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Article: Railroad Industry
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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RAILROAD INDUSTRY
The U.S. railroad industry began with the founding of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company in 1827. The Baltimore and Ohio was the first U.S. railroad chartered as a common carrier of freight and passengers. It was only two years earlier that John Stephens from Hoboken, New Jersey built the first steam locomotive in the United States. The railroad itself had originated some years before in Great Britain. Railroads achieved great significance later on when the western part of the North American continent was being settled. They enabled transport and expanded the possibilities of the agricultural industry. They also played an important role during the American Civil ...