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9781610391795 English 1610391799 America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line - - the first American railroad - - in the 1830s sparked a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the speed and convenience of train travel. Promoted by visionaries and built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to world-power status.Every American town, great or small, aspired to be connected to a railroad and by the turn of the century, almost every American lived within easy access of a station. By the early 1900s, the United States was covered in a latticework of more than 200,000 miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial termini, all built and controlled by the biggest corporations in the land. The railroads dominated the American landscape for more than a hundred years but by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile, the truck, and the airplane had eclipsed the railroads and the nation started to forget them. In 'The Great Railroad Revolution', renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its often-overlooked rail heritage., America was made by the railroads. The opening of the first American railroad line in the 1830s sparked a revolution in mode, speed, and convenience that united far-flung parts of the country and enabled America's rise to world power status. By the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. was enmeshed in a latticework of railroad lines, smalltown stations, and magisterial termini. The expansion of trade, industry, and freedom of communication that the railroads engendered came to be an integral part of the American dream. But by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile and the airplane became the dominant mode of long-distance travel and wrote the historical importance of the railroads out of the nation's consciousness. In The Great Railroad Revolution , renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary one-hundred-and-eighty-year story of the rise and fall of the greatest of all American endeavors., Since its birth in the mid-1800s, the railroad has been essential to the economic, political and cultural development of the United States. Since 1840, the United States has lead the world in railway mileage. The American railroads were bigger in every sense than those in Europe: they covered longer distances, used larger locomotives and hauled longer trains. The trains facilitated everything on a larger scale, from wealth and prosperity to bloody conflict. During the Civil War, the industrial efficiency of the railroad made possible an industrial level of carnage: 400 battles were fought - one every four days - and 600,000 died. Its length and geographical spread owed much to the railroads. After the war, there was no brake on the growth of the railroads. The completion of the Transcontinental line in 1869 turned America into a united, industrial powerhouse and from 1865 to 1900, the total extent of the US railroads increased from 35,000 miles to 200,000 miles of track. To be connected to a railroad became the aspiration of every town--great or small--in America. By the turn of the century, almost every American lived within access of a railroad station. But in the 1950s, the US railroad's golden age came to an end. The automobile and the airplane became the dominant mode of long-distance travel, and wrote historical importance of the railroads out of the nation's consciousness. In one hundred and eighty years, the American railroad went from being feted to forgotten. Despite this, America's railroad network remains the world's largest, and is still a vital artery for the transportation of domestic freight. The railroad built America. From the bloody battlefields of the civil war, to the frontiers of the American West, to small-town America where families would wait on platforms for their loved ones to return home from war, the railroad occupies an emblematic space in American folklore. The birth and growth of the US railroad network reflects the ascent of modern America--economically, politically and culturally--and the strengths and complexities of the American psyche. In this book, Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary one-hundred-and-eighty-year story of the US railroad., The U.S. railroad network reflects the ascent of modern America--economically, politically, and culturally--and the strengths and complexities of the American psyche. Wolmar tells the extraordinary 180-year story of the U.S. railroad.
9781610391795 English 1610391799 America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line - - the first American railroad - - in the 1830s sparked a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the speed and convenience of train travel. Promoted by visionaries and built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to world-power status.Every American town, great or small, aspired to be connected to a railroad and by the turn of the century, almost every American lived within easy access of a station. By the early 1900s, the United States was covered in a latticework of more than 200,000 miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial termini, all built and controlled by the biggest corporations in the land. The railroads dominated the American landscape for more than a hundred years but by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile, the truck, and the airplane had eclipsed the railroads and the nation started to forget them. In 'The Great Railroad Revolution', renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its often-overlooked rail heritage., America was made by the railroads. The opening of the first American railroad line in the 1830s sparked a revolution in mode, speed, and convenience that united far-flung parts of the country and enabled America's rise to world power status. By the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. was enmeshed in a latticework of railroad lines, smalltown stations, and magisterial termini. The expansion of trade, industry, and freedom of communication that the railroads engendered came to be an integral part of the American dream. But by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile and the airplane became the dominant mode of long-distance travel and wrote the historical importance of the railroads out of the nation's consciousness. In The Great Railroad Revolution , renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary one-hundred-and-eighty-year story of the rise and fall of the greatest of all American endeavors., Since its birth in the mid-1800s, the railroad has been essential to the economic, political and cultural development of the United States. Since 1840, the United States has lead the world in railway mileage. The American railroads were bigger in every sense than those in Europe: they covered longer distances, used larger locomotives and hauled longer trains. The trains facilitated everything on a larger scale, from wealth and prosperity to bloody conflict. During the Civil War, the industrial efficiency of the railroad made possible an industrial level of carnage: 400 battles were fought - one every four days - and 600,000 died. Its length and geographical spread owed much to the railroads. After the war, there was no brake on the growth of the railroads. The completion of the Transcontinental line in 1869 turned America into a united, industrial powerhouse and from 1865 to 1900, the total extent of the US railroads increased from 35,000 miles to 200,000 miles of track. To be connected to a railroad became the aspiration of every town--great or small--in America. By the turn of the century, almost every American lived within access of a railroad station. But in the 1950s, the US railroad's golden age came to an end. The automobile and the airplane became the dominant mode of long-distance travel, and wrote historical importance of the railroads out of the nation's consciousness. In one hundred and eighty years, the American railroad went from being feted to forgotten. Despite this, America's railroad network remains the world's largest, and is still a vital artery for the transportation of domestic freight. The railroad built America. From the bloody battlefields of the civil war, to the frontiers of the American West, to small-town America where families would wait on platforms for their loved ones to return home from war, the railroad occupies an emblematic space in American folklore. The birth and growth of the US railroad network reflects the ascent of modern America--economically, politically and culturally--and the strengths and complexities of the American psyche. In this book, Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary one-hundred-and-eighty-year story of the US railroad., The U.S. railroad network reflects the ascent of modern America--economically, politically, and culturally--and the strengths and complexities of the American psyche. Wolmar tells the extraordinary 180-year story of the U.S. railroad.