Social Media Ideas for Railroad

Sep 6, Railroads In The 1850s: Mileage, Land Grants, Trunk Lines & the West

U.S. railroads 1850–1860—9,021 to ~30,600 miles, Illinois Central land grant, NYC 1853, Erie to Dunkirk, PRR/B&O to the Ohio, Minot’s 1851 train order, Rock Island bridge. Fact...

Oct 10, Interstate Railroad (Virginia): Map, Roster, Logo, History

Interstate Railroad, a Virginia coal road chartered February 18, 1896. Andover shops. Ten Alco RS3s, 30–39. Southern control in 1961. The company ended October 31, 1985.

Sep 14, Granite Railway, Our Country's First Railroad

Granite Railway of Quincy, Massachusetts—chartered March 4, 1826, opened October 7, 1826. Gridley Bryant, 5-foot gauge, horses, Bunker Hill Monument stone. First commercial U.S. ra...

Railroad workers in the desert.

Sep 24, Reading Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters

Reading Company—Philadelphia & Reading, 1833. Anthracite, Port Richmond, Reading Terminal. Operating company January 1, 1924. Conrail April 1, 1976.

Oct 14, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad: Map, Rosters, Logo

The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac, chartered February 25, 1834. A 113-mile Richmond–Washington bridge line. Named 4-8-4s, Potomac Yard, and the CSX sale of October 10, 1991.

Sep 5, Railroads In The 1800s (1840s): History, Photos, Timeline

U.S. railroads 1840–1850—2,808 to 9,021 miles, T-rail and wooden ties, Pennsylvania Railroad charter 1846, 4-4-0 American type, Morse telegraph on the B&O. Facts and photos. No...

Sep 14, Railroads In The 2010s: PSR, Coal’s Decline & Positive Train Control

U.S. railroads 2010–2020—Class I mileage 95,573 to 91,773. Buffett closed BNSF Feb. 12 2010, Harrison at CP June 29 2012 and CSX 2017, PTC deadline Dec. 31 2018.

Sep 5, Railroads In The 1820s/1830s: Firsts, Mileage & Founding Era

U.S. railroads 1820s–1830s—Granite Railway 1826, B&O common carrier, Stourbridge Lion, Tom Thumb, Best Friend, 2,808 miles by 1840. Firsts, facts, photos.

Sep 8, United States Railroad Administration (USRA)

USRA federal control Dec. 28, 1917–March 1, 1920. McAdoo and Hines, Federal Control Act, compensation, standard steam locomotives (~1,850 originals) and 100,000 freight cars. Types...

Oct 13, Atlantic and Danville Railway: Serving Southern VA

Atlantic and Danville Railway, chartered in 1882, incorporated September 1883. Three-foot line to Claremont, then Norfolk to Danville. Southern lease from September 1, 1899, to Jul...

Sep 6, Railroads In The 1860s: Civil War, Pacific Railroad, Mileage & Steel

U.S. railroads 1860–1870—~30,600 to 52,922 miles. Civil War as the decade’s center, Pacific Railway Acts and Promontory, Vanderbilt’s NYC, Pullman Pioneer, Bessemer rail, Westingho...

Sep 14, Railroads Of Today: Class I Map, PSR & the 2026 Industry

U.S. freight rail in 2026—six Class I railroads on a nearly 140,000-mile network. PSR as everyday practice, how the STB works, traffic mix, short lines and regionals.

Sep 4, Railroad Glossary: Terms, Slang, Definitions & Meanings

American railroad glossary—highball, FRED, Class I, trackage rights, and operations slang—plus a directory of specialized glossaries and term articles on American-Rails.com.

Sep 15, Delaware & Hudson Railway: The Bridge Line

Delaware & Hudson Railway—Wurts brothers canal 1823, gravity railroad 1829, Stourbridge Lion, Bridge Line to Montreal. Guilford 1984, CP 1991, NS south line 2015, CPKC north.

Sep 15, Camden & Amboy Railroad: Map, History, Photos

Camden & Amboy Railroad—chartered February 4, 1830. Joint Companies monopoly with the Delaware & Raritan Canal, John Bull, T-rail. United New Jersey 1872, PRR 999-year leas...

Sep 3, Transcontinental Railroad: Maps, Facts, Completion

First transcontinental railroad—Pacific Railway Acts 1862/1864, Central Pacific and Union Pacific, Chinese labor, ten-mile day, Promontory Summit May 10, 1869. Maps, facts, Golden...

Oct 20, Davenport, Rock Island and Northwestern Railroad

Davenport, Rock Island and North Western Railway, the DRI Line. Clinton to East Moline across the Crescent Bridge. Burlington and Milwaukee. Merged into the Soo Line on June 29, 19...

Sep 8, Railroads In The 1880s: Standard Time, Gauge, Mileage & the ICC

U.S. railroads 1880–1890—93,200 to 163,600 miles, 70,400 added. Standard Time Nov. 18, 1883, Southern 5-foot change 1886, Interstate Commerce Act 1887.

Oct 21, Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad: Route, Roster, Overview

Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, reporting mark RCPE. Genesee & Wyoming Class II. Agreement of January 2, 2014, Finance Docket 35799. Freight service from June 1, 201...

Sep 10, Railroads In The 1970s: Penn Central, Amtrak & Conrail

U.S. railroads 1970–1980—196,479 miles at the decade’s start. Penn Central bankruptcy June 21 1970, Amtrak May 1 1971, 3R/4R Acts, Conrail April 1 1976, Rock Island 1975, Milwaukee...

Sep 4, Railroads By State: History, Maps & Firsts

All 50 U.S. state railroad histories—firsts, 1916 peak of 254,037 miles, today’s ~140,000-mile freight network. Directory of state guides from Alabama to Wyoming.

Sep 15, Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad: Map, Roster, Logo, Photos

Buffalo Creek & Gauley—Elk River Coal & Lumber, April 1 1904, Dundon–Widen. Last all-steam WV coal road, February 27 1965. All-time steam roster, #4 Baldwin 59472, Majestic...

Sep 30, McCloud River Railroad: Serving The Timber Industry (1897-2009)

McCloud River Railroad—Mount Shasta City to McCloud, Hambone, and Burney. Opened August 1, 1897. Alco No. 25 and EMD SD38s. Dinner train through January 2010. Railbikes in 2026; a...