Railroads are seen as a natural emergence that coincided with the Industrial Revolution. Caught between a canal boom and the rise of automobiles, rails initially aided horse-drawn carts in and around British coal mines.
The simultaneous construction of the Charleston & Hamburg and the Baltimore & Ohio set in motion a race to transform America. In the 1860s, rails played an important role in the Civil War. And by the end of the decade, the networks stretched coast to coast. Enter the Gilded Age.
Bridges and tunnels. Cargo and business travel. Tourism and social prestige. Heists and fatal accidents. Scams and cruelty. Tycoons and politicians.
Competition from cars, trucks, and airplanes. A harsh decline. Government subsidies and bailouts.
Some operations are still maintained: primarily freight trains.