The Great Railroad Revolution (34 page)

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Authors: Christian Wolmar

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13. The elevated railroad in New York was well used but proved unpopular with residents and workers in offices near its tracks. It was eventually replaced by the subway, although a similar system of elevated railroads survives in Chicago today. G
ETTY
I
MAGES.

14. Although some electric locomotives, like this one on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, were introduced in the early twentieth century, electrification, with the odd exception, never spread much beyond the Eastern Seaboard states. © S
CHENECTADY
M
USEUM
; H
ALL OF
E
LECTRICAL
H
ISTORY
F
OUNDATION
/C
ORBIS.

15. Starting from humble beginnings, Edward H. Harriman became the biggest owner in railroad history who, at the time of his death in 1909, controlled the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Illinois Central, Central of Georgia, and Wells Fargo Express Company, among others. © C
ORBIS.

16. As this picture of nicely turned-out Dutch immigrants shows, the railroads were crucial in encouraging settlement in the Midwest and West. © M
INNESOTA
H
ISTORICAL
S
OCIETY
/C
ORBIS.

17. At their peak, there were more than 250,000 miles of railroad line across the United States, far more than in any other country of the world. © PEMCO-W
EBSTER
& S
TEVENS
C
OLLECTION
; M
USEUM OF
H
ISTORY AND
I
NDUSTRY
, S
EATTLE
/C
ORBIS.

18. The railroads' influence on politicians was seen by the general public as contributing to scandals such as the Crédit Mobilier affair involving the builders of the Union Pacific. G
ETTY
I
MAGES.

19. The railroads played a crucial role in the First World War, bringing troops and matériel to the ports. © M
INNESOTA
H
ISTORICAL
S
OCIETY
/C
ORBIS.

20. Though they looked perilous, trestle bridges proved a cheap and effective way of fording rivers. © C
ORBIS.

21. Railroad workers began to organize in the 1870s, and their unions eventually became very strong, resulting in numerous strikes, such as this one in Illinois in 1904. © B
ETTMANN
/C
ORBIS.

22. New York's Penn Station, completed in 1910 and seen here in 1934, was demolished in 1963, although trains still operate from the lower level. © B
ETTMANN
/C
ORBIS.

23. Redcap porters were employed at many stations to carry luggage for passengers, who often took vast amounts on train journeys. © H. A
RMSTRONG
R
OBERTS
/C
LASSICSTOCK
/C
ORBIS.

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