American Railroads: History, Travel & Today’s Industry

Last revised: August 12, 2026

American-Rails.com is a free educational guide to the railroads of the United States—classic fallen flags and streamliners, steam and diesel locomotives, engineering landmarks, today’s Class I freights and short lines, scenic tourist trains, Amtrak, museums, and railroad jobs. Whether you are planning a trip, researching a railroad that no longer exists, or simply love the iron horse, start with a path below or browse more than 2,800 pages of history and travel coverage.

Rio Grande F7A 5664 Denver Colorado circa 1970

A handsome Rio Grande F7A, #5664, in Denver, Colorado, circa 1970. Robert Eastwood, Jr. photo. American-Rails.com collection.

Start Here

Not sure where to click? These are the main doors into the site:

If you want to…	Go here
Ride a scenic or tourist train (state guides, fall foliage, holidays)	Tourist Trains · Fall Foliage · Christmas Trains
Study classic railroads that merged or disappeared	Fallen Flags · Railroad History
Learn locomotives — steam, diesel, electric	Steam · Diesel · Locomotive History
Understand today’s freight industry	Class I Railroads · Regionals · Short Lines
Explore streamliners, landmarks & stations	Streamliners · Landmarks · Stations
Research railroad jobs & crafts	Railroad Jobs · Conductor · Engineer

Seasonal Travel (Right Now)

Fall foliage train rides — national hub; pair with state guides such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, and New Hampshire
Dinner trains · All tourist / scenic trains
Amtrak for long-distance and corridor travel (see also our Amtrak overview)

Swap this section when holidays approach: point to Christmas and Polar Express hubs.

Pillars of American-Rails.com

Section	What you’ll find
Industry History	Origins, Golden Age, regulation & revival, timeline
Fallen Flags	Classic railroads absorbed by merger or bankruptcy
Tycoons & Barons	Builders of the Gilded Age network
Steam / Diesel / Electric	Locomotive types, builders, and eras
Passenger cars / Freight cars	Rolling stock explained
Interurbans & streetcars	Electric traction beyond main-line railroads
Narrow gauge / Logging lines	Mountain and timber railroads
Museums / State history	Where to visit and state-by-state context
Glossary	Terms and railroad language

Santa Fe F3A 29-L Redondo Junction Los Angeles 1960s

Santa Fe F3A #29-L just off the turntable at Redondo Junction in Los Angeles during the 1960s. Fred Worsfold photo. American-Rails.com collection.

A Brief Word on U.S. Railroad History

From early experiments in the 1820s through the steam locomotive and the Civil War boom, American railroads stitched together a continental economy. Mileage peaked near 254,000 route miles around 1916—the so-called Golden Age, when four-track mains, great passenger stations, and heavy freights defined modern transport.

Twentieth-century highways, airlines, and tight federal regulation eroded that monopoly. By the 1970s, bankruptcies (including Penn Central) forced Amtrak (1971) to take most intercity passengers and Conrail (1976) to reorganize Northeastern freights. The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 deregulated much of the rate and abandonment process; freight rail recovered into today’s Class I, regional, and short-line map.

For the full story—timeline, inventors, decades, and operating philosophy—see Railroad History (USA). For the classic corporate names that vanished into mergers, start at Fallen Flags.

Travel: America by Rail

Even under Amtrak, long-distance trains still cross New River Gorge country, Glacier, the Rockies, the Southwest, and the Pacific coast. Tourist railroads and dinner trains recreate pieces of the Silver Age experience—Strasburg steam, Durango narrow gauge, Napa Valley dining, and hundreds of state-by-state options.

Louisville and Nashville U25B 1602 near Louisville Kentucky July 1972

Louisville & Nashville U25B #1602 leads a manifest northbound near Louisville, Kentucky, July 19, 1972. American-Rails.com collection.

About This Site

I have been interested in trains for as long as I can remember. When I could not find a single, detailed free resource covering American railroad history online, I began building one in 2007. American-Rails.com grew from that project into a large reference covering fallen flags, locomotives, passenger and freight equipment, landmarks, interurbans, logging roads, museums, tourist railroads, and employment crafts.

I do not claim to be an industry insider—only a careful student of the subject. If you spot an error, please contact me. Corrections from readers have improved the site for years.

More: About · Creating the site · Works cited / resources

Note: This site is not a railroad and does not hire employees. Job pages explain crafts and where to look; they are not a placement service. See Railroad Jobs.

Santa Fe F7A 260-C and F units westbound Cajon Pass Keenbrook California circa 1960

Santa Fe F7A #260-C and other F units head west over Cajon Pass near Keenbrook, California, circa 1960. Fred Worsfold photo. American-Rails.com collection.

Popular Starting Pages

Pennsylvania scenic train rides · National tourist train guide
Fallen flags · New York Central · Railroad tycoons
Steam locomotives · Diesel locomotives · Class I railroads
Famous landmarks · Railroad jobs · Glossary

Use the site search or the navigation menu for a full directory. New articles also appear in the blog / recent articles feed below.

Thank you for visiting. Enjoy exploring America’s railroads—past and present.

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