The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd.
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The Strasburg Rail Road is the oldest operating railroad in the United States. Founded in 1832, it is known as a short line and is only seven kilometers long. Short lines connected passengers and goods to a main line that traveled to bigger cities.
Opened in 1830, Liverpool Road station in Manchester is the oldest surviving railway terminus building in the world. Opened in 1836, Spa Road railway station in London was the city's first terminus and also the world's first elevated station and terminus.
The Metropolitan line is the oldest underground railway in the world. The Metropolitan Railway opened in January 1863 and was an immediate success, though its construction took nearly two years and caused huge disruption in the streets.
The first steam locomotives originated in Great Britain at the dawn of the 19th century. Though the earliest steam-powered locomotives first pulled wagons full of coal, they would soon be engineered to accommodate their first passengers.
John Stevens is considered to be the father of American railroads. In 1826 Stevens demonstrated the feasibility of steam locomotion on a circular experimental track constructed on his estate in Hoboken, New Jersey, three years before George Stephenson perfected a practical steam locomotive in England.
The history of the Class 1 railroad traces back to our country's first common-carrier, the Baltimore & Ohio. During the next century more than 140 such systems came to serve this great country. After World War II a series of mergers, bankruptcies, and takeovers reduced the number to the current seven.
Princeton Branch or Dinky, USAReaching up to a tiny 2.7 miles of track from Princeton Northwest Junction to Princeton University, the Princeton Branch is the shortest railway line in the Grand ol' USA.
This is an interactive map of the major freight railroads, also known as class I railroads in the United States. They include CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS), Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF), Union Pacific (UP), Canadian Pacific (CP), Canadian National Railway (CN), and the Kansas City Southern (KCS).
Union Pacific Railroad — Headquartered in Omaha, NebraskaFounded in 1862, Union Pacific (UP) has been providing train transportation for 156 years. It's the largest railroad in North America, operating 51,683 miles in 23 states.
After being withdrawn from service, most steam locomotives were scrapped, though some have been preserved in various railway museums. The only steam locomotives remaining in regular service are on India's heritage lines.
In 1830, the South Carolina Canal and Rail-Road Company was formed to draw trade from the interior of the state. It had a steam locomotive built at the West Point Foundry in New York City, called The Best Friend of Charleston, the first steam locomotive to be built for sale in the United States.
Many workers contributed to the construction of railroads. On the East Coast, Native Americans, recently freed black people, and white laborers worked on the railroads. On the West Coast, many of the railroad workers were Chinese immigrants. New Jersey issued the first railroad charter in 1815.
Grand Central Terminal is spread over 49 acres, has 44 platforms and 67 tracks on two levels. It is the world's largest train station by number of platforms and area occupied.
The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system.
As of 2020, Texas was the U.S. state with the largest railroad mileage, reaching over 10,400 miles. It represented around 7.6 percent of the total mileage for the United States.