1. By: Scott Winslow

3. The Cape May and Millville Rail Road began operations in 1863, having completed a line of track from Philadelphia to the coast of New Jersey that began construction on 1852. Trains were able to make the trip from Philadelphia to Cape May in just over 3 hours, leading to a significant increase in tourism. In 1868, the rail road was taken over by the West Jersey Rail Road, consolidating much of the track in the area. THE CAPE MAY & MILLVILLE RAIL ROAD COMPANY

4. The Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Rail Road began in 1835 as the Cincinnati and Charleston Rail Road Company to connect a line of track in South Carolina to Ohio. The following year the name of the company changed to include Louisville due to the original route of the track having to be adjusted, and by 1848 the company operated throughout South and ran into Augusta, Georgia. The rail road went into foreclosure and was sold in 1881. LOUISVILLE, CINCINNATI & CHARLESTON RAIL ROAD COMPANY

5. The Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Rail Road Company was established in 1831 to create the second passenger carrying rail road in the United States. The original track ran from 9 th and Spring Garden in Philadelphia to Price St and Germantown Ave in Germantown, PA. By 1835, the track was extended to Norristown, following the Schuylkill River. In 1850, a bridge had been built in Norristown, crossing the river to connect the rail road with the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road. The rail road was leased to the Philadelphia and Reading in 1870 and by 1893 the companies, among others, were reorganized into the Reading Railroad. PHILADELPHIA, GERMANTOWN & NORRISTOWN RAIL ROAD COMPANY

6. The Western Vermont Rail Road Company was incorporated in 1845. In 1865, it was reorganized as the first Bennington and Rutland Railroad Company. The company eventually became a part of the Rutland Railroad Company which ran the original Western Vermont Rail Road Company track until 1963. WESTERN VERMONT RAIL ROAD COMPANY

7. Created in 1853, the Mississippi and Missouri Rail Road Company built the first railway in Iowa. The railroad allowed the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad to extend its services to the other side of the Mississippi River. The railroad used the first bridge to span the Mississippi to unite the tracks of the two companies. This bridge became the subject of a lawsuit that pitted the lawyers Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis against one another. The suit wasn’t settled until 1862 in the U.S. Supreme court. Thomas C. Durant served as president of the company prior to assuming his role with Union Pacific and used the Mississippi and Missouri to build a portion of his significant wealth. MISSISSIPPI AND MISSOURI RAIL ROAD COMPANY

8. The New Jersey Midland Railway Company was established in 1870, from a merger between the New Jersey Western Railway and Sussex Valley Railroad. Together with the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad, the industrial city Paterson, NJ was connected to the Great Lakes at Oswego, NY on Lake Ontario. In 1873, both these railroads went into receivership and ceased operation. They became autonomous until they merged, along with others in the area, to form the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in 1881, which is still in operation today. NEW JERSEY MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY

9. Chartered on February 4, 1830, the Camden & Amboy Rail Road & Transportation Company was the first railroad in New Jersey and only the third in the United States. It, along with the Delaware & Raritan Canal Company, would connect the nation’s largest cities, Philadelphia and New York by rail for both freight and passengers. The Camden & Amboy had the locomotive John Bull built in England and delivered in 1831, with its first run completed on September 15. The John Bull was run on the 150 th anniversary of its first trip for the Camden and Amboy, making it the world’s oldest operating locomotive. The Camden & Amboy continued to work closely with the Delaware & Raritan, until in 1871, the two merged with the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company into the United New Jersey Railroad. THE CAMDEN & AMBOY RAIL ROAD & TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

10. The second company to bear the name, The Western Pacific Railroad Company was formed in 1903 in an effort to compete with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The railroad was famous for operating the western most leg on the California Zephyr passenger train running from Chicago to San Francisco from 1949 to 1970. In 1983, Western Pacific was bought by Union Pacific, which still operates the track and allows Amtrak to continue the California Zephyr on its original route. THE WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY

11. The South Carolina Rail Road Company was formed by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1844, merging the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company with the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Rail Road Company. The railroad operated track linking many of the larger cities of South Carolina, beginning with Charleston, together along with Augusta, Georgia. In 1854, the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston was reconsolidated and broke away from the South Carolina Rail Road. Both companies eventually failed in 1881, with the South Carolina Rail Road being sold and reorganized into the South Carolina Railway Company, which survived five years of receivership until all operations ceased in 1899. THE SOUTH CAROLINA RAIL ROAD COMPANY

12. The Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Rail Road Company was created in 1837, becoming only the sixth railroad company in the nation. The line was to connect the population centers in eastern-central Pennsylvania. In 1849, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company began leasing the line and eventually took control of it through merger in 1917. This track, having begun construction in the late 1830’s, was some of the first track of the famed Pennsylvania Railroad, which would become one of the largest companies in the world at its peak. HARRISBURG, PORTSMOUTH, MOUNT JOY AND LANCASTER RAIL ROAD COMPANY

13. The Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh Railway Company was originally incorporated in 1881. The following year, it was consolidated with the Alliance and Lake Erie Railroad and the Steubenville, Canton and Cleveland Railroad companies under the name Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh Railway Company. The company operated a single line of track in Ohio stretching from Phalanx to Dillonvale. The company was sold from receivership in 1887 and was last owned and operated by the Lake Erie, Alliance and Wheeling Railroad Company. Today, the track is abandoned. This stock is signed, as secretary, by Thomas Nast, known as the “Father of the American Cartoon”. THE CLEVELAND, YOUNGSTOWN AND PITTSBURGH RAILWAY COMPANY

14. The Northern Pacific Railway was authorized by congress on July 2, 1864 to connect the Great Lakes with the Pacific Ocean via Puget Sound. Construction began in 1870 after sufficient funds had been raised and the track was completed in 1883 with Ulysses S. Grant driving the famous “golden spike”. The railway ran through all the northwestern states and was instrumental in developing these vast area that had seen very little settlement. The railroad operated independently, becoming one of the country’s most well known, until a merger in 1970. The Northern Pacific merged with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Great Northern and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railways to create the Burlington Northern Railroad. NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY

15. The Los Angeles Terminal Railway was established in 1887 as the Pasadena Railway Company, operating a small terminal line between Altadena and Pasadena, California. The original railroad was not successful and within 3 years it was sold. The railroad was then joined with several other small companies on the area and service was extended to Los Angeles, and later to San Pedro. The new railroad was renamed the Los Angeles Terminal Railroad in 1891. The railroad was then purchased and track built to connect Altadena to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1901, it was renamed the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. Today, the tracks are owned and operated by the Union Pacific. LOS ANGELES TERMINAL RAILWAY

16. The New Albany and Salem Railroad Company was established in 1847 to connect Indiana’s interior to the Great Lakes, with track running from New Albany, through Salem, to Michigan City on Lake Michigan. Construction of the complete line was finished in 1854 and helped expand development of the area. Being an important route running North-South through the state, it was used in the 1850’s by escaped slaves as a way into Canada. The railroad was renamed in 1859 as the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad, which took part in carrying Abraham Lincoln’s body through Indiana on its way to Springfield, Illinois. The railroad eventually became part of the Monon Railroad that was in service until 1971. NEW ALBANY AND SALEM RAILROAD COMPANY

17. To help bring more tourists and business to the many towns of Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1846 and saw its first train carry passengers in 1848. In 1854, the railroad was renamed the Cape Cod Railroad Company and construction of the line further down the Cape continued. The train went from Middleborough to Hyannis where tourists could pick up ferries going to Nantucket. In 1868 and 1871 two other railroads were acquired, extending service from Yarmouth to Orleans and from Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole. In 1872, the Cape Cod Railroad Company merged with the Old Colony Railway and Newport Railway forming the Old Colony Railroad. CAPE COD RAILROAD COMPANY

18. The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company was formed in 1869 with the merger of the East Tennessee and Georgia and East Tennessee and Virginia Railroads. These railroads were built between 1852 – 1859 and 1850 – 1856 respectively, linking rail center Knoxville, TN with Dalton, GA and Bristol, TN. The railroad built extensive lines of more than 2,500 miles of track throughout the southeast United States following the civil war. In 1894, the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway was consolidated with the Richmond and Danville Railroad and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad into the Southern Railway, owned by J. P. Morgan. Southern Railway operated the track from 1894 until it was sold in 1990. EAST TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA AND GEORGIA RAILWAY COMPANY

19. The Galveston, Houston & Henderson Railroad Company was created in 1953 to provide a train connection between Galveston and the rail hub Houston. Construction of the line began in 1857 and was completed in 1860 with the building of a trestle across Galveston Bay. That same year, the company was sold and reorganized with the same name, under the original charter. The track was important during the Civil War, moving supplies that had slipped through the Union blockade at Galveston to the interior. The company was then sold and once again reorganized in 1871, and in 1882 was purchased by Jay Gould (shortly before his death), eventually becoming part of the Katy. GALVESTON, HOUSTON & HENDERSON RAILROAD COMPANY

20. Union Pacific, currently the largest freight railroad in the United States, began in Congress with the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. The first transcontinental railroad was to be built by Union Pacific, moving west from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and by the Central Pacific Railroad, moving east from San Francisco. Construction began in 1865 and was completed in 1869 when the two railroads joined together at Promontory Summit, Utah. Construction was overseen by Thomas C. Durant, co-founder of the railroad’s construction company Credit Mobilier of America. Following financial problems, Jay Gould took control of the company in 1874 and made it profitable until his death in December 1882. The company went through a bankruptcy which ended in 1887, with the company beginning its development into what it is today. UNION PACIFIC CORPORATION

21. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company, known as the Katy, was incorporated in 1870 with the acquisition of 182 miles of track in Kansas. Following the consolidation of several other small railroads, company began building southwest. The track eventually ran through Houston, Waco, Dallas and San Antonio. It owned a portion of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson, giving it direct access to the port in Galveston and valuable ocean shipping. The Katy was very successful in both its freight and passenger operations until the 1980’s. In 1988, the railroad merged with the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which was owned by Union Pacific. Today, much of the original line is used by the Union Pacific. MISSOURI, KANSAS AND TEXAS RAILWAY COMPANY

22. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company was created in 1859 with the goal of connecting Santa Fe, NM to Atchison and Topeka, KS. The railroad was built westward through Colorado before turning south, reaching Albuquerque, NM in 1880. The following year, the railroad joined with the Southern Pacific, creating the second transcontinental railroad. The Santa Fe expanded south and west into Oklahoma, Texas (to the Mexico Border), Arizona and California as well as south towards the Gulf of Mexico through Louisiana and east into Illinois. The company moved freight and operated some well known passenger lines. By 1945, the Santa Fe owned and operated over 13,000 miles of track. In 1995, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad, creating the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, the chief competitor to Union Pacific and the second largest freight railroad in the country. ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND SANTA FE RAILROAD COMPANY