1797: The steam locomotive is invented in England.

1827: Baltimore merchants charter the first railroad in North America, the Baltimore & Ohio.

1833: A total of 380 miles of rail track are in operation in the United States.

1840: More than 2,800 miles of track are in operation in the United States.

1850: More than 9,000 miles of track are in operation in the U.S., as much as in the rest of the world combined.

1854: Attorney Abraham Lincoln represents the Illinois Central Railroad.

1860: More than 30,000 miles of track are in operation in the United States.

1861-1865: The Civil War becomes the first major conflict in which railroads play a major role; both sides used trains to move troops and supplies.

1865-1916: The "Golden Age" of railroads begins. The rail network grows from 35,000 miles to 254,000 miles.

1869: May 10 is date of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, at Promontory, in Utah Territory, when the "Golden Spike" joined the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads.

1917: The federal government seizes control of railroads during World War I. When returned to private ownership, they are run-down and in need of substantial maintenance and improvements.

1900-1940: Automobiles, large buses, trucks, planes and pipelines—supported by government subsidies and less regulated than railroads—have become full-fledged competitors to railroads.

1929-1940: The Great Depression exacts a heavy toll on the railroad industry, forcing substantial segments of it into bankruptcy.

1941-1945: Railroads remain under private control and on average move twice the monthly volume of both freight and passengers as during WWI.

1945-1970: Railroads invest billions in new locomotives, freight equipment and passenger trains. In spite of this, the decline in rail market share that began before the war resumes.

1950s: Last steam locomotive retires in favor of diesel engines.

1976: The Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act creates the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) from six bankrupt Northeast railroads.

1980: The Staggers Rail Act reduces the Interstate Commerce Commission’s regulation of railroads and sparks advances in technology and a restructuring of the industry, including the creation of hundreds of new shortline and regional railroads.

1987: Conrail is privatized in what was then the largest share offering in U.S. history as investors pay $1.9 billion to buy shares in the railroad.

1996: After 108 years in existence, the Interstate Commerce Commission is disbanded and replaced by the Surface Transportation Board, which assumes responsibility for remaining railroad economic regulation.

1999: The Federal Railroad Administration announces "the years 1993 through 1999 were the safest years in railroad history, for every safety category we measure."

21st Century: Railroads continue to increase capacity and reliability of rail lines. Railroads are carrying more freight than ever before.

 
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