Looking back at history, it is fair to say if it wasn’t for the railroads, the United States would not have grown and prospered so quickly. Railroads effectively restructured the physical, social and economic foundations of the country as they were created.
Those early foundations are still the basis for the rail network today. While in Europe railways were created to transport people, in the US, they were created to transport freight.
Today’s passenger trains have to give way to the freight trains, some of which can be up to two miles long.
However, from a US tourism perspective, travelling by train opens up a world of opportunity and discovery that one would never experience on a plane.
There are a number of cross-country routes that traverse East to West and North to South across the country. Each has their own character, moulded around the stops along the way.
One of the most famous is the Southwest Chief, which completes the 2,200 mile, 43-hour journey from Chicago to Los…