The age of steam

Canadian Pacific Railway, 1885 This railroad helped to strengthen Canada against the powerful neighboring United States, by connecting its east and west provinces.

Locomotion No.1, 1825

NORTH AMERICA

Vancouver Montreal

CP No. 60 Jupiter, 1868

Council Bluffs, Iowa First Transcontinental Sacramento, California Railroad, 1869 This railway was finished when the Central Pacific

Railroad from California met the Union Pacific Railroad from Iowa. Builders from each end had raced towards the middle in only 6 years.

How rail changed the world

In addition to allowing convenient travel, railroads helped develop many areas of work and daily life.

Railroad time Time was slightly different in each town before the railroads. Standard railroad time (the same everywhere) was established so that trains could run without colliding. Farming Fresh produce could be carried great distances without spoiling, which helped farmers and improved diets. Industry and employment Railroads created jobs and boosted industry, as materials were needed to build tracks, and coal was needed to fuel the engines.

Postal Services Mail cars were added to trains, and letters were delivered in days, not months. Trade Railroads transported goods faster than roads or canals. Global trade improved as goods traveled quickly to ports for export. Military Railroads transported soldiers and their equipment quickly during times of war, which made rail vital to military success.

Lima Stockton–Darlington Railway, 1825 The world’s first public steam railroad carried coal and passengers. The railroad’s first locomotive was the Locomotion, designed by British engineer George Stephenson.

Stockton/ Darlington Berlin

London

Paris

Orient Express, 1883 This luxury passenger train ran between Europe and the East. Its first route ran between Paris and Istanbul.

Railroads in Africa, 1854–1900 European colonial powers introduced railroads to Africa. Often, tracks ran in from the coast, but SOUTH AMERICA did not join up to create a network.

AFRICA

Callao, Lima, and Oroya Railroad, 1870–1908 Built to cross the Andes Mountains in Peru, linking Pacific ports with the interior of the country, this was the highest railroad in the world for the next 100 years.

“By building the Union Pacific, you will be the remembered man

of your generation.”

US President Abraham Lincoln, to industrialist Oakes Ames, 1865

Golden Eagle, Trans-Siberian Express

Moscow

EUROPE

Istanbul

Cairo Baghdad

Bombay (Mumbai) Trans-Siberian Railroad, 1891–1916 The world’s longest railroad, measuring 5,753 miles (9,259 km), played a key role during World War I in transporting military supplies to the front line.

ASIA

Beijing Vladivostok

Tokyo–Yokohama KEY The colors show the date of the first railroad line in each country. Some nations still have no railroads.

1825–49 1850–74 1875–99 1900–24 1925–49 1950–74 1975–present No railroads Key historic railroad route

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Madras (Chennai) Railroads in Japan, 1872 The British built Japan’s first railroad, between Tokyo and Yokohama. This was part of a new era in which Japan embraced Western innovation.

Trans-Australian Railway, 1917 Spanning 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of flat, dry land, this railroad was vital in uniting Western Australia with the rest of the country.

EIR No. 22 Fairy Indian Railroads, 1853

Queen,1855 Built under British colonial rule, this network linked the key ports of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay.

Lourenço Marques (Maputo) Johannesburg Kimberley Cape-to-Cairo Railway, 1890s This network was planned by the British Empire as a link from the north to the south of Africa. The lines shown have still not all been completed.

Kalgoorlie AUSTRALASIA

Port Augusta

1825–1917 The age of steam

The opening of the first passenger steam railroad in Britain in 1825 revolutionized transportation. Soon, people and goods would travel huge distances—even abroad— quickly and easily. Railroads soon spread throughout Europe and North America, then across the world. They connected cities, provided jobs, and improved trade. Within a few years, rail had become the world’s most important means of transportation.