The Great Railroad Revolution

The captivating story of how trains shaped American history

“Wolmar’s sweeping history of railroads in America is rich in drama.” —The New Yorker

The United States was made by the railroads. Promoted by visionaries and built through heroic effort, more than two hundred thousand miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial stations covered the United States by the early 1900s. Trains united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, facilitated everything from transporting goods to waging war, and were the catalyst for the United States’ rise to world-power status. But after more than a century dominating the American landscape, the railroads were eclipsed by the automobile, the truck, and the airplane.

In this riveting account, renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar recounts the heritage of railways in the United States. The Great Railroad Revolution tells the extraordinary story of the rise and fall of one of the greatest American endeavors.