All Aboard: Try This Quiz on the History of Railroads

The United States has more railway tracks than any other country, stretching some 140,000 miles — but there’s a catch. A whopping 80% of those tracks are dedicated exclusively to commercial rail. That leaves only about 21,000 miles for passengers, which is far less than in many other developed countries.

Leland Stanford, Collis Potter Huntington, Mark Hopkins Jr., and Charles Crocker were all investors in the Central-Pacific Railroad and are known to history as the “Big Four.” Although they put up some money themselves, most capital came from public funds and land grants. Today the “Big Four” are regarded as some of the most successful robber barons in history.

According to legend, a Black railroad steel driver named John Henry accepted a challenge to dig a tunnel faster than a steam-powered machine. With two 10-pound hammers in each hand, Henry cracked open a 14-foot tunnel while the machine could only manage 9 feet. But in the end, Henry died from exhaustion, an ominous parable of man vs. machine that remains relevant today.

Trains have a rich history in United States politics — among other things, they helped 19th-century candidates crisscross the nation and have frequently been the site of stump speeches. But it wasn't until 1833 that a President first rode on one of these so-called "Iron Horses." Andrew Jackson rode a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train on a pleasure trip from Washington, D.C. up to Baltimore.

At noon on November 18, 1883, railroad schedules switched from tracking more than 300 local time zones to tracking just four — Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Created by calculating solar noon at the closest meridian, these time zones were slowly adopted by various U.S. states as “railroad time” and were finally made official by the U.S. government when it passed the Standard Time Act in 1918.

On July 3, 1938, the 4468 Mallard became the fast steam locomotive ever built when it reached speeds of 126 miles per hour — a record that stands to this day. The train’s designer, Nigel Gresley, had speed in mind when he made the Mallard and wrapped the train in a stunning art deco exterior to make an even bigger splash. Today, the Mallard is a permanent fixture at the National Railway Museum in York, England.

Abraham Lincoln had a lot of things on his plate in 1862, chief among them being the Civil War. However, the relentless push westward waited for no one, and seeing the immense importance of a railroad that stretched the entire Union, Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law on July 1 of that year. The act provided loans for the Transcontinental Railroad.

TGV stands for Train à Grande Vitesse, or “high-speed train.” The first TGV line opened in September 1981 and stretched 265 miles from Paris to Lyon. Today, the train connects to all major French cities as well as some cities in other European countries.

The Transcontinental Railroad would not have existed without the back-breaking work of Chinese immigrants. Working the western railway beginning from Sacramento, California, some 20,000 Chinese workers did the jobs considered too dangerous for white Americans. Despite working for half pay, these immigrants carved a path through the Sierra Nevada mountains and changed America forever.

The Eurostar connects Britain with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands via a tunnel under the English Channel known commonly as the Chunnel — a marvel of modern engineering. For four years, 13,000 workers dug a 95-mile tunnel 150 feet below the surface for $13 billion. Although the two ends met in December 1990, it would take another four years before the Chunnel was ready for service.

History was made on May 10, 1869, when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory, Utah, uniting the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad companies at last. The rail line linked Sacramento, CA in the west with Omaha, NE in the east. Thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad, the American economy boomed as raw goods were harvested from the west and the industrial side of the east spread.

The Trans-Siberian Railroad spans 5,778 miles of Russia, from Moscow (in the west) to Vladivostok (in the east). Construction began under Tsar Alexander III in 1891 and was finalized in 1916. The scenic route includes famous landmarks such as the Ural Mountains, the Volga River (the longest in Europe), and Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The era of the "robber barons" changed the United States forever. During the later half of the 19th century, these titans of industry shaped large portions of our nation, but they also hoarded wealth and provoked resistance from a rising labor union movement. Cornelius Vanderbilt made his fortune in railroads and shipping. Among other things, Vanderbilt owned the New York Central Railroad.

Although the original Orient-Express is no longer in service, it forever left its mark on luxury travel. Debuting in 1883, the high-end train ran from Paris to Istanbul as Europe’s first transcontinental express railway. The 1,700-mile route had stops in prominent cities, including Munich, Vienna, and Budapest. The famed service was interrupted during both world wars, but then continued until 1977.

The "Bullet Train," officially named Shinkansen, was the first high-speed passenger rail system in the world. The first section, from Tokyo to Osaka, opened in 1964, and became instantly popular for its efficiency and speed thanks to its aerodynamic, bullet-shaped nose. The train's maximum operating speed with passengers is about 200 mph.

Cog railways, also called rack railways, were built to climb mountains using a unique toothed rack rail. The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire was the first to use this technology. There are currently around 50 rack railways throughout the world. Mount Washington’s railway has been renovated and is still open and accepting passengers today. It takes about 70 minutes to travel the three-mile track up the mountain, with an elevation gain of 3,719 feet.

The White Pass and Yukon Railroad was a $10 million endeavor to promote the Klondike Gold Rush in Yukon, Canada, in the late 1800s. For over 80 years, this 110-mile track transported gold, silver, copper, and lead ore from Canadian mines to Alaskan ports in Skagway. The railway was a multinational effort, combining funding from the British with American engineering and Canadian contracting.

The Big Apple subway system has the most stations in the world — by a landslide. With 424 stations, New York City has 100 more than the second-place contender, Shanghai. However, the roles reverse when talking about total mileage. The Shanghai Metro comes in first place with nearly 500 miles of rail, whereas New York City is further back in the pack with only 248 miles.

The city of London changed forever on January 10, 1863. On this day, more than 50,000 people attended the grand opening of the London Underground, a dazzling new train system that would let patrons travel the city at a record pace. Originally called the Metropolitan Railway, it was built between modern-day Paddington and Farringdon streets. Today, the Tube features 270 stations and 11 lines.

Built in 1829, Tom Thumb was the United States' first steam-powered locomotive. Before this technology, rail companies used horses to pull passenger and freight trains. According to legend, Tom Thumb entered a race with a horse-drawn carriage and was far ahead until the blower belt fell off, causing it to “run out of steam.” Still, its performance impressed the railroad directors into committing to steam engines.