7 captivating photos of train travel’s first century

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: In the 1800s, nowhere did trains like the United States.

The post 7 captivating photos of train travels first century appeared first on Popular Science. Technology Engineering 7 captivating photos of train travels first century In the 1800s, nowhere did trains like the United States. (wild, right?)

By Sarah Durn Published Apr 6, 2026 8:01 AM EDT Add Popular Science (opens in a new tab) Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results.

The Details

An 1885 construction crew builds a train crossing above the Green River in the Cascade Mountains, Washington. Image: Bettmann / Contributor / Get the Popular Science daily 💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week.

In 1804, a British man named Richard Trevithick invented the first steam-powered locomotive. But it was Americans who truly ran with Trevithick’s invention in the decades that followed.

Why This Matters

In 1830, the 13-mile, horse-powered Baltimore and Ohio Railroad became the first railroad in North America. Just a few decades later, the United States had more railroad tracks for steam-powered engines than the rest of the world combined—more than 9,000 miles. The 19th century became a heyday of American railroads, as business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt built an empire on the backs of train travel, consolidating much of the Northeast’s railroads.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

Key Takeaways

• Had built over 200,000 miles of railroad track connecting the country like never before.
• The United States would never be the same.
• Train travel today looks quite different from it did in the 1800s.
• These seven fascinating images act as a window into a time gone by—when trains, not cars, ruled and shaped America.

The Bottom Line

) The three-mile-long Granite Railway in Quincy, Massachusetts, was the first commercial railway in the United States. Incorporated in 1826, the railway used horses instead of steam locomotives to move cars along the tracks.

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