History Logo
ShowsThis Day In HistoryScheduleTopicsStories
  • History Classics
  • Live TV
  • Your Profile
Your Profile
History
  • Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
Email Updates
  • Live TV
  • History Classics
  • Shows
  • This Day In History
  • Schedule
  • Topics
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • History Podcasts
  • History Vault
  • Shop
  • History Travel

Trains

Topics


Freight train on the Union Pacific Railroad, USA.

Featured

Crédit Mobilier

The Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872-1873 damaged the careers of several Gilded Age politicians. In one of the nation’s earliest political corruption scandals, a number of U.S. Congressmen, including the vice president, faced scrutiny and public outrage when it was revealed that Crédit Mobilier, a phony construction company set up to build the Union Pacific Railroad, […]

Read moreRead more about Crédit Mobilier
HISTORY: The Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental Railroad

Dreams of a Transcontinental Railroad America’s first steam locomotive made its debut in 1830, and over the next two decades, railroad tracks linked many cities on the East Coast. By 1850, some 9,000 miles of track had been laid east of the Missouri River. During that same period, the first settlers began to move westward […]

Read more

Stories

See All

A train along the Texas countryside. (Credit: Tom Danneman/Getty Images)

Featured

The Secret ‘White Trains’ That Carried Nuclear Weapons Around the U.S.

For as long as the United States has had nuclear weapons, officials have struggled with how to transport the destructive technology.

Read moreRead more about The Secret ‘White Trains’ That Carried Nuclear Weapons Around the U.S.

10 Trains That Changed the World

While the advent of train travel altered previously held concepts of time and distance, learn about 10 railways and train journeys that also changed the course of history.

Read more
"This is a conceptual photo relating to business, time, patience, etc.Click on the links below to view lightboxes."

When did the United States start using time zones?

For ages, people used the sun to determine what time it was where they were. Every community set its clocks to noon based on when the sun reached its highest position in the sky; as a result, when it was noon in Washington, D.C., the local time in New York City was already minutes ahead. […]

Read more
Train Robberies, Jesse James and his gang robbing a train

6 Daring Train Robberies

From high profile capers by the likes of Jesse James and Butch Cassidy to a raid by a gang of Indian political dissidents, find out more about six of history’s most audacious rail heists.

Read more

This Day in History

See All

1832

The first railroad accident

19th Century
1885

Canada’s transcontinental railway completed

19th Century
1869

Transcontinental railroad completed, unifying United States

19th Century
1866

The Reno brothers carry out the first train robbery in U.S. history

Crime
1858

The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins

19th Century
1883

Southern Pacific Railroad completes New Orleans to California route

19th Century
A+E NetworksOur Family of Brands
  • History Education
  • History Vault
  • Mobile/Apps
  • News
  • Shop
  • Share Your Opinion
Follow History
  • d
  • e
  • p
  • m
  • +
  • Biography
  • Crime and Investigation
  • History en Espanol
  • LRW
  • Military History
  • Ad Choices
  • Advertise WIth Us
  • Accessibility Support
  • Copyright Policy
  • Corporate Information
  • Employment Opportunities
  • FAQ/Contact Us
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Notice
  • Terms Of Use
  • TV Parental Guidelines
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Ad Choices
  • Accessibility Support

© 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.