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600 BCE
600 B.C
The earliest form of rail transportation actually dates back to 600 B.C. The Greeks made grooves in paved limestone roads to use with wheeled vehicles -
1501
1501
The first modern railroad did not show up until 1501, but they did not use trains on them because they were not invented yet. -
1770
By 1770s the wooden railroads have been replaced with iron ones. The iron wagonways evolved into tramways that spread across Europe. They also used horses to help with pulling the wagon. -
1860
By the 1860s sparking the rapid expansion of railroads not only across America but around the world. Eventually, the Bessemer process was replaced by the use of open-hearth furnaces, which further reduced the cost of steel production and allowed trains to connect most major cities in the United States by the end of the 19th century. -
1930
By the 1930s, the Pennsylvania Railroad had electrified its entire territory east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. -
1960s and 70s
In the 1960s and early 1970s, there was considerable interest in the possibility of building passenger trains that could travel much faster than conventional trains. -
2000
Prior to the opening of the transcontinental railroad, it took four to six months to travel 2000 miles from the Missouri River to California by wagon.
