|
|
- When it was completed in 1869, the transcontinental railroad ---from Omaha to Sacramento--- consisted of a very patriotic 1776 miles of track.
- Of some 70,000 miles of track extant in the U.S. by 1890, not one was a true coast-to-coast line owned by one company. But, remarkably, there were two transcontinental lines in Canada, where there were far more formidable geologic obstacles than in the United States. Adding to the status of the feat was the fact that the Canadian lines were begun after the lines in the U.S.
- George Pullman started working on his sleeping car invention in 1850 and completed his first purpose-built sleeper in 1864. But it wasn't until the 1930's that cars with "roomettes" were introduced. Pullman also built dining, parlor, and (for the very wealthy) private cars.
- The founder of the Lionel Corporation, Joshua Lionel Cohen, invented the first practical electrical doorbell while a student at Cooper Union in New York. His instructor told him that his invention held no practical value and would not be of interest to the American home owner.
- A "Big Boy" locomotive, weighing more than one million pounds, burned about 22 tons of coal and vaporized 12,000 gallons of water per hour when working hard. It had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement.
|
|
|
