror <eor!e Ste"henson
"erfected the steam #ocomot.e n En!#and& The .ery frst ra#road charter n North
Amerca $as !.en to ;ohn Ste.ens n 1(1:& Charters to other "eo"#e came after, and
$ork Buck#y started on the frst $orkn! ra#roads&
'a#tmore, n 1(9C, had become the thrd most "o"u#ous cty n the naton, and yet
t st## had not bu#t n a cana#& 'a#tmore $as t$o hundred m#es nearer to the ne$#y
found fronter than Ne$ York and soon rea#,ed that the creaton of a ra#road m!ht make
'a#tmore more com"ett.e $th Ne$ York and the Ere Cana# n trans"ortn! "eo"#e and
!oods to the -est& The "roduct $as the 'a#tmore and 0ho Ra#road, the frst ra#road
chartered n the Unted States& There $ere ce#ebratons on the day the bu#dn! be!an& 0n
;u#y 5, 1(9(, the frst "#e of drt $as du! u" by the #ast sur..n! man $ho s!ned the the
>ec#araton of Inde"endence, a nnety one year o#d named Char#es Carro##&
The frst s"kes of the most "rest!ous ra#roadn! ache.ement, the
Transcontnenta# Ra#road $ere "#aced n 1(@/, n the mdd#e of the C.# -ar& T$o
com"anes tred to #ay as much track as they cou#d& The Centra# Dacfc bu#t east from
Sacramento, Ca#forna, and the Unon Dacfc bu#t $est from 0maha, Nebraska& The
!o.ernment !a.e the com"anes o$nersh" of 9)) feet on each sde of the track and
fnances of E1@,))) to E5(,))) for each m#e of track& At frst, the Unon Dacfc, $hch
had f#at #and, $as much farther ahead& The Centra# Dacfc had to run ra#roads throu!h
the Serra Ne.ada Aountans& Imm!rants hand dr##ed ho#es nto $hch they f##ed b#ack
"o$der& The "ro!ress n the tunne#s throu!h the mountans $as s#o$, about a foot a day&
The Unon Dacfc*s record of ( m#es of track n a one day dro.e the Centra# Dacfc to try
to #ay ten m#es n a day& Track#ayers #ad do$n /,:9) ra#s, $h#e dfferent $orkers #ad
9:,()) tes and na#ed n 9(,1@) s"kes n a sn!#e day& 0n Aay 1), 1(@9, n Utah, a
!o#den s"ke $as na#ed nto the #ast te&
The transcontnenta# ra#road $as com"#eted n @ years a#most a## by hand&
-orkers dro.e s"kes nto mountans, f##ed the ho#es $th b#ack "o$der, and b#asted
throu!h the rock foot by foot& Handcarts mo.ed the matera#s s#o$#y, but sur#y& 'rd!es,
nc#udn! one C)) feet #on! and 19@ feet n the ar, had to be constructed to cross r.ers&
Thousands of $orkers, nc#udn! Irsh,<erman, and Chnese mm!rants, former so#ders,
freed s#a.es "#ayed a "art n the constructon& Chnese #aborers frst $ent to $ork for the
Centra# Dacfc as t be!an crossn! Ca#forna*s Serra Ne.ada Aountans n 1(@:& At one
"ont, (,))) of the 1),))) men $orkn! for the Centra# Dacfc $ere Chnese& At one
"ont, Chnese $orkers $ere #o$ered n hand $o.en baskets to dr## ho#es n the rock&
They "#aced e+"#os.es n each ho#e, #t the fuses, and $ere, ho"efu##y, "u##ed u" before
the "o$der e+"#oded& E+"#osons, tem"eratures, and a.a#anches n the H!h Serras k##ed
hundreds& -hen Chnese $orkers struck for h!her "ay, a Centra# Dacfc e+ecut.e
$thhe#d ther food su""#es unt# they a!reed to !o back to $ork&
-0RFS CITE>
G9:b& Ear#y Amercan Ra#roads&G Ear#y Amercan Ra#roads Hushstory&or!I&
Inde"endence Ha## Assocaton& -eb& 9@ Aay 9)19&
Jhtt"KLL$$$&ushstory&or!LusL9:b&as"M&
Ant,, S& G>!ta# Hstory&G Digital History& -eb& 9@ Aay 9)19&
Jhtt"KLL$$$&d!ta#hstory&uh&eduLdatabaseLartc#eNds"#ay&cfmOHHI>P1CCM&
Sne##, ;& '& Early Railways& Ne$ YorkK Dutnam, 19@5& Drnt&
Abd##, <eor!e '& This Was Railroading& Ne$ YorkK 'onan,a, 19:(& Drnt&
Abd##, <eor!e '& A Locomotive Engineer's Album: The Saga o Steam
Engines in America& Ne$ YorkK 'onan,a, 19@:& Drnt&