Evolution of Railroads in America

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From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1828 to the present day, this chapter provides a historical journey of the development of railroads in the United States. It tracks the evolution of railroads from regional projects to a vast network, touching on major events like the Civil War and the transition to standard gauge rails.

Trains. Locomotives. Choochoos. Bullet trains. Hyperloops. Subways. How fast can they go? How did they change American history? Why do people love them? What should we do with all that abandoned track? Can you marry a train? What's it like to shovel coal into a steam engine?

Alie went off the rails at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan talking to an official ferroequinologist and curator Matt Anderson -- who confessed to some youthful railroad mischief, delivered a succinct slice of U.S. History, has train movie recommendations and discussed cars vs. trains in the great transportation debate. Also, why transporting isn't always about the trains.

The Henry Ford Museum Railroad Exhibit

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Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris

Theme song by Nick Thorburn