Railroads built America into a world power, making legendary figures out of entrepreneurial men. Meet the robber barons, engineers, and inventors who made transportation history in the "Gilded Age." Step back in time as we ride the rails with some of the most loved and hated men of their age--financiers Vanderbilt, Gould, and Morgan.

It's back to basics in our series on railroad history as we look at the technological and sociological implications of the train, focusing on America's ingenuity from 1825 to today.

New York's Grand Central has been revolutionary since Cornelius Vanderbilt first envisioned it. Combining architectural beauty with functionality, it changed the face of Manhattan, spurring mid-town development.

Before movies and TV, the circus train's shrill whistle was topped by the jubilant cries of children as it pulled into town with a cargo of exotic animals, performers, and sideshows. By the '50s, freight cost grew and the last train put on its brakes...until Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth" took to the rails in 1960!

Ride shotgun along with the folks who protect trains, passengers, and cargo of American railways - from the gunfighters in the mid-19th century, the Civil War's Pinkerton Detective Agency, to today's special agents with federal authority.

Meet the long-distance train's city-slicker cousin as we explore trains that travel underfoot and underground. See Manhattan ripped apart by subway builders; learn how Los Angeles lost "the world's greatest electric railway empire" to cars.

Weighing over 600 tons, carrying over 28 tons of coal and over 25,000 gallons of water, giant steam locomotives pulled mile-long trains and did the work of three regular steam engines. Before the last days of America's golden age of steam, the mournful cry of the whistle would sing from the largest beasts ever to roam the earth!

Immortalized by ballad, the Wabash railroad bridged America's east and west coasts, and became railroad slang for the Midwest's fastest trains. But its history of luxurious passenger and fast freight trains is rife with tales of financial ruin and constant rebuilding. Hop onboard a Cannonball and ride the rough rails of its legend.

Railroads built America into a world power, making legendary figures out of entrepreneurial men. Meet the robber barons, engineers, and inventors who made transportation history in the "Gilded Age." Step back in time as we ride the rails with some of the most loved and hated men of their age--financiers Vanderbilt, Gould, and Morgan.

It's back to basics in our series on railroad history as we look at the technological and sociological implications of the train, focusing on America's ingenuity from 1825 to today.

New York's Grand Central has been revolutionary since Cornelius Vanderbilt first envisioned it. Combining architectural beauty with functionality, it changed the face of Manhattan, spurring mid-town development.

Before movies and TV, the circus train's shrill whistle was topped by the jubilant cries of children as it pulled into town with a cargo of exotic animals, performers, and sideshows. By the '50s, freight cost grew and the last train put on its brakes...until Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth" took to the rails in 1960!

Ride shotgun along with the folks who protect trains, passengers, and cargo of American railways - from the gunfighters in the mid-19th century, the Civil War's Pinkerton Detective Agency, to today's special agents with federal authority.

Meet the long-distance train's city-slicker cousin as we explore trains that travel underfoot and underground. See Manhattan ripped apart by subway builders; learn how Los Angeles lost "the world's greatest electric railway empire" to cars.

Weighing over 600 tons, carrying over 28 tons of coal and over 25,000 gallons of water, giant steam locomotives pulled mile-long trains and did the work of three regular steam engines. Before the last days of America's golden age of steam, the mournful cry of the whistle would sing from the largest beasts ever to roam the earth!

Immortalized by ballad, the Wabash railroad bridged America's east and west coasts, and became railroad slang for the Midwest's fastest trains. But its history of luxurious passenger and fast freight trains is rife with tales of financial ruin and constant rebuilding. Hop onboard a Cannonball and ride the rough rails of its legend.

Railroads built America into a world power, making legendary figures out of entrepreneurial men. Meet the robber barons, engineers, and inventors who made transportation history in the "Gilded Age." Step back in time as we ride the rails with some of the most loved and hated men of their age--financiers Vanderbilt, Gould, and Morgan.

It's back to basics in our series on railroad history as we look at the technological and sociological implications of the train, focusing on America's ingenuity from 1825 to today.

New York's Grand Central has been revolutionary since Cornelius Vanderbilt first envisioned it. Combining architectural beauty with functionality, it changed the face of Manhattan, spurring mid-town development.

Before movies and TV, the circus train's shrill whistle was topped by the jubilant cries of children as it pulled into town with a cargo of exotic animals, performers, and sideshows. By the '50s, freight cost grew and the last train put on its brakes...until Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth" took to the rails in 1960!

Ride shotgun along with the folks who protect trains, passengers, and cargo of American railways - from the gunfighters in the mid-19th century, the Civil War's Pinkerton Detective Agency, to today's special agents with federal authority.

Meet the long-distance train's city-slicker cousin as we explore trains that travel underfoot and underground. See Manhattan ripped apart by subway builders; learn how Los Angeles lost "the world's greatest electric railway empire" to cars.

Weighing over 600 tons, carrying over 28 tons of coal and over 25,000 gallons of water, giant steam locomotives pulled mile-long trains and did the work of three regular steam engines. Before the last days of America's golden age of steam, the mournful cry of the whistle would sing from the largest beasts ever to roam the earth!

Immortalized by ballad, the Wabash railroad bridged America's east and west coasts, and became railroad slang for the Midwest's fastest trains. But its history of luxurious passenger and fast freight trains is rife with tales of financial ruin and constant rebuilding. Hop onboard a Cannonball and ride the rough rails of its legend.