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If you're looking for a ride on the rails,
"Pennsylvania is the best place to be," says author Bill
Simpson. "Pennsylvania is a leader in tourist railroads because
Pennsylvania was a leader in railroads."
When Pennsylvania's first railroad opened in 1827, few could have
predicted the railroad industry's rise to become the 19th century's
BIGGEST business. Very few, if any, industries affected the growth
of America as significantly as the development of the ability to
transport goods - and people - by rail. And Pennsylvania's role
in the railroad industry is second to none.
While the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 is
perhaps the best-known event in American railroad history, the completion
of the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona is certainly as significant.
Prior to the completion of the Curve, the Allegheny Mountains were
an unbreachable obstacle in the westward expansion of the country.
Only about one-tenth of America's population lived west of the Appalachians.
When the engineering marvel was completed in 1854, America had its
gateway to the west. With the expansion, the railroad came into
prominence in every large city and nearly every small town. Rail
stations became the center of Pennsylvania towns' economic and social
activity. The trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, which previously
had taken days by buggy, now could be made in under 10 hours.
The mighty Pennsylvania Railroad rose to become one of America's
largest companies, and dozens of railroads, both small and large,
sprouted in cities and towns across the state. At its height, the
Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest in the world, operating 7,000
locomotives and 250,000 cars.
Pennsylvania was the home to many railroading firsts.
Get started today, Search Pennsylvania's Railways!
Learn more in the Guide
to Pennsylvania's Tourist Railroads
by Bill Simpson.
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