Oldest railroads in North America facts for kids

This old train station in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania was once part of a very important railroad in the 1830s. It was called the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, and it helped carry coal and even tourists! People started visiting this area, known as "The Switzerland of America," as early as 1827. Regular passenger trains ran here from 1829 until 1932.

This article explores the very first railroads in North America. Before modern trains with powerful engines, there were simpler "railroad-like" systems. These early tracks helped move heavy goods and sometimes even people. They were the beginning of the huge railway networks we see today!

Early Railroad-Like Systems (1700s–1810s)

Long before steam trains, people found clever ways to move heavy things using tracks.

First Tracks in North America

• 1720: Some reports say a railroad was used to help build a French fort in Louisburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.
• 1764: During the French and Indian War, British engineers built a special "gravity railroad" near Niagara Falls in Lewiston, New York. This was like a funicular, using heavy sleds on tracks to carry barrels up a steep hill. It replaced the hard work of nearly 200 Seneca porters. This change led to a conflict known as the Devil's Hole Massacre in 1763, where the Seneca fought back. This tramway was used for many years, until the early 1800s.
• 1799–1805: In Boston, a gravity railroad helped move dirt from Mount Vernon to fill in marshy areas. This created new land for building homes and streets.
• 1811: George Magers designed a one-mile wooden gravity railroad in Virginia. It moved gunpowder from a mill to a storage bunker.
• 1815: New Jersey gave a special permission (called a charter) for a company to build a railroad. It would connect the Delaware River near Trenton to the Raritan River near New Brunswick. This was meant to link Philadelphia to New York City by water and rail. It was the first company chartered to carry passengers in the U.S., but it never got built.
• 1816: A railroad was reportedly used at Kiskiminetas Creek in Pennsylvania.
• 1818: An iron factory in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, reportedly used a wooden railroad.

First Railroad Companies (1820s–1830s)

The 1820s and 1830s saw the start of many real railroad companies. These companies began building longer tracks and using new technologies like steam engines.

Key Early Railroads

• 1826: The Granite Railway in Massachusetts started operations on October 7. It was built to carry granite from quarries. Many people consider this the first commercial railroad in the U.S. because it kept operating and grew into a public railway.
• 1826: The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was the first railroad in New York State. It was also the first in the U.S. designed to use a steam locomotive instead of horses or gravity. It opened on August 9, 1831, with its famous steam engine, the DeWitt Clinton.
• 1827: Pennsylvania got its first railroad, the Summit Hill and Mauch Chunk Railroad. It was built to carry anthracite coal from mines to the Lehigh Canal. This nine-mile track was initially a gravity railroad, meaning cars rolled downhill on their own. Animals pulled the empty cars back up. It later became a popular tourist attraction and is even called the world's first roller coaster!
• 1829: The Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad in Pennsylvania opened. It used the Stourbridge Lion, which was the first locomotive to run on rails in the United States. This railroad also hauled coal.
• 1829: The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company began operating. By 1833, it was 137 miles long, making it the longest railroad in the world at that time! It was also the first railroad to regularly use steam locomotives. It mainly hauled cotton.
• 1829: The Mill Creek and Mine Hill Navigation and Railroad Company in Pennsylvania built a four-mile main line to haul coal.
• 1830: The Schuylkill Valley Railroad & Navigation Company completed a nine-mile line in Pennsylvania to carry coal from mines to Port Carbon.
• 1830: The Union Canal Company Railroad built a 3.5-mile railroad in Pennsylvania. It helped move coal where the canal couldn't reach.
• 1830: The Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company started operations in Pennsylvania. It used horse-drawn cars at first. Steam locomotives were added in 1833, but the wooden tracks couldn't handle them until iron tracks were installed in 1845.
• 1830: The Tuscumbia Railway in Alabama was the first railroad built west of the Appalachian Mountains. It was later extended to connect Tuscumbia and Decatur, becoming the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad.
• 1831: The Mount Carbon Railroad was completed in Pennsylvania, hauling coal over six miles.
• 1831: The Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad opened its first section in Pennsylvania, covering 13.5 miles.
• 1831: The Room Run Railroad in Pennsylvania opened, running over five miles to the Lehigh Canal.
• 1831: The Chesterfield Railroad began operations in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
• 1839: The Albion Railway in Nova Scotia, Canada, was the first in Canada to use iron rails and run all year. It was home to the Samson, Canada's oldest surviving locomotive.

Early Public Railroads (Common Carriers)

A "common carrier" railroad is like a public taxi or bus service. It has to carry goods and passengers for anyone who pays a fair price, unlike private railroads that can choose their customers.

First Public Railroads in the U.S.

Many early railroads started as private lines, often for hauling coal or stone. But some were designed from the beginning to serve the public.

• The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, chartered in 1827, was the first common carrier in the United States. It was built to carry both freight and passengers using steam power over long distances. It opened for public service in 1830.
• The South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company (also known as the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad) operated the first scheduled steam-hauled passenger train in the U.S. in 1830.
• The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, chartered in 1831, was the first common carrier in Pennsylvania. While earlier railroads in Pennsylvania hauled minerals, this one was designed to carry passengers and public goods.
• The Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania, chartered in 1832, is still running today! It's recognized as the oldest continuously operating railroad in the United States under its original charter.

Tunnels and Bridges

Building railroads meant overcoming natural obstacles like rivers and mountains. Engineers designed amazing tunnels and bridges.

Notable Early Structures

• 1829: The Carrollton Viaduct, a stone bridge, was built for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It spans 312 feet over the Gwynns Falls River in Baltimore, Maryland.
• 1831: The Farnsworth Avenue Stone Arch Carriage Bridge in New Jersey was the first bridge built over the new "inverted T-rails" designed by John Stevens. Trains still pass under it today!
• 1833 (June): The Staple Bend Tunnel in Pennsylvania was the first railroad tunnel in the U.S. It was part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Trains stopped using it in 1857, and now it's a historic site.
• 1833 (December): The Wadesville Tunnel was built by the Danville and Pottsville Railroad in Pennsylvania.
• 1835: The Thomas Viaduct, another impressive stone bridge for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, spans 614 feet over the Patapsco River in Relay, Maryland.
• 1835: The Canton Viaduct, a stone bridge for the Boston & Providence Railroad, crosses the Canton River in Canton, Massachusetts.
• 1837: The Yorkville Tunnel opened for the New York and Harlem Railroad. It was later expanded into the much larger Park Avenue Tunnel in New York City, which is still used by many commuter trains today.
• 1837: The Taft Tunnel in Lisbon, Connecticut, is the oldest railroad tunnel in the U.S. that is still used in its original form.
• 1837: The Howard Tunnel in York County, Pennsylvania, is considered the second-oldest tunnel still in use in its original form in the U.S.
• 1842: The Potomac Creek Bridge, 400 feet long, was built across the Potomac Creek in Stafford County, Virginia.
• 1848: The Starrucca Viaduct, a stone bridge for the Erie Railroad, spans 1040 feet over Starrucca Creek in Pennsylvania.
• 1850: The Henryton Tunnel was built on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
• 1850: The Chetoogeta Mountain Tunnel in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, was the first major railroad tunnel in the southern U.S., measuring 1,477 feet long.
• 1856: The Blue Ridge Tunnel, 4,263 feet long, was considered an amazing engineering feat when it opened.
• 1872: The Hauto Tunnel, 3,800 feet long, helped the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company save many miles of difficult track. This allowed the famous Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway to become a tourist-only railroad.

West of the Mississippi River

Railroads also began to spread westward, opening up new areas for trade and travel.

First Western Railroads

• 1841: The Red River Railroad in Louisiana was operating between Alexandria and Cheneyville.
• 1852: The first part of the Pacific Railroad opened near St. Louis, Missouri. This line later became part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
• 1835: The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad began operating in New Orleans. Part of its route is still used today as the St. Charles Streetcar Line.
• 1836: The Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad Company was the first steam railroad in Florida. It opened on September 5.
• 1836: The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad opened in Quebec, Canada.
• 1838: The Northern Cross Railroad opened in Central Illinois. A part of this original line is still used by the Norfolk Southern Railway today.