The first passenger train in the USA. Differences between the railways of Russia and the USA The mentality of blacks on the train

But really, you might not think it right away, but passenger rail traffic in the United States is very underdeveloped. Okay, it’s Europe, what are the distances there, but in the USA it would still be a decent place to go.

What happened to passenger rail traffic in the United States? A state that calls itself a global superpower and was once a veritable kingdom of busy steel highways, after the Second World War, it actually deliberately destroyed the mass transport of people by rail. Grand stations built during the “golden era” of rail were mercilessly demolished, reconstructed and simply abandoned. The legendary and often fantastic-looking transcontinental trains, which for decades had been part of the Americana, the material culture of the country, were simply thrown into the dustbin of history.

Why did this happen?

It would not be an exaggeration to say that, to a large extent, the United States has rail transport to thank for its current role as a superpower. Passenger traffic on the country's oldest railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, opened in May 1830, and it was an event that once and for all changed the way Americans thought about their country and themselves.

The development of steel highways proceeded like an avalanche. Thanks to them, the products of factories, factories and farms began to be quickly delivered to ocean ports for export, bringing money to the United States and prosperity to industry and agriculture. People quickly forgot about the spartan conditions of stagecoaches and began to travel in comfort. Railroads dramatically shortened distances across the vast country, providing unprecedented mobility for its population, and with it the path to that very American dream. The rails and the seekers of fortune who arrived along them truly conquered the Wild West; it was they who made the United States truly United.

Golden age

By 1916, America's last peaceful period, the total length railways the country has reached a fantastic 409 thousand kilometers. For comparison: in the same year, the length of all similar highways in the Russian Empire slightly exceeded 70 thousand kilometers. In the USSR - a real railway empire - at the peak of its development, the length of tracks, including access enterprises, was 220 thousand kilometers, and in China, which launched a grandiose railway construction, now the network of roads of this kind has only exceeded 120 thousand kilometers and should increase by 2050 " only doubled.

A hundred years ago, the United States, especially its eastern half, found itself enmeshed in a dense railroad web. Of course, she was far from optimal. The country had many private operators competing with each other, whose railways often duplicated each other. Moreover, the rail boom gave rise to phenomenal speculation on this basis. Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan and Jay Gould earned their millions, their current billions, on the railroads, and, of course, this method of enrichment could not help but attract swindlers and adventurers of various calibers.

Periodically, the boom turned into a bubble that burst. Uncontrolled construction for the sake of construction, the bankruptcy of the banks that provided loans for it, and speculation in railroad stocks were the direct causes of the stock market crashes of 1873 and 1893, but despite this, the American rail network continued to expand, reaching its peak before the First World War.

Railroads actually ensured the transformation of the United States into a powerful industrial power, thanks to which hundreds of millions of acres of valuable land in the center of the country were brought into agricultural use, which, in turn, ensured lower prices for food and other goods and contributed to the influx of dispossessed immigrants from the Old World into the United States. Sveta. Railways were at the forefront of progress, they were not just a symbol of the country, but also an important stimulus for the development of science and technology; modern methods of doing business were born in their office buildings. Railroads made America America.

IN major cities Across the country at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, rail operators built grandiose stations - veritable palaces, the equivalent of European castles, transport temples. For an ordinary citizen, visiting them became a real event. Once inside these gigantic buildings, the worker and the farmer, the newspaper delivery man and the laundress, the official and the clerk, the writer and the gangster felt their involvement in the real sacrament - the beginning (or end) of the Journey. The future of American railroads seemed bright, but it was just a mirage. Clouds were already swirling on the horizon, and each of them had the shape of a Ford Model T that rolled off Henry Ford's production lines.

For about 70 years, until about 1920, railroads remained virtually the only means of intercity transportation in the United States. With the start of mass production of cars, the advent of buses and the construction of the first highways, the popularity of traveling by train began to gradually decline. The process was slow and not very noticeable at first, especially since in the 1930s American railroad companies began to introduce completely new types of rolling stock and travel formats. Streamline came into fashion - an artistic style, an offshoot of Art Deco, which was characterized by streamlined silhouettes, a swift aerodynamic image, associated with something ultra-modern, even fantastic.

Steam locomotives of archaic forms were replaced by futuristic locomotives, trimmed with shiny polished metal and more reminiscent of the first rockets. The famous trains California Zephyr, Texas Zephyr, Super Chief, Flying Yankee, Rock Island Rocket rushed along the roads of the country faster and faster, the very names of which encrypted in every way their main advantage - speed. Speed ​​and comfort. In luxury trains, in addition to sleeping cars, which provided unprecedented comfort, there were restaurants, lounges and even special cars with panoramic glazing, which allowed passengers to enjoy the surrounding nature without interrupting small talk over a cocktail. It was probably a triumph of industrial design highest point development of the country's railways and their swan song.

End of an era

During the Second World War, steel lines received their final impetus for development. Gasoline became a strategic commodity, its supply was limited, and people again switched to trains. However, with the end of the war and the beginning of rapid economic growth in the United States, railroads increasingly faded into the background. Streamline trains, by inertia, enjoyed a certain popularity for about ten years, especially over long distances, but mass transportation was steadily falling. Already by 1946, 45% fewer trains were operating in the States than in 1929, and then the process of outflow of passengers only worsened. Along with the number of passengers, the income of private railway operators fell, their debts grew, the first bankruptcies began, and the state withdrew from subsidizing rail transportation. He has new favorites.

Traditionally in the United States, railroads have been private businesses. Its successful development was more than once interrupted by crises, but the rail magnates, losing first one or another of their colleagues, always pulled out and continued to earn money on their own. The railroad network was well, perhaps overdeveloped, and the federal government concentrated its efforts on other infrastructure projects. In 1956, the United States began large-scale construction of a system of interstate highways, the so-called “Interstates,” a project that would take 35 years and cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. President Eisenhower, who commanded the Allied armies in Europe during World War II, was very impressed by the Nazi autobahns in Germany, and he became interested in creating a similar network of expressways in his country. In addition to their defense value, they were supposed to provide ordinary and increasingly motorized Americans with the opportunity to quickly, safely and independently travel throughout the United States.

This was a heavy, but far from the only blow that marked the beginning of the complete destruction of passenger rail traffic in America. At the same time, it entered its new, reactive era civil Aviation. The federal government subsidized its development and the fundamental reduction in the cost of domestic flights, including through the construction of airports, not only in large, but also in medium-sized and even small cities and towns. The last point was very important. After some time, it turned out that it was possible to fly to literally any town in the entire vast country (or its immediate environs).

Born of the “free market” and having earned billions of dollars from it, private railway companies were suddenly faced with its own grin. Deprived of government support and concerned about competition with each other, they were unable to keep tariffs at a level competitive with road and air transportation. For a conditional farmer in Nebraska, who had earned money and wanted to relax somewhere in Florida, it turned out to be simply more convenient and cheaper to get to the vacation spot in his own car along the highway or to get to the nearest airport by car and in a few hours, even with transfers, find himself by the warm blue sea.

Railroad companies found themselves in a hopeless situation - with extensive infrastructure, highways that often duplicated each other, rapidly falling passenger traffic and revenues, and equally rapidly growing debts. Faced with complete indifference on the part of the state, they were forced to start cutting costs: huge palace stations in city centers, in the absence of customers, became an unbearable burden, which they began to get rid of. In New York in the 1960s, the monumental Pennsylvania Station, which occupied several blocks, was mercilessly demolished, which shocked contemporaries. The famous Grand Central in New York was saved only by a miracle.

Their counterparts in other large cities faced different fates: some (like Union Station in Washington or Los Angeles) still retained more or less active long-distance and commuter trains, continued to work as intended, others (as in Cincinnati or St. Louis) were eventually repurposed for other functions - museums or shopping and entertainment. The giant complexes in Detroit and Buffalo were much less fortunate - they were simply abandoned.

Here we discussed in the world

Trains were canceled en masse; due to the infrastructure crisis, many remaining trains ran with increasing delays from inconvenient stations on the city outskirts, routes were closed, and along with them thousands of stations. Passengers simply stopped relying on the railway as a reliable means of getting to their desired destination. Rail transport was no longer associated with progress, something modern, in keeping with the spirit of the space age.

took his place jet aircraft and owning a car, which gave Americans, traditionally individualistic in spirit, a desired sense of independence, and the infrastructure created according to Eisenhower's plan with interstates literally dotted with motels and eateries provided the necessary space in order to realize this independence.

The final blow to private passenger railroad companies came in September 1967, when the US Postal Service canceled their service. Payments for the transportation of mail allowed carriers to keep many remaining flights on the edge of profitability, and the departure of such an important client provoked another wave of mass liquidation of familiar routes.

In 1968, in a desperate attempt to save themselves, the country's two largest surviving railroad companies, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central, merged, but it turned out that what they had in common was their own problems. Bankruptcy followed in 1970, but by this time the American federal government had come to its senses. The aviation and automobile lobby, of course, retained its influence, but even with its interests fully taken into account by the Nixon administration, it became clear that the future, and the near future, threatened the complete collapse of the country's railway system, which is fraught with unpredictable consequences. In May 1971, with the formation of Amtrak, the remains of passenger rail service were effectively nationalized.

This was the end of the American railroad dream. In a decade and a half, what had been created over the previous 120 years was virtually destroyed. Of the 409 thousand kilometers of tracks that existed in 1916, only 220 thousand remain now. The US railroad network is still the largest in the world, but 80% of it is missing passenger traffic. Amtrak now carries more than 30 million passengers a year, double what it did in 1972 (its first full year of operation). It would seem that progress is being made, but a third of this traffic comes from the small but very busy Northeast Corridor - a high-speed line between Boston and Washington through New York and Philadelphia. Another 5.6 million people move short distances within California.

The miraculously preserved long-distance trains account for less than half of all Amtrak passenger traffic: they are very expensive and not very comfortable. Over the past 60 years, American railroads have undergone a remarkable evolution from a means of transportation to a luxury enjoyed only by tourists.

The United States has lost the habit of using hardware, and it will be very difficult to accustom the country to it again. The average American will never understand a multi-day trip across the country in a compartment, much less in a reserved seat, with the obligatory chicken wrapped in foil, boiled eggs and a bottle of whiskey. The future of local rail transport lies only in the resumption of suburban traffic and possible high-speed lines. High-speed rail in California, which should connect San Francisco and Silicon Valley with Los Angeles and Anaheim, is already under construction, but so far its experience shows only one thing: new China with its thousands of miles of highways, every year in the US is impossible. It will take a long time for the railway romance to be revived and it will be very, very expensive.

And what was this and

US railroads Railways of the United States of America is an extensive network of railways, which includes about seven transcontinental highways crossing the country from east to west and connecting the largest urban agglomerations of the Atlantic (New York, Philadelphia, Boston) and Pacific (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco , Los Angeles) coasts; approximately ten meridional highways connecting areas of the South and Southwest of the United States with areas adjacent to the Canadian border; about ten highways crossing the territory of the country in its eastern part diagonally from northeast to southwest. The operational length of the network (2002) is slightly more than 230 thousand km (including about 160 thousand km owned by Class I railways) and has a steady downward trend. The network density is 22.6 km/1000 km2, the track width is 1435 mm. The number of personnel of all railways is approx. 185 thousand people, including on class I railways - a little more than 157 thousand people. Railway construction in the country began in 1827. From the very beginning of the railway. transport was formed in the private sector of the economy. By 1917, the length of the network exceeded 400 thousand km; number of private companies - approx. 1500, total number of industry personnel - approx. 1.8 million people In 1930, the share of railways in the freight turnover of all types of transport in the country reached 70%. There is practically no new railway construction being carried out. The US railway system is one of the most efficient and technologically advanced in the world. The redundancy of the network made it possible to optimize its configuration over time and decommission unprofitable lines. The share of double-track and multi-track lines is approx. 10%. The network is dominated by diesel traction. Length of electrified railways d. slightly more than 0.5% of the operational length, ch. arr. in suburban areas of large cities and in the Northeast corridor (Washington-New York-Boston). The industry is developing as a whole as a single complex, taking into account the needs of the economy and the country’s transport strategy. The activities of railways are regulated by numerous laws, in particular, labor legislation and legislation on safety on railways are worked out in detail. In the 80-90s. 20th century thanks to the adoption of the Staggers Railway Law. companies were able to independently set negotiated tariffs depending on the demand for transportation and the level of competition from other modes of transport, as well as close and sell unprofitable, inactive lines. Behind the federal body - the Council on ground transport (until 1996, the Interstate Transport Commission) in the field of pricing, only antimonopoly functions were retained. Taking into account inflation, tariffs have decreased by 57% since 1980, labor productivity has increased by 2.7 times. Safety conditions on the railways have improved significantly: the number of transport accidents per year has decreased by 67%, and occupational injuries have decreased by 71%. A large number of new regional and local railways have appeared. companies, often operating on infrastructure “rejected” by Class I railways. In 2001, the total length of the railway. lines on which regional and local companies carried out transportation amounted to 72.4 thousand km. Development of transport policy, including railway policy. transport, in the USA the Department of Transport is involved, within the framework of which railway issues are dealt with. transport is carried out by the following main structural divisions: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the USA, which is developing the industry regulatory and legal framework for the railway. transport based on federal transport legislation, responsible for ensuring safe work on the railway. transport, managing n.-i. and design programs and projects, as well as overseeing the work of one of the world's largest Transportation Equipment Testing Center in Pueblo, PC. Colorado; Federal Administration of Suburban and Urban Transportation, which oversees at the federal level all types of public urban and suburban passenger transportation; The Surface Transport Council (SNT), which acts as a federal agency that, among other things, carries out economic regulation in relation to railways, and also resolves issues of unification and economic relations between railways among themselves and with other modes of transport, reduction of railways. network and new construction, regulations for inter-road exchange of wagons; The Office of the General Safety Inspector, which is an independent body, including monitoring the activities of the FRA to ensure the safe operation of the railway. transport. Almost all railways US companies (and North America as a whole) are members of the Association of American Railroads (AARA), which, together with the FRA, represents the general interests of railroads in government bodies (for example, in the US Congress). The Association acts as a coordinator of research and development. and design programs and oversees the Pueblo Vehicle Test Center. In the USA (2001), there are actually two classifications of railways: the traditionally used - SNT, and the relatively recently introduced - AAR. According to the SNT classification, all railways, shunting and station companies are divided into 3 classes depending on annual transportation income, adjusted for inflation. Yield standards change periodically. In 2001, they corresponded to the following amounts: Class I - from 266.7 million US dollars (before 1992 - 92 million dollars); Class II - from 21.3 million to 266.7 million dollars; Class III - less than $21.3 million. Regardless of income, the Passenger Transportation Corporation (AMTRAK) is classified in Class I. The specificity of the AAR classification is that all railways. companies that do not belong to class I are classified according to two criteria: profitability and network length. Income ranging from 40 million to 256.4 million dollars and a network length of at least 563 km allow us to classify the railway as regional. All other railroads, as well as shunting and station companies, are classified as local. AMTRAK Corporation is conditionally classified in the lowest category in this classification. Of the total number of 573 railways. Only 8 companies are classified as class I, but they dominate the market for railway transportation services. transport. This concerns their share in the total length of railways and in the total number of personnel in the industry, participation in the total freight turnover and total income from freight transportation. Railway share transport in the total freight turnover of the US transport system amounted to 41.7% in 2001. Its participation in the volume of transportation (from domestic producers) of coal is 67%, grain - 26.4%. In 2001, the railway US transport carried a freight turnover of 2274 billion tons km, of which 2193 billion tons km accounted for Class I railways. Over the past 20 years (1981-2001), freight turnover has grown throughout the country by more than 68%, and in the eastern regions it has grown by only 20%, and in the western regions by more than 90%. With an average network freight density in terms of gross freight turnover of 23 million t-km/km, the length of sections with a freight intensity of up to 5 million t-km/km is 30%, from 5 to 20 million t-km/km - 25%. Along with this, there are lines on which the freight load is 120-130 million tkm/km. On the network approximately 63% of its length is covered with rails weighing 64.5-68.9 kg per linear meter. Approx. 95% of the sleepers laid on the track are creosote-impregnated hardwood sleepers. The locomotive fleet of Class I railways, amounting to 19,745 diesel locomotives, in the 1990s. updated by 33%; more than 40% of the fleet consists of diesel locomotives built before 1980. A restrained policy is being pursued to replenish the fleets with locomotives of higher power, aimed at increasing operational efficiency and improving diagnostic systems for the technical condition of locomotives. Railways are actively purchasing powerful diesel locomotives with AC electric transmission, amounting to approx. 14% of the park. As a result, the average power of one section over the past 20 years has increased by 41% from 2326 to 3271 hp. With. US railroads operate approximately 1,315,000 freight cars, of which more than half are owned by railroads and the rest by shippers and railcar companies. The average age of a freight car is 20.9 years. In the 1990s. the carriage fleet has been updated by 25%. It was assumed that in the next 10-12 years the park will be completely renovated. However, in 2001, demand for freight cars fell to 34,260 units. compared to 70,000 units. in the end 90s The decrease in demand for new cars is a consequence of the slow development of the US economy, the increased use of heavy-duty cars and the increase in the efficiency of their operation in the transportation process. Major US railroads are also focusing on reducing their car fleets. The average carrying capacity of a freight car is 84.5 tons, the average static load is 58.1 tons. The largest share in the railcar fleet is occupied by hoppers (41%) and tanks (18%). A distinctive feature of US railways is the record average train weight, ensured by the high carrying capacity of the cars, powerful traction and good track condition. In 2000, the average train weight (net) was 2726 tons, the average train weight (gross) was 5553 tons, the average train composition was 68.5 cars. The largest railway systems in the USA are (2001) the combined railways Union Pacific/Southern Pacific (operational length 54.2 thousand km) and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe (53.2 thousand km). The process of merging railways is driven by the desire to improve their economic position (by reducing the management staff, closing parallel and unprofitable lines) and competitiveness in relation to other modes of transport. US rail transport is rather one-sidedly focused on freight transportation. Unprofitable but socially necessary long-distance passenger transportation is carried out by the specialized corporation AMTRAK, created in 1971 on the basis of the Law on Railway Passenger Transportation and supported by government funding (subsidies). The corporation is the only one in the country that operates long-distance railways. passenger transportation, operating 265 trains per day on a range of 36.5 thousand km (approximately 20% of the total length of the class I railway network), connecting more than 500 stations. At the same time, AMTRAK directly owns only the specialized high-speed highway of the Northeast Corridor (Washington-New York-Boston) with a length of 1195 km, and otherwise uses the technical infrastructure of freight railways on a contractual basis. companies. The volume of long-distance transportation performed by the corporation per year is approx. 23.4 million passengers, passenger turnover - approx. 9.0 billion passenger-km In addition, AMTRAK carries approximately 51 million commuter passengers. Suburban railways Passenger transportation in the United States is carried out by 19 companies. The total length of the lines on which commuter trains run is 14 thousand km, incl. own lines these companies, as well as lines leased from AMTRAK and freight companies. Volume of local and suburban railways transportation in the country as a whole is 3150 million passengers, passenger turnover is 13.3 billion passenger-km. From the end 1990s In the USA, interest in railways, supported by government and public organizations, is being revived. passenger transportation, which is associated with congestion on roads and worsening environmental problems. Several states are planning to organize high-speed rail systems. transportation Since 2001, AMTRAK Corporation has introduced regular operation of the new Aisla high-speed train with a design speed of 240 km/h in the Northeast Corridor. The corporation proposes to the states the creation of a new high-speed regional transportation system, Aisla Regional, in their sponsored railways. corridors. On US railways, special attention is paid to the introduction of modern information technologies. Under the auspices of the AARR, an improved automatic train traffic control system is being gradually introduced, providing, with varying degrees of automation, optimal control of train flows on the railways it controls. training grounds. Train traffic control is carried out from enlarged road control centers. Based on the use of high-performance computing (in particular, microcomputers) devices and data transmission facilities, it has become possible, for example, to control railway traffic from a single center in Omaha, Nebraska. networks with a length of about 60 thousand km. A network-wide implementation of a high-precision radio engineering system for automatically reading information from rolling stock, developed by the American corporation Amtech, is underway. US freight railroads have at their disposal automated road centers for interaction with clientele, promptly servicing customer requests regarding the status and progress of shipments, cargo redirection, etc. US railroads yesterday and today The Entertaining Past of US Railways If you mention US railways, your memory will inevitably bring to mind a picture of the wild, wild West, the romance of travel and ultra-modern trains. However, the railway is not only an important component of American cinema, but also a serious part of the transport links of this huge country. The beginning is always difficult, which is why, despite the development of land transport, ordinary people were in no hurry to use the services of trains. Although the development and construction, which began with the light hand of John Stevens in 1815, does not stop to this day, steam locomotives in the early 19th century caused some fears and, simply put, religious superstitions among Americans. The conclusion of the railroad charter and the creation of the first two steam locomotives spoke of the irreversible process of introducing the railroad into the lives of ordinary Americans. After a clear experiment that proved that a steam locomotive can cover a distance in 16 hours that a steamship takes three days to cover, the fate of the railroad was sealed. From that moment on, US railroads only increased their length. In 1846, the Pennsylvania Railroad was launched, and almost twenty years later, the popularity of this mode of transport began to skyrocket. Railroad networks The Civil War showed that the future belonged to this type of transport and gave it considerable authority. The transportation of weapons, people, and food brought military operations to new level. By this time, US railroads totaled about 254,000 miles in length and continued to grow steadily. Smarter and more dexterous businessmen began to buy strategically important lands along which railway lines were laid for next to nothing. Huge amounts of money accumulated in the hands of such companies. People who invested money in US railway transport increased their wealth many times over. In 1869, the transcontinental railroads of the United States were born, or rather the first of them, which connected the Pacific coast with Central and Western America. The success of the enterprise led to the emergence of three more transcontinental lines in 1882 - 1883 and 1893. Over time, railroads in America began to lose their popularity. On the one hand, due to the transfer of this infrastructure into the hands of the state after the First World War, on the other, due to technological progress, which is actively gaining momentum. What is happening today with US railway transport Progress gave birth to the railway, and it is gradually bringing it into oblivion. At the beginning of the twentieth century, virtually all transportation in America was carried out this way. Powerful infrastructure connected the huge country into a single whole and influenced not only the economy, but also demography and ethnography. However, this did not save the industry from decline. Today, train tickets in America are not much different from air tickets in price. Now US rail transport is chosen by romantics and people who have nowhere to rush. Traveling by train is convenient if you want to get the most out of your experience. Railway companies even launched a number of steam locomotives as excursion exhibits. National carriers such as Amtrak, National Rail pass, West Rail pass and others offer tourist rail travel, business high-speed transportation and other services. A special railway map has been published, which covers the transport network of the entire country. However, the “golden age” of the US railroad will never return. Rail travel is extremely unpopular in the US . Relatively few passengers choose the train as their means of travel, as fares are often in line with airfare. Additionally, given the large size of the United States, train travel can be very time consuming. The state-owned railway company Amtrak has been subsidized for many years, and the development of railway communication is observed only in the transportation of goods. At the same time, a number of directions can be convenient and interesting for tourists: the “Northern Corridor” between the cities of Washington - Philadelphia - New York - Boston, the "California Corridor" from San Diego to San Francisco via Los Angeles and the longest line from Atlantic coast to Pacific coast along the route New York - Washington - Memphis - Dallas - Albuquerque - Phoenix - Los Angeles. Train travel is very expensive. For example, the cheapest ticket from New York to Washington (less than 500 km) will cost $70. Travel from New York to Chicago will cost $120-150. Moreover, we are talking about seats in a common carriage. Travel in a compartment will cost 1.5-2 times more. Tickets are sold both on the company’s website with payment by credit card, and directly at the box office. Since August 2005, it has become possible in Russia to purchase train tickets within the United States. The distributor of tickets was the agency CGTT Voyages. It opened the sale of tickets to a number of destinations in the Northeast Corridor of the United States, including routes between Washington, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and some other cities. At the same time, prices for a number of trains when sold in Russia are lower than locally. In addition, you can purchase travel tickets - both national and regional. Tourist Passes Amtrak offers 15- and 30-day unlimited rail passes. These tickets can be purchased by any non-US resident tourist. A ticket can be reserved through the company's official website and obtained at any US railway ticket office upon presentation of a passport. You can purchase a ticket, both regional and covering the entire country: National Rail pass (all over the country without restrictions) Cost for an adult $999. North East rail pass (northeast USA) Cost per adult $300, includes the east coast of the USA and the cities of Washington, New York, Boston, Buffalo (Niagara Falls). West Rail pass (western USA) Cost per adult $329/$359 (15 days, 30 days). East Rail pass (East USA) Cost per adult $329/$369 (15 days, 30 days). During the high season, the cost of tickets increases by 25-30%. Children under 15 years old pay 50% of the cost. The basic fare includes travel in a seated carriage. For an additional fee you can travel in a compartment. More information on the official Amtrak website Railroads in America are not as widespread as in Europe. Even Russia has a much richer passenger network than the United States. True, this was not always the case. Just some thirty-five years ago, all of America was covered with a dense network of passenger lines. And in the Great Lakes and East Coast regions, trains traveled almost as frequently as in Europe. The sixties and seventies saw the rapid growth of passenger aviation. Americans switched to a faster mode of transport. Speed ​​is a serious advantage over the vast distances of North America. In addition, in those same years, the welfare of the US population increased significantly, and many people acquired personal cars. The number of railway passengers began to fall sharply. At the time, US railroads were operated by a variety of private passenger companies, most of which operated one or two routes. The crisis led to the collapse of a significant part of companies and the closure of lines. The US government took action to save the industry. It consolidated most of the remaining lines under the government-owned Amtrak. Amtrak began operations in 1971 with an unenviable legacy. The route network has been reduced several times, and the number of flights on the remaining lines has also dropped significantly. The company supported itself on multimillion-dollar government subsidies, simultaneously absorbing the remaining private lines. Now there are very few of them left. USA: railways (part 1)The reduction of the network and flights was stopped. Over the past thirty years they have remained virtually unchanged. And in the coming years there is a significant rise in railway transport in America. Nowadays it is more or less convenient to travel by rail only in three areas. First, there is the Great Lakes region, with Chicago as the main hub. Secondly, the so-called Northeast Corridor (Boston - New York - Philadelphia - Washington - Richmond). Thirdly, California. In addition, some sections along Canadian border(Buffalo - Albany in the East and Seattle - Portland in the West), as well as Florida and a couple of other areas off the East Coast. Otherwise, the situation is similar to the Wild West of the last century. Huge spaces have no passenger lines in general, and where they exist, there are one or two trains a day. The east of the country is connected to the West by four lines, three of which the train runs once a day, and one every two days. Phoenix and Las Vegas do not have trains at all, in Houston and Cincinnati they appear every other day, and in Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City - once a day. In general, if you are not on the East Coast or near the Great Lakes, then the train will suit you only in those few cases when the route and time of the only train coincides with your plans. The situation is approximately the same in Alaska, where there is its own railway company. The only line, Seward - Anchorage - Fairbanks, has one or two trains per day. In the Arctic winter, routes become weekly, and then the trains turn into minibuses - to stop you need to vote on the platform. Most recently, on October 1, they broke a record there by organizing a train of 32 cars. Four of these thirty-two were baggage cars and five were dining cars. USA: railroads (part 1) A similar approach is in the rest of the United States. Long-distance trains have been turned into hotels with lounges and restaurants. In general, the American style is felt in everything. Most of the carriages are huge two-story colossuses, leaving a feeling of indestructible power. This feeling is further enhanced by the unpainted iron bodies of the carriages. The same impression is created by the locomotives, which most closely resemble typical American automobile tractors. European style is found only on modern East Coast trains. High-speed trains, modeled on Europe and Japan, are gradually being introduced there. On relatively short distances along the Atlantic coast, these trains successfully compete with airlines. Trains are especially convenient in cases where you need to travel immediately and it is no longer possible to purchase a cheap air ticket. One of the priority areas for the development of railways in America is their integration with airlines, which by definition are the most important transport in America. Here, Americans are also inspired by the example of Europe, where most of the largest airports have their own railway stations. So far in America there are almost no such things, but in the near future passengers of a number of airports will have the opportunity to board both commuter and long distance trains . All this, together with the introduction of new high-speed lines, will attract many new customers to America's railroads in the near future. In the USA, where almost every family has a personal car, and incomes allow the use of air transport, rail transport cannot be the first, however, it has its own percentage of transportation. If in Russia the railway is a highly developed industry in the cargo and passenger segment, then in the USA, railway transport mainly transports cargo. Our road is just being modernized to meet the standards of a market economy, new trains are appearing, satellite monitoring is being introduced, demonopolization is taking place, the USA has had all this for a long time, including a high level of competition. Let's look a little into history to understand what stage of development the US railroad is at today. Just three decades ago, the United States had a fairly extensive network of passenger transportation, but rapid motorization and the popularization of passenger aviation over time relegated railway transport to the background in passenger transportation. At that time, there were many private companies operating in the market, which, due to the outbreak of the crisis, went bankrupt and closed their lines. Most of these companies operated only 2-3 lines. The US government began saving the industry by creating Amtrak from the most profitable lines. It started operating in 1971 and is still operating successfully. Today, America is characterized by uneven coverage of the passenger rail network. It is most developed on the east coast; the capital of the US railroad is Chicago. You can quite comfortably move along the corridor Boston - New York - Philadelphia - Washington - Richmond, along the border with Canada, as well as in Florida. Among the states in another part of America, only California can be distinguished. And, for example, in Las Vegas and the city of Phoenix there are no passenger trains at all; there are also many places where they run every other day. In general, crossing America by train is quite problematic, although there are a total of four lines between the West and the East. Priority is given to freight trains, as they are highly profitable. Passenger cars on American trains are double-decker, which fits well with the typical American style. Although in those regions where the railway network is developed (New York, Chicago), they follow global trends and install modern high-speed boom-type trains on the lines. There are two types of trains in the United States: short-haul, which run mainly during the day and consist mainly of seated cars (coaches), and long-distance. In double-decker carriages, the first floor is always space for luggage and disabled people, the second is a platform with comfortable seats, like on an airplane. There are carriages with bedrooms of different levels of comfort. Passenger transportation in the USA, although not as popular as traveling by personal vehicle or airplane, nevertheless has its client and continues to exist. Mainline diesel locomotives With hydraulic transmission: Diesel locomotive ML4000CC Diesel locomotive ML4000CC The Krauss-Maffei company built a batch of mainline freight diesel locomotives with a power of 4000 hp. with hydraulic transmission for US railways. The locomotive is equipped with two 16-cylinder V-shaped diesel engines from Maybach, type MD-870, with a power of 2000 hp. each, with a cylinder diameter of 185 mm and a piston stroke of 200 mm. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotives D443 and D343 Diesel locomotives D443 and D343 Diesel locomotives D443 and D343 from Fiat with a power of 2000 and 1500 hp, respectively. with electric transmission are intended for non-electrified sections of Italian railways. Diesel locomotives are equipped with standard components and parts (bogies, traction motors, gears, compressors, filters, refrigerator elements, driver cabins and their equipment, etc.). The fundamental difference between the diesel locomotives of these series is that the D443 locomotives are equipped with low-speed diesel engines with a power of 2000 hp. with a maximum speed of 1000 per minute, and D343 - high-speed diesel engines with a power of 1500 hp. at 1500 rpm. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotive GP40 Diesel locomotive GP40 Diesel locomotive GP40- 4-axle diesel electric locomotive produced by General Electric between November 1965 and December 1971. The 16-cylinder diesel engine installed on the locomotive develops a power of 3,000 horsepower. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotive GP30 Diesel locomotive GP30 Diesel locomotive GP30 with electric direct current transmission with a power of 2250 hp, it was produced by General Motorors between July 1961 and November 1963. DURING this time, 948 units were built. The diesel locomotive is equipped with a two-stroke diesel engine type 567D3 with a thrust capacity of 2250 hp. at 835 rpm with direct-flow blowing and charge air cooling. The diesel engine has a turbocharger, which is driven at low speeds directly from the crankshaft through a gear transmission, and at high speeds - from a gas turbine running on exhaust gases. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotive SD45 Diesel locomotive SD45 with electric AC-DC transmission, was produced by General Motors from December 1965 to December 1971. During this period, 1260 units were produced. The diesel locomotive is equipped with a 12-cylinder diesel engine 645E3 with a power of 3600 hp. Diesel locomotives of this and some other series use diesel type 645. Like diesel type 567, diesel 645 is designated in accordance with the cylinder displacement. Diesel Locomotives: GP28 Diesel Locomotive GP28 Diesel Locomotive The GP28 locomotive is a 4-axle locomotive manufactured by General Electric, powered by a 16-cylinder 567D1 diesel engine producing 1,800 horsepower (1.3 mW), and produced between March 1964 and November 1965. The GP28 locomotive is a basic, non-turbocharged version of the GP35 locomotive. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotive G12 Diesel locomotive G12 Diesel locomotive G12 thrust power 1310 hp. with direct current electrical transmission. The diesel locomotive is equipped with a 12-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine 567C with a power of 1425 hp. The diesel engine is started from the main generator. Diesel locomotives: Diesel locomotive GT16 Diesel locomotive GT16 Diesel locomotive GT16 traction power 2400 hp. with DC electrical transmission is being built for delivery to Australia. The diesel locomotive is equipped with a 16-cylinder diesel model 576E3 with a power of 2600 hp. with turbocharging and charge air cooling. In design and main dimensions, the 576E3 diesel is similar to the 576C diesel model, which develops a power of 1950 hp. Diesel locomotives: Diesel freight locomotive DD40X Centennial Diesel freight locomotive DD40X Centennial Mainline diesel locomotive DD40X Centennial with a power of 6600 hp. with electrical transmission of alternating-direct current is intended for freight transportation. The DD40X was built by General Motors, a division of La Grange, for use on the Pacific Union railroad. The institutional structure of the United States initially predetermined the absence in the country of single economic entities, the owner of which is the state itself. US railroads were built and developed under the jurisdiction of individual states. The construction of railways in the USA began in 1827, that is, 10 years earlier than in Russia. Today, the length of American railways is more than 220 thousand km, compared to 87 thousand km of the length of Russian main railways. The gauge of US railways is 1435 mm, which corresponds to the gauge of European railways. In Russia, the track width is 1520 mm. The number of personnel of US railways is about 180 thousand workers versus 1200 thousand people working on Russian railways. The last ratio allows us to think about the efficiency of using labor resources in the domestic railway industry. At the same time, the shares of railway transport in the freight turnover of both countries are approximately equal and are in last years in the range of 40-45%. Railroads in the USA are private. The railway market has about 600 companies, but more than 60% of all freight traffic is handled by the 8 largest companies. Railway companies have the right to independently set tariffs depending on the demand for various types of transportation and competition from other modes of transport. The process of determining the level of railroad tariffs is subject to oversight and antitrust regulation by a federal body - the Surface Transportation Board, which until 1996 was called the Interstate Transportation Commission. The results of the council's activities include regular reductions in tariff levels and the establishment of fair tariffs for seven transcontinental routes crossing US territory. The issue of railroad privatization is not relevant for the United States. A pressing issue is the effective functioning and coordination of railway systems belonging to different owners. The American railway management system is based on the principle that it is inappropriate to divide a single railway into companies for transportation and infrastructure management. Reducing costs and improving service for shippers and consignees on US railroads is primarily due to competition with road transport. In the United States, a program for managing a fleet of freight cars on private railways has been developed. It has gained popularity since the 80s of the 20th century, when the leading carriers in North America organized relevant divisions in their structures and staffed them with specialists in the field of railway operation, marketing and information technology. The main goal was to reduce empty mileage and fees for using wagons, as well as increase the efficiency of wagon use. Regulation and management of a fleet of private operators has become most relevant in the organization and implementation of international cargo transportation: transit between the East and West coasts, between Canada and Mexico. US private railway companies, in which shareholders make fundamental decisions, pay special attention to the management of transport infrastructure. Currently, the average annual investment in infrastructure here is approximately US$5 billion - 19% of the total operating costs of large class 1 railways, versus US$6.2 billion - 24% of rolling stock costs for a total investment of US$27 billion Doll. USA. The share of infrastructure costs has recently increased from 14% 30 years ago to 17% 20 years ago and, as stated above, to 19% today, indicating significant progress has been made through understanding the need to continually increase rail capacity and for the development of steadily growing volumes of transportation. The obvious desire to ensure the proper condition of track facilities and public areas is confirmed by the steady increase in investment in the industry. Indeed, of the total capital investment of $5 billion, 77% was in infrastructure versus 23% in rolling stock. It follows from all this that in order to maintain and increase investment in infrastructure, investors must be interested in the results of their investments and understand the importance and significance of this infrastructure to ensure further growth in traffic volumes

Yes, Richardson assured the professor that this was true. He said the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society museum building in Columbus has stairs leading to the basement. On this very staircase, on the lowest platform between the flights, Fitch's steam locomotive stands, collecting dust. After the death of John Fitch himself, it was inherited by his adopted son, who settled in Worthington, Ohio. In the 1850s, interested parties somehow learned that this small working model of a steam locomotive, of significant historical value, was in Worthington, and convinced Fitch's son to donate the model to the museum.

After listening to the young man, the professor became very excited. It seemed as if he would immediately jump off the train to go to Columbus. But he suddenly calmed down and sat down in his place. And then he became very angry, because he remembered that at one time, when he was just starting to collect information about Fitch’s locomotive, he wrote requests about it to many US museums, including the Ohio State Museum. The museum then responded that they knew nothing about him.

John Fitch invented the steam locomotive for the railroad in the 1780s. He even organized a demonstration of his scaled-down, working model in Philadelphia for President George Washington and cabinet officials. His idea was to use a full-size locomotive to haul freight trains across the Allegheny Mountains, where, due to the complete lack of road routes, the United States was then experiencing enormous difficulties in supplying the military operation under the command of Major General Arthur St. Claire against the aggressive Indian tribes of the northwest, actively supported by the British.

The same model of John Fitch from Philadelphia, supposedly built by him
in the late 1780s and early 1790s. The model is currently in the museum
Ohio State Historical Society. Photo from the collection of Robert Richardson

Fitch's little locomotive ran on rails made of wooden beams and was supported by flanged wheels. These flanges were located on the outer edges of the wheels, and not on the inner ones, in contrast to later technical practice in the railway industry. A copper boiler was installed on the frame of the locomotive, and a movable lever mechanism was used to transmit rotational motion to the wheels, working on the “grasshopper’s legs” principle. Fitch also invented the steam pump, a steam dredge for use in and around Philadelphia, and a steamboat, which he tested on the Schuylkil River.

Another inventor showed up, a man named Rumsey, who invented the steamboat around the same time. A dispute arose between Finch and Ramsay over the right of primacy. Each of the two tried to prove their priority. Moreover, both of them were significantly ahead of the now recognized inventor of the steamboat, Robert Fulton. But Fulton later, in his time, took care of gaining fame as the inventor of the steamboat, and since he was married to a representative of one of the richest and most influential families in the United States, he did not have any special problems with this. And the names of two engineers, one of whom really had priority in this epoch-making invention, were consigned to undeserved oblivion.

Fitch's locomotive, despite its more than modest dimensions (two feet long and two feet wide), remains the very first steam locomotive in the world. And it turns out, therefore, that the steam locomotive was invented in America, and not in England, as is commonly believed. But the United States at the end of the 18th century was a distinctly agrarian country. American society at that time had a very negative attitude towards technology and invention. John Fitch was a man far ahead of his time, and his amazing inventions had no chance of recognition and worthy use in the States. They were soon forgotten.

10 years later. Rule, Britannia!

In 1804, an Englishman named Richard Trevithick “reinvented” the steam locomotive.

Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive. 1804

It's him. There are quite different images of Trevithick's locomotive on the Internet.

Its boiler was made of drawn iron, a firebox was arranged inside, and the products of fuel combustion came out through a chimney located in the same end wall of the boiler as the fire door. The steam cylinder was installed vertically, and its piston was connected to a pair of drive wheels using metal levers through eccentrics. The exhaust steam was removed from the cylinder into the chimney, increasing the draft from the boiler. The pressure in the boiler reached forty pounds per square inch, that is, it was a high-pressure unit. To avoid excess pressure and associated troubles, a safety valve was provided on the locomotive. As operating practice has shown, the locomotive operated reliably and stably, but the possible economic effect from it could not be considered satisfactory, since its power was only sufficient for movement, but not for the transportation of any significant cargo.

Blenkinsop steam locomotive. 1812

The next relatively successful attempt to build a steam locomotive was made by an English engineer named Blenkinsop in 1812. This machine was equipped with two vertical steam cylinders with a diameter of 203 millimeters each. The connecting rods, driven by the pistons, transmitted rotation to the intermediate gears, which, in turn, rotated two large gears mounted on the same axis and engaged in gear sectors laid on both sides outside the rail bed. One supporting axle was installed in front and behind the drive axle. Thus, this locomotive had six wheels in total.

Steam locomotive "Puffing Billy", built in 1813

Just a year later, the Englishman Blackett created the Puffing Billy locomotive. Its design was very similar to Blenkinsop's, however, unlike it, "Puffing Billy" was driven not by gears, but in the "traditional" way - by engaging the drive wheels with the rails under the influence of weight, just like Richard Trevithick's locomotive and all the locomotives familiar to us.

George Stephenson (1781 - 1848)

And in 1814, another Englishman, George Stephenson, an engineer from the Killingworth coal mine, built his first steam locomotive to transport coal. The locomotive was named Blucher (pronounced "Blucher" in American style) in honor of the Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, who played a significant role in the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon. It had a horizontally located boiler with a diameter of 863 millimeters and a length of 2.43 meters, two steam cylinders 203 millimeters in diameter with a drive on one of the two axes. The piston stroke was 609 millimeters. The Blooker could pull a train carrying thirty tons of coal. It was the first steam locomotive in world history that was able to transport goods.

This locomotive was structurally little different from its predecessors. But, starting with the next model, and a total of sixteen of them were built over the next five years, Stephenson began to move more and more away from the original design. These modifications and the constant pursuit of improvement ultimately predetermined Stephenson's future success in creating a cost-effective steam locomotive. Already in the second model, the cylinders drove all four wheels, which, in addition, were connected in pairs on each side by separate rods. Later, in subsequent models, the rods connecting the wheels were replaced with chains.

Stephenson's third freight locomotive, named Killingworth. 1816

All Stephenson steam locomotives built from 1814 to 1819 were designed to transport coal at low speeds from mining sites. Despite the fact that they did this job well, for a long time, for a long time, passenger transportation by rail in England was exclusively horse-drawn.

In 1820, Stephenson, by now well-known, was awarded the contract to build an eight-mile railway, also for the transport of coal, between Hetton and Sunderland. The road built by Stephenson was unique in that it skillfully used the features of the local terrain. The part of the route leading down the slopes of the hills was covered by coal cars using their own weight, and steam locomotives were used on the ascent sections of the road. This was the first railway that was completely without horse traction.

In 1821, construction began on the Stockton and Darlington railroad (S&DR). The original plan for operating the road called for the use of horses to transport coal cars along iron rails. But after a meeting with Stephenson, road director Edward Pease agreed to make adjustments to the plan.

Through his great tenacity and faith in the power of steam, Stephenson managed to obtain permission to build three locomotives for the S&DR. Having begun this work in 1822, Stephenson completed the first of the three locomotives in September 1825. At first the locomotive was named Active, but it was soon renamed Locomotion.

Locomotive, built in 1825, crosses one of the first railroad bridges

The length of its boiler was three meters, diameter - 1.21 meters. There were two cylinders, with a diameter of 254 millimeters, installed vertically. The four driving wheels were connected in pairs by side pistons, as on the familiar locomotives of the 20th century. The entire structure weighed six and a half tons and was equipped with a tender to supply the steam engine with coal and water.

The Stockton and Darlington railroad opened on September 27, 1825. Driven personally by Stephenson, the Locomotive pulled a train loaded with coal weighing eighty tons for nine miles, reaching a speed of 24 miles per hour (approximately 39 km/h) on one section of the route. After this, a specially built coach, called "The Experiment", and the first study tour was organized for the dignitaries present at the opening of the road. The S&DR was the first railway in England and the world to use steam engines instead of horses to transport people and goods. The "cavalry" was dismissed.

Even during the construction of the S&DR, Stephenson noted that even minor climbs greatly slowed down the movement of his locomotives, and on even minor declines the locomotive's primitive brakes became almost completely ineffective. This observation led him to the conclusion that the railway track should, if possible, be laid on flat areas of the landscape, avoiding slopes. He subsequently used this experience in the construction of the Bolton & Leigh Railway (B&LR) and Liverpool & Manchester Railway (L&MR), insisting on the construction of a number of overpasses and stone viaducts in difficult terrain to smooth out possible slopes of the tracks.

After only four years, the final and complete superiority of steam over horse-drawn was demonstrated during a public competition held by the L&MR Directorate to ascertain which of the two modes of travel along its newly laid rail route between the two cities would be faster. A rather serious reward for those times was announced for the victory - five hundred pounds. The company's plan was a success. The competition took place despite attempts by some conservative surrounding landowners and horse-drawn stagecoach companies competing with the railroad to prevent it from taking place. In history they remained under the name Rainhill Trial (Rainhill Trail) after the name of the place between Liverpool and Manchester.

The statement by Stephenson, who was appointed chief engineer, essentially the project manager on the railway side, that he would build a locomotive that would be capable of traveling at a speed of thirty kilometers per hour, caused disbelief and ridicule among everyone around him. But he was confident in his abilities.

Once, when the struggle for holding the competition reached its peak, and the matter came to trial in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, during one of the hearings, one of the deputies asked Stephenson a provocative question.
Let’s assume,” said the deputy, “that your car is traveling along the rails at a speed of, say, two and a half or three kilometers per hour, and at this time a cow crosses the road and blocks the car’s path. Wouldn't this be, in some ways, a very delicate situation?
Yes,” the engineer answered without hesitation, “Too delicate.” For a cow.

And when another time someone, clearly hostile to steam engines, asked him whether a steam locomotive on its route would unacceptably frighten people and animals with its chimney, painted bright red, Stephenson, who had a subtle sense of humor , asked a counter question:
How do you think they will understand that it is something to be wary of if the pipe is not painted?

For the competition, which took place in October 1829, Stephenson created the steam locomotive "The Rocket". The name fully justified itself. Stephenson's new locomotive not only defeated all its competitors, both mechanical and live, but was capable of traveling at a record constant speed of forty kilometers per hour for that time. Moreover, two days after the competition, he pulled a weight of thirteen tons at a fantastic speed of fifty kilometers per hour during testing. Stephenson more than fulfilled his promise.

The Rocket itself weighed only four and a half tons. It used a boiler with a tubular evaporator system, very similar to that used in modern boilers with tubular evaporators. The length of the boiler was 1.82 meters with a diameter of 1 meter. The steam cylinders were mounted obliquely, and each of the pistons directly rotated one of two large diameter drive wheels. The spent steam was released into the chimney through special exhaust pipes with pointed ends.

The opening ceremony of the L&MR, held on September 15, 1830, was a very significant event in England. It was attended by many prominent statesmen, including the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington. Although the day was overshadowed by the death of Liverpool MP William Huskison, who was accidentally hit by a Rocket and crushed to death, the opening of the road received a huge positive response. Stephenson became very famous and began to be bombarded with offers to lead the construction of many railways in Great Britain.

"Rocket" by George Stephenson. 1829

The Rocket was the first truly efficient locomotive to run on rails. Since his success, it was Stephenson who is considered the “father of the steam locomotive”, and his “Rocket” - the first steam locomotive.

There is a statue of Stephenson at the National Railway Museum, York.

And on October 28, 2005, at the Chesterfield railway station, which is in direct visibility from the Tapton House mansion, where the great engineer spent the last ten years of his life, a monument was erected to him. The unveiling ceremony for the bronze statue of George Stephenson included a working, full-size replica of his greatest creation, the Rocket locomotive.

The story of the American "father"

Meanwhile, in 1815, a certain John Stevens (not to be confused with Stephenson!), a wealthy military man with the rank of colonel, as well as an engineer and businessman from the city of Haboken, New Jersey, obtained from his state government the rights to build the first in America railroad. He managed to realize these rights only after ten years and not in the way he would have liked.

Colonel John Stephens (1749 - 1838)

At that time, the United States already had several relatively short horse-drawn railways. The most famous of these are Beacon Hill Road in Boston, built by Silas Whitney and opened in 1807, as well as a road built in 1809 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, owned by a man named Thomas Leiper. Leiper).

One of the largest railroad museums in the United States, The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, has one rather unusual exhibit.

It looks like both a typical American farm horse-drawn wagon and a self-propelled, mechanically driven carriage. And there is a steam boiler installed on it. This strange machine is a replica of a steam locomotive designed to run on a six hundred and sixty foot circle of rails that was laid on the estate of Colonel Stevens at Haboken.

For your information, the Stevens Institute of Technology, founded in 1870, is now located on the site of this estate. This man is often called "the father of American railroads" these days.

In 1825, John Stevens succeeded in something completely different from what he had set out to achieve. Dreaming of the commercial exploitation of railways and not being able to realize his dream, the colonel built a “funny” road on his estate with a single purpose. This was another attempt to somehow contribute to the popularization and development of railroads in Pennsylvania.

"Railroad Fun" at Stevens's estate in Haboken. 1825

Fifteen years earlier, he completely transferred the shipping company he owned to his sons and concentrated all further efforts in the development of land steam transport. Anticipating the grandiose future of railroads, Stevens invested a large amount of personal funds and all his energy into their popularization and development. In particular, he spent a lot of effort trying to dissuade the then governor New York De Witt Clinton from the construction of a ship canal to Lake Erie. Canals, as Colonel Stevens reasonably argued, based on his own experience as the owner of a shipping company, could not serve as effective transport routes, especially for supplying cities with agricultural products, and this was the most important and main type of cargo transportation at that time. By the beginning of winter, that is, exactly when farmers needed them most, the canals simply froze.

Unable to prevent what he believed was an erroneous decision to build a canal, and lacking sufficient capital to build his own railroad in New Jersey, Stevens turned to the state of Pennsylvania for financing for the construction of such a road. There, at that moment, the issue of building a system of shipping canals on the territory of the state was also considered. The colonel even built a steam locomotive of his own design, which was driven by the engagement of a gear wheel with a gear sector laid along the rails. He chose this design because he wanted to clearly demonstrate that his locomotive was capable of climbing steep hills and mountain slopes on rails, which were natural (and insurmountable for water transport) an obstacle to the development of transport routes from the east coast to the west, inland. But the time had not yet come, either then or in 1825.

Stevens's ideas were nevertheless implemented by the middle of the 19th century. In 1846, the Pennsylvania Rail Road (PRR) became a giant railroad in the United States, absorbing more than six hundred smaller railroad companies and their track infrastructure. The 1846 PRR had a huge network of tracks stretching from the company's headquarters in Philadelphia to New York, Washington, Chicago and St. Louis. Within the state of Pennsylvania, and here and there outside the state, its main lines ran for the most part along the routes predicted by Colonel Stevens. One of them passed through the town of Paradise, where it was joined from the Strasburg Junction station by a short branch of the Strasburg Rail Road, built back in 1832. This line, which still exists today, leads to a very remarkable place where the aforementioned Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was opened in 1975.

The fact of the creation of this wonderful museum is yet another confirmation of the enormous role that railroads played in the development of the state, its economy, industry and society as a whole during the century and a half of its existence. Now the museum's exhibition includes more than ninety historical locomotives.

The developed network of railroads during the American Civil War of 1861-65 created a huge advantage for the northerners over the southerners, giving them the ability to quickly transport troops, deliver strategic cargo from production sites to the theater of operations, and quickly supply their army with everything they needed. Thus, the victorious Battle of Gettysburg for the northerners in 1863, according to the recollections of its participants, was preceded by an intense redeployment of troops and military cargo by rail. On the line from Baltimore to Westminster, Maryland, Western Maryland (WM) trains carrying troops, supplies, and ammunition followed almost continuously, one after another. This line was under the direct coordination of Northern military authorities and became the main supply channel for the Army of the Potomac, originally created by Northerners back in 1861 to defend Washington against the advancing forces of the South and winning the Battle of Gettysburg under the command of General George Meade. Prisoners, wounded and dead bodies were also transported by rail for several days after the battle.

Second try. First steps

Returning to the history of the birth of steam locomotives in America, it should be noted that the “fruit was ripe” by the end of the 1820s. The Americans, who a quarter of a century earlier had successfully buried their own invention of the steam locomotive, began purchasing English locomotives. The first steam locomotives to operate on US railroads were built in England for the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company (D&HCC) by order of its chief engineer, John Jervice.

1828 Stourbridge Lion steam locomotive

There were only four of them. The first of them, bearing the rather strange name Sturbridge Lyon to our ears, was brought with him from a trip in 1828 by Horatio Allen, a representative of the D&HCC, who was sent to England. "Overseas imports" could travel on what were then wooden rails at speeds of up to ten miles per hour. Upon arrival in the United States, these locomotives were immediately put to work. They transported coal from the mines to the Delaware & Hudson piers on the Pennsylvania Canal for further transportation by water. But pretty soon the company removed all four locomotives from the line, recognizing them as ineffective. Following this, they were dismantled. However, both the D&HCC and other American railroads continued to increasingly send engineers to England for railroad training in the early 1830s.

The practice of the first years of operation of British imported steam locomotives in American conditions showed that they were not as good as could be expected. And in general, being created in a highly developed technically and relatively densely populated country with a small territory, the English railways were completely unsuited in their “engineering ideology” to American realities, primarily geographical ones. The Americans quickly recognized the British system of laying rails as overly advanced and too expensive in the conditions of their country with a small number of centers of civilization scattered over a large territory and surrounded by vast undeveloped areas. And soon local engineers developed several of their own, cheaper rail track designs.

Many locomotives purchased in England also underwent numerous successive modifications. The original design included pilot trucks to facilitate the passage of radii, differently designed driver's cabs, and "cowcatchers," which literally translates as "cow grabber." This typically American detail was a wedge-shaped safety grille in the front part of the locomotive, designed to throw foreign objects off the tracks, placed far forward at a small angle to the rails. On locomotives they began to use headlights of a completely different design compared to England, as well as many other innovations. All this led to the fact that by the 1850s, American locomotives, even in appearance, were very different from English and any other European ones. And this constructive divergence continued in subsequent periods.

Tom Thumb steam locomotive by Peter Cooper. 1830

The first experimental steam locomotive built entirely in the United States in 1830 was a steam locomotive called Tom Thumb. He traveled on the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad. It was developed by B&O engineer Peter Cooper. The steam lines in his boiler were made from gun barrels. It developed a power of only 1.43 horsepower.

The first American steam locomotive that went into actual operation was created in the same 1830 by the West Point Foundry Association of New York City for the South Carolina Railroad, whose headquarters were located in Charleston. He was given the name Best Friend.

The following year, 1831, the West Point and South Carolina locomotives were built. South Carolina") and De Witt Clinton, named after the very governor of New York whom Colonel Stevens failed to convince.

"Atlantic" with two driving axles

"Old Iron" by Matthias Baldwin

In 1832, the Atlantic and Old Ironsides steam locomotives appeared. This piece of hardware is notable in that it was designed by none other than Matthias W. Baldwin, who later founded the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, one of the three greatest US locomotive-building companies of all time. This was the first locomotive of the great locomotive builder.

In the first years of the development of railway transport, almost every small factory, even with a primitive foundry and some kind of mechanical workshops, had the opportunity to build a steam locomotive. And many small businesses built them. The history of one such enterprise, taking into account the personality of its founder and the gigantic contribution that this man and his company made to the development of American railroads, deserves to be discussed in more detail.

Baldwin Locomotive Works (1834 - 1956). 70,500 locomotives in 122 years.

Matthias William Baldwin (1795 - 1866) was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He was the third of five children in the family of a successful carriage maker. In 1811, a sixteen-year-old young man began training in jewelry making. In 1817, he took a job with the Fletcher and Gardner company in Philadelphia. And two years later, in 1819, he patented his own original gilding method, which later won universal recognition and became an industry standard.

Statue of Matthias Baldwin in front of Philadelphia City Hall

The interests of the young jeweler were not limited only to the craft. At the very beginning of the 1820s, he became interested in printing and bookbinding. He even opened a small printing workshop in Philadelphia where the printing press was powered (a very significant fact!) by a steam engine of his own design. This steam engine developed significant power for its size and was so successful that Baldwin began to receive commercial orders for the production of such steam engines.

Thus, the History of Baldwin Locomotive Works began in a very modest and ordinary manner in 1825. Baldwin entered into a commercial partnership with a man named David Mason. Together they opened a small mechanical workshop. Soon this workshop gained fame throughout the area for high quality execution of orders.

Just to complete the picture, we note that in 1827 Baldwin married a very distant relative. They subsequently had three children.

It seemed that fate itself was consistently and steadily pushing Baldwin towards locomotive building. In 1831, at the request of the City Museum of Philadelphia, he produced a scaled-down demonstration model of a steam locomotive, the design of which was based on the best examples of machines that took part in the above-mentioned 1829 Rainhill Trial competition in England (and we remember whose design won the victory). Baldwin's model was powerful enough to pull several carriages, each carrying four passengers. The innovation of the design was that the model ran on coal, while all locomotives of that time, without exception, were designed for wood power.

That same year, Baldwin received his first order in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He was invited to advise on the assembly of a locomotive from parts sent from England for New Jersey's first railroad company, Camden & Amboy (C&A). It was his comments made during the inspection of the disassembled locomotive that allowed the Irish engineer Isaac Dripps from Belfast, hired by the company to accompany and assemble the purchased machine, relatively quickly, in just eleven days, without drawings, to assemble the locomotive and then properly install it. tune. In 1832, Baldwin himself had to, at the request of the Newcastle & Frenchtown Railroad (N&FRR), begin assembling another steam locomotive, which arrived from England in the form of a set of parts, also without drawings. This locomotive, successfully assembled by Baldwin, was named Delaware.

Then it was the turn of “Old Claptrap”. She was completed and tested on the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad (PG&NRR) in November 1832. Initially, the Zhelezyaka was equipped with one (rear) pair of driving wheels and one (front) pair of auxiliary wheels. Baldwin soon modified the locomotive by adding a second pair of auxiliary wheels at the front. The locomotive weighed just over five tons and its drive wheels were 54 inches (1.37 m) in diameter. The diameter of the working cylinders was 9.5 inches (24 cm), the piston stroke was 18 inches (45.7 cm). The wheel hubs and axles were made of iron castings, the spokes and rims were made of hard wood. Forged bandages with flanges were put on the rims. The "Zhelezyaki" frame was made of wood and extended beyond the track in width.

Once put into operation, the "Old Iron" served for more than twenty years.

Quite a short time after the construction of "Old Iron", Baldwin founded the Baldwin Locomotive Works, which throughout almost its entire history since 1834 remained the undoubted leader and "trendsetter" of the American locomotive building, creating more fundamentally new successful designs than any other locomotive building company. company in the world. Only in the mid-50s of the 20th century, as a result of the loss of a strategic partner in the Westinghouse concern, Baldwin lost the market for diesel locomotives to ALCO and EMD and was forced to go out of business.

Before the death of Matthias Baldwin in 1866, the company managed to produce more than one and a half thousand steam locomotives of various types. By the early 1920s, the fifty-thousandth locomotive was produced. And during the entire existence of Baldwin Locomotive Works, more than 70,500 locomotives came out of its workshops (just think about the number!). Among them, we can especially note such outstanding examples as the Cab Forward 2-8-8-4 and the magnificent high-speed Golden State (GS) 4-8-4 Southern Pacific roads, the famous PRR GG-1 electric locomotives, which served for almost fifty years, as well as the most powerful in the world Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 Allegheny - the last steam locomotives built by the great company.

America for the Americans

As already mentioned, the American locomotive industry followed its own path of further progress through a number of improvements. The boiler began to be installed on the locomotive frame not vertically, but horizontally along, just like the working cylinders. The pistons began to be directly connected to one of the pairs of drive wheels, and this pair - by side pistons - to the second drive axle. The firebox was placed between the wheels for quite a long time and remained narrow because of this. They began to raise it above the wheels by the very end of the 19th century.

A whole series of improvements also took place in the development of wheel designs, later combined into the Whyte Wheel Arrangement Classification system. This basic American classification system for steam locomotives was introduced in the early 20th century. It is named after its author, Frederick Methvan Whyte, a Dutch-American engineer for the New York Central (NYC) railroad (the name is pronounced "Whit" in the Dutch manner). These improvements began with the addition of a front auxiliary bogie, which supported the front of the horizontal boiler and helped the locomotives negotiate radii.

According to the Wheat system, the wheel formula of a locomotive is divided into components according to the number of main groups of wheels and is expressed by a sequence of numbers separated by hyphens. The first number reflects the number of auxiliary wheels on the front bogie (pilot truck), the second - the number of driving wheels (if the locomotive has two groups of driving wheels, then two numbers are included in the formula, separated by a hyphen, according to the number of wheels in each group). The last number in the formula expresses the number of wheels on the rear trailing truck. Since most American locomotives of that time did not have rear bogies, the last number in the wheel formulas of such locomotives was zero. And shunting locomotives in those years were not equipped with front bogies. Accordingly, the first number in their wheel formulas was also zero.

In the standard designs of the first American steam locomotives, the 4-2-0 formula was very popular. Only one wheel on each side of the locomotive was steam driven through pistons. After some time, however, the design underwent further improvements. Another pair of drive wheels was added. The formula for this new type of locomotive took the form 4-4-0. It was this design that became typical of America in the mid-19th century. It is known as the "American type" or "American standard".

4-4-0 "American" 60s - 90s of the 19th century

However, the development of the “typically American” 4-4-0 formula did not stop there. As the need arose to increase the power of locomotives, the designers followed the obvious path and added a third drive axle, thereby creating the 4-6-0 formula and its junior modification 2-6-0. The next logical step was the appearance of steam locomotives with the 2-8-0 formula.

In 1866 (the year of the founder's death), the first copy of a new design steam locomotive was built in the Baldwin Locomotive Works workshops, commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Railway. It was called Consolidation because the Lehigh Valley Road had recently been created by the consolidation of several smaller railroad lines into one company. The newly created locomotive had eight driving wheels and one pair of front auxiliary wheels. There was no rear support trolley. This was the first example of the 2-8-0 formula. Consolidation steam locomotives quickly gained great popularity as heavy freight locomotives needed, for example, for transporting coal.

The following year, 1867, the Baldwin Company produced its first example of another new locomotive with six driving wheels and one front pair of auxiliary wheels. This new 2-6-0 locomotive was named The Great Mogul, or simply Mogul, as all locomotives with this formula were soon called. They have also become very popular for transporting heavy loads. Although to be fair, it should be mentioned that Baldwin's Mogul was not the very first 4-6-0. The first such locomotive was built by Rogers Locomotive Works four years before Baldwin, around 1863.

Some examples of the 2-6-0 Mogul remained in service until the late 1940s

And in 1897, designers from the same company Baldwin presented new type heavy freight locomotive with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement, developed by order of the Japanese railway Nippon Railway. Not surprisingly, it was called Mikado. This was also facilitated by the extreme popularity of the opera of the same name by Gilbert & Sullivan, "The Mikado", which premiered relatively shortly before the events described - in 1885.

The 2-8-2 formula turned out to be a new word in steam locomotive engineering, since the presence of a rear two-wheeled bogie made it possible to place the firebox not above the drive wheels, but behind them, lengthening and expanding it. This gave a significant increase in power compared to any other previously built steam locomotives.

Since its inception, the Mikado 2-8-2 has been a huge success in the United States, primarily as a freight locomotive. With nearly the same towing capacity as the Consolidation 2-8-0, the Mike, as it was nicknamed, allowed freight trains to be hauled at significantly higher speeds. The design turned out to be so successful that, despite the subsequent appearance of many heavier and more powerful locomotives, the Mikado 2-8-2 remained the most common freight locomotives in the States until the very end of the steam era.

Mikado 2-8-2 PRR No. 520. A typical representative of the class, surviving to this day

During World War II, which for America was primarily a war with Japan, the "enemy" name Mikado was changed to the patriotic name MacArthur in honor of General Douglas MacArthur, who commanded American forces opposing the Japanese in the Pacific.

In the second half of the 19th century, many other types of locomotives were also created in the United States. But the purpose of this material is not to mention “everyone without exception,” but only to note the fundamental stages in the development of steam locomotive building in the United States.

A few words in conclusion

As a conclusion, we can summarize briefly. Until the beginning of the 20th century, as many experts have repeatedly noted, it was possible to increase the power of steam locomotives by simply increasing the size of the boiler and steam cylinders or by increasing the operating pressure in the boiler. With the advent of the 1900s, began new stage development of steam locomotive engineering, when the weight of locomotives increased so much that weight restrictions and axle load limits became relevant. In these new conditions, to achieve a similar effect, the use of much more complex technical solutions was already required. Just as examples of such solutions (in reality there were many more) we can mention steam superheater systems (superheater technology), additional steam drives on rear bogies (booster), systems for preheating water before feeding into the boiler (feedwater heater) and mechanical coal feeders into the firebox (stocker).

An interesting comparison: an 1831 De Witt Clinton three-car locomotive against a 4-6-2 Pacific class locomotive from the 1920s.

If we try to express ourselves figuratively on this topic, we can say that with the advent of the 20th century, the “youth” of the steam locomotive gave way to its “maturity.”

American railroads have a rich history and played a very important role in the development of the state. Currently, this transport is not as popular in the country as aviation and automobile types. Many of the trains are more of showpieces. Only romantics and people who are afraid of flying on an airplane travel on them. And the ticket price here is usually not much different from the cost of the flight.

Brief comparison with Russian railways

Railway of Russia and USA is different. If the total length of the domestic highway is 87 thousand kilometers, then for the Americans this figure is 220 thousand kilometers. The track width in Russia is 1520 mm, and in the USA it is 1435 mm, as in Europe. In our country, the industry employs 1.2 million workers, while American highways serve only 180 thousand people. Only the share of the industry’s cargo turnover is approximately the same, which is 40% in both countries.

Origin

History of US railroads began in 1815. Their development looked very promising due to the fact that at that time the country did not have developed cheap and fast land transport. The New Jersey Railroad Company was then founded by Colonel John Stevens. Initially, industrial branches began to be created for transporting goods over short distances, for example, for removing minerals from mines. The Pennsylvania Railroad, which began operations in 1846, was the first company in the industry. Eight years later, its first route was officially launched, connecting Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

First locomotives

If there were no big problems with the construction of the canvas, then the main problem we encountered was first US railroads, began to provide traction. In 1826, the aforementioned John Stevenson designed and built his own steam locomotive. To test his brainchild, the engineer built his own circular track in New Jersey. The testing of the machine was successful. Three years later, Gortario Allen, being the chief engineer of a large shipping company, proposed using a simple English steam locomotive. After successful testing, it began to be used on the line between Carbonvale and Honesdale in Pennsylvania. In 1830, according to the design of the American Peter Cooper, the first locomotive intended for passenger transportation was built in New York. Over time, it has established itself as a very reliable car.

In the fifties of the nineteenth century, the so-called underground or underground railroad. IN THE USA This is what representatives of a secret society called themselves. It was engaged in facilitating runaway slaves of African descent from the southern states to the north. At the same time, the organization’s activities were in no way connected with transport and transportation. Members of the organization simply used railroad terminology, which had become popular throughout American society.

The beginning of rapid development

It was after the appearance of the first diesel locomotives that they began to actively develop railroads in the USA. In the 19th century the new one was already serious competition for shipping companies. A special impetus to its development was given by several experiments that proved that a steam locomotive is capable of covering a distance approximately three to four times faster than a steamship.

In 1830, a landmark event took place for American railway transport. Then, between the cities of Ohio and Baltimore in Maryland, the first passenger train. Initially, the public had an extremely negative attitude towards steam locomotives, calling them devilish machines, but over time, it became increasingly clear to most citizens that the future lay with this transport.

If as of 1840 length of US railroads was 2755 miles, then twenty years later this figure crossed the 30 thousand mile mark. The construction of new routes was greatly facilitated by the development of agriculture. Since farmers worked for the market, they needed transport capable of transporting crops quickly and in large quantities.

Construction of the transcontinental railroad

In 1861, the Civil War broke out between North and South. Despite this, a year after its start, President Abraham Lincoln made a decision according to which it was to be built. It was assumed that the length of the highway would be almost three thousand kilometers. Two companies became contractors: Central Pacific (laid the track from west to east) and Union Pacific Railroad (conducted construction from east to west). The so-called meeting point was supposed to be in the center of the route. Each of the companies sought to be the first to finish their section and win this kind of competition, so the work was not always carried out according to plan. Many officials embezzled funds allocated for construction. If there were settlements along the railway route, their residents were offered meager sums for land plots. Moreover, in exchange for bribes from the mayors of some cities (they benefited from the presence of the highway), the companies repeatedly changed routes.

About 10 thousand workers from China and another 4 thousand from Ireland were involved in the construction. This was done in order to reduce the cost of work, because the Americans did not agree to work for the amount offered (at best, $1.5 a day). Due to difficult working conditions, many builders died.

As a result, the Union Pacific Railroad company managed to lay 1,749 kilometers of track, while their opponents managed to lay 1,100 kilometers. This subsequently had a beneficial effect on further development"winners", which today have become one of the most powerful railway enterprises in the country. When workers from two contractors met in 1869, a gold nail was driven into the tie, symbolizing the connection between the two oceans.

The effect of the construction of the transcontinental railroad

Many skeptics argue that it then became a useless and senseless undertaking of the president. However, later it played a very significant role for the state, creating a real revolution in the country’s economy and the migration of its residents. In a short period of time, a huge number of Americans moved to the fertile western lands wanting to develop agriculture.

At the end of the nineteenth century, several more branches appeared, directly connecting the two oceans. They were better thought out, and fewer violations were made during construction. The first railroad in the USA, laid from the east to is considered a dark spot in American history. This is not surprising, because the feat of the two companies cannot overshadow the number of workers killed and families left homeless.

Railroad development after the Civil War

The Civil War showed how important and efficient rail transport was in transporting people, food and weapons. It is not surprising that it became a priority in the future. Companies operating in the industry were provided with subsidies even before the start of construction work. In particular, the government allocated from 16 to 48 thousand dollars for each mile of roadway. In addition, the territory for 10 miles on both sides of the route became the property of the companies. It is eloquent that, starting in 1870, over 10 years, 242 thousand square miles of land were distributed to corporations.

From 1865 to 1916 it was produced on a grand scale. The total length of tracks during this time increased from 35 to 254 thousand miles. Moreover, at the beginning of the twentieth century, both passenger and freight transportation in the country was almost entirely carried out by rail.

Reduced role of railways

During the First World War, the railway sector came under the control of the American government. Since that time, the industry gradually began to lose its leading position. In 1920, the railways were returned to private ownership. However, by this time their condition had deteriorated significantly. In combination with the development of technological progress and other types of transport, this began to lead to a gradual decrease in the role of the industry for the state economy.

But there is no need to downplay the importance that the industry played. Firstly, a transport network was created that connected the entire domestic market of the state into a single whole. Secondly, the construction of the railway line contributed to a strong rise in industries such as transport engineering and metallurgy, due to the high demand for rails, cars and locomotives. Be that as it may, if before 1920 the development of railways was called the “golden era”, then we can say with confidence that since that time it has at least ended.

Current state

Few people in the United States travel by rail these days. This is primarily due to the good development of air communications. And the cost of train and plane tickets is often approximately the same. Because of this, it is not surprising that a large share of this industry's revenue comes from freight transportation. US railroad network has a length of more than 220 thousand kilometers. They serve all sectors of the country's economy. Rail transport accounts for about 40% of the national freight turnover.

Companies

All American railroad companies are privately owned. There are almost 600 of them in total. At the same time, the 7 largest of them account for more than half of the cargo turnover in the industry. The state guarantees companies the right to make independent decisions regarding transportation tariffs. At the same time, this process is controlled by a federal body called the Surface Transportation Council. Privatization of American railroads is irrelevant. Companies are interested in the efficient functioning and coordination of absolutely all systems. This is due to high competition with road transport. Fundamental decisions regarding the activities of railway companies are made by their shareholders. Recently, the total revenue of these companies averages about $54 billion per year.

Freight transportation

US railroads boast a fairly developed and efficient freight transportation system. Experts believe that the key to its successful operation is primarily related to their relative freedom from government regulation.

As noted above, about 40% of freight traffic in the country is provided by railway workers. This value has been growing over the past fifteen years. At the same time, in this indicator they are inferior to their main competitor - road transport. In the context of the struggle for clients, companies do their best to focus the attention of potential customers on their economic and environmental advantages. According to their leaders, in the near future this will still improve the current performance.

Classification of freight companies

Carriers that serve, according to the current classification system in the country, are divided into the following classes: first class companies, regional companies, local line operators and S&T carriers.

There are only seven operators classified as first class railway companies. They account for about 67% of cargo turnover, and the average annual income of each exceeds $350 million. Transportation is usually carried out over long distances. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 American railroad workers work for these companies.

Regional companies have average annual revenues of at least $40 million. They typically transport between 350 and 650 miles (within several states). According to the latest data, there are 33 such enterprises operating in the country, and the number of employees of each of them varies within 500 workers.

Local operators operate up to 350 miles and generate revenues of up to $40 million annually. There are 323 firms in this class in the state, which usually transport goods across the territory of one state.

S&T companies do not so much transport cargo as they deal with their transshipment and sorting. In addition, they specialize in delivery within a certain area on the order of a particular carrier. According to the latest data, there are 196 such companies operating in the country, earning several tens of millions of dollars every year.

Passenger Transportation

Railway passenger transport is not very popular in the US. The fact is that distances between cities are usually very long, and not every person is able to sit in a chair for a day, despite its comfort. It is much faster to travel by plane, the ticket price of which is not so much higher than the cost of a train trip.

In the USA, there are two types: short-haul and long-haul (night). The first of them uses seated carriages. They operate exclusively during the day. The second type has both sleeping and sitting rooms. In this case, passengers are located on the upper tier, and the lower one is intended for transporting luggage. Night trains serve mainly the western part of the country.

In addition, for passenger service there are also suburban transportation. The trains that provide them belong to local operators, who independently form the tariff system.

Completion

US railroads at one time played a revolutionary role in the country's economy. Their appearance contributed to a number of positive changes, as well as the development of many industries and agriculture. The evolution of American railroad transportation before the outbreak of World War I even went down in history as the “Golden Age” of railroads. Be that as it may, the development of technological progress combined with the availability of alternative modes of transport has led to a gradual decrease in the role of the industry.

Whether you're planning a trip around the world or want to take a short cross-country excursion, we invite you to take a look at American trains and check out these ten unforgettable train routes in America.

And so, let's go!

Photo: pinterest.com

The 12-hour, 564-kilometre Denali Star route, from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska, covers many top attractions, including the isolated Talkeetna area and the highlight of the route - National Park Denali (English: Denali National Park). Travelers along this route will pass through the Hurricane Gulch, the gorge of the Nenana River, see with their own eyes the double-headed Mountain of Denali and other interesting places that dot the stunning Alaskan landscape.

Please note that due to long travel times, many passengers do not complete the entire route in one trip. So you can take the popular Anchorage to Denali route, and/or split the trip into several stages with an overnight stop in Denali or Talkeetna.

(Mount Hood Railroad)

Photo: Nikolas/realfoodtraveler.com

The Mount Hood Railroad in Oregon is located 10 km east of Portland and extends 35.5 km from Hood River to Parkdale. It offers its tourists round-trip trips via Odell, the company's most popular route, as well as special “lunch trips.” During holiday season you can book a trip on the Polar Express, which takes you to North Pole you will visit Santa Claus. During the trip, tourists are pampered with various delicacies and offered luxurious pajamas.

Among other things, the Mount Hood Railroad hosts various theatrical performances such as the European favorite.

(Grand Canyon Railway)

Photo: travelzoo.com

One of the most impressive landmarks in the United States is also home to one of the most famous trains. It begins its journey in Williams, Arizona, which ends in Grand Canyon National Park. You will cover the 105 km route in approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. The historic train made its first trip in 1901 and has since carried thousands of tourists across northern Arizona's famed Colorado Plateau.

During high season, the train departs twice a day - at 9:30 and 10:30. For the rest of the year, 9:30 am is your only chance to travel this route.

(Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway)

Photo: FloridaStock/Shutterstock.com

Since its opening in 1882, the Durango & Silverton Railroad continues to dazzle and delight travelers from around the world to this day. The historic train travels 72.5 km between Silverton and Durango, Colorado, along the Animas River, and the curved rails lull travelers into limbo. This is a one-of-a-kind way to experience Colorado's unspoiled landscapes.

Tourists can choose the Skyway Tour, which ends on a charter bus, or the Silverton Train Tour, a nine-hour round trip excursion.

Photo: adirondackrr.com

Traveling along a scenic route between Utica and Lake Placid, New York, the train makes additional stops at Tendara and Saranac Lake. Tourists are offered a variety of specialized tours, including the Beer & Wine Train, Rail & Cruise package and even holiday attractions. And don't forget about Fall Foliage tours, which offer travelers breathtaking views of the mountain range Adirondack.

(Great Smoky Mountains Railroad)

Photo: Nick Breedlove

Running through western North Carolina, this 50-mile scenic and historic railroad originates in Bryson and boasts two tunnels and 25 bridges. Tourists are offered a choice of two excursions - one through the wooded Nantahala Gorge, and the other along the Tuckasegee River, as well as special thematic excursions. Each of the trips will feature a number of spectacular views, including mountains, wildlife, wildflowers and a variety of scenic views.

For adventure-hungry tourists, the company offers special package Zip & Rail, which includes round-trip train travel, lunch and a 13-hour tour cable cars, as well as 8 “sky bridges” with views of the Great Smoky Mountains and Fontana Lake.

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

If you think Highway 101 on the West Coast is extraordinarily scenic, you should take the Amtrak Coast Starlight route. The Coastal Route extends from Seattle to Los Angeles, passing through Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Portland. Tourists embarking on the 35-hour trip are given front-row seats to views of sparkling waters, cliffs, bluffs, the ocean and various West Coast cities.

In partnership with the National Park Service Coast, Starlight offers two Trails & Rails programs, each offering the opportunity to travel by train while exploring national historic parks and trails.

Photo: Pi.1415926535/Wikimedia Commons

Covering everything from the city to the country, Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express travels between New York and Rutland, Vermont, giving locals the chance to escape traffic, city life and enjoy a relaxing vacation. With a five-and-a-half-hour express ride that takes visitors daily through the scenic Hudson River Valley, passengers have the opportunity to witness the magical displays of foliage and beautiful mountains.

(Cape Cod Central Railroad)

Photo: John Kittredge/capetrain.com

This railroad is open to tourists from May to October and extends from the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, to the Cape Cod Canal. Travel on this route will remain indelible impressions, with Theme Trains, Luxury Dinner Trains, Coastal Sightseeing Trains, Rails & Ales Oktoberfest Beer Trains, Vines & Views Wine Tasting Train and Colonial Lunch Train. . Most trips will take about two to three hours, allowing you to see everything from forested areas to beaches.

To provide an authentic, traditional atmosphere, some trains, including the Cape Cod Dinner Train, require passengers to adhere to a special dress code.

Empire Builder Train

(Empire Builder)

Photo: amtrakvacations.com

This train can easily be called the "Great American Train" as it covers most of the country, passing through several states, landmarks, and cities. The route stretches from Chicago to Seattle and passes through the plains of North Dakota, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the natural landscapes of Glacier National Park. The trip takes 46 hours and follows many of the routes first explored by early American pioneers.

Amtrak offers a Superliner sleeper train that makes this long route extremely comfortable.

 

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