News for Schools from the Smithsonian Institution, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Washington, D.C. 20560

SEPTEMBER 1984

Trains and Railroads: From Wooden Track to AmtrakAs I watched the rails being taken up and hauledaway, I thought-there goes over a hundred yearsof this town's history-for it was the railroad thatopened up this area back in 1840 before Mid­dletown was even a town. And it was the railroadthat built Middletown.*

The Pioneer, first engine to rollout of Chicago in1848, stands alongside a C&NW diesel locomotiveto contrast 100 years of railroad progress.(Photo credit: Chicago and Northwestern RailwayCompany.)

The "John Bull," running in 1981 on her 150th birthday, the oldest operable, self-powered vehicle of anykind in the world, (Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution Collection.)

continued on page 3

Marvin Cohen, who wrote this, is not alone inrecognizing the importance of the railroad to histown's history. Indeed, the westward expansion ofAmerica and the economic development of townsand cities all over the United States were closelytied to the advent and growth of the railroads inthe 1800s and 1900s. Because of this importanceand because of the natural fascination most chil­dren have with trains, the study of trains andrailroading is an excellent way of sparking stu­dents' interest in American history from both lo­cal and national perspectives.

So here from the Smithsonian Institution, withthe NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTO­RY'S RAILROAD HALL as a resource, are someideas on how you might introduce the subject oftrains and railroads to your students, especially inconnection with a social studies unit on westwardexpansion.

Back in the BeginningOur story begins in the mid-1400s in Europe,when horse-drawn carts with flanged woodenwheels (pictured in this issue of ART TO ZOO) firstwere used to transport coal and stone by woodenrail. Later, in the mid-1700s, iron rails and wheelsbegan to replace the less durable wooden ones;and it soon became evident that horses could pullheavy loads of many kinds more easily over therails than over the ground.

It Started in England ...Absolutely essential to the development of therailroads was the invention of a "self-propelledvehicle running on a railroad track, designed topull railroad cars"-which is the locomotive.

The first true locomotive, called the "Penn-y­Darren," was built and operated in 1804 to pull

*Marvin Cohen, Editor, Steam Passenger Di­rectory Service, Empire State Railway Museum,Inc., Middletown, New York.

cars to and from a mine in Wales by RichardTrevithick, an Englishman. In 1825, George Ste­phenson brought out his "Locomotion," the firstlocomotive to pull cars on a public-use, pas­senger-carrying railway. Then in 1829, Robert Ste­phenson (son of George) developed a faster andmore powerful locomotive known as the"Rocket." The Rocket is often credited with reallybeginning the "Era of the Railroad."

... And Developed in AmericaBy the end of the Revolutionary War, the west­ward movement was beginning in the UnitedStates and lands immediately west of the Alle­ghenies were being settled. Travel among the orig­inal thirteen colonies had been mostly by horse­back, stagecoach, or coastal ship-but now withexpansion of the country inland, Americans be­gan to see the need for a more efficient means oftransporting people and goods.

Within this context, American railroading gotits start in 1825 when ColonelJohn Stevens ofHobo­ken, New Jersey, built a small demonstration loco­motive and ran it on a circular track in his yard toprove that the idea of a steam engine operating ontracks was practicaL Stevens's demonstration cre­ated much interest in the steam-powered loco­motive, and soon other inventors were working onexperimental models. A number ofimportant devel­opments resulted. For example . . .

• In 1829, Horatio Allen imported from En­gland the "Stourbridge Lion," the first steam lo­comotive to be llsed in America.

• In 1830, Peter Cooper built his "TomThumb," the first American-built steam loco­motive to run on a railway. Also in 1830, the "BestFriend of Charleston," the first American-builtlocomotive used for scheduled service, began op­eration in South Carolina.

.. In 1831, the "De Witt Clinton," another early

steam locomotive built in America, began servicebetween Albany and Schenectady, New York. Inaddition, the Camden and Amboy Railroad beganconstruction in New Jersey. The "John Bull,"which now belongs to the Smithsonian, was thisline's first locomotive.

During this early period of American railroad­ing, some American entrepreneurs went to En­gland to study railroad technology and topurchase early locomotives. However, it was soondiscovered that the English locomotives could notrun very well on the more roughly built, rapidlylaid American tracks. For use in America, a moreagile locomotive, which could handle track lesscarefully built, was needed.

From the very beginning ofEnglish railroading,the emphasis had been on building a carefullyconstructed system ofrights-of-way, with sturdilyengineered tracks, to connect the cities and townsof a relatively small island nation. In America,however, the focus had been on laying down trackas quickly as possible to cover vast distances.Speed of construction was the American forte,with durable but lightly built track. By the mid18308, many areas east of the Alleghenies wereconnected by a system of railroads.

The Rail Network Continues to GrowIn less than twenty years, by the 1850s, lines werein service all along the Eastern seaboard, as wellas between New York, Chicago, and the GreatLakes . . . Baltimore and Saint Louis . . . Rich­mond and Memphis . . . Chicago and the Gulf ofMexico. Most of these lines were physicallylinked together, since an unconnected linecouldn't transfer its freight or carry travelers veryfar. But the railroad lines were built by manydifferent railroad companies, each operating aparticular segment and hoping to realize its ownprofits.

Steam engine drawing by Steve Williams.

WATER

A model of the "Phantom," built by Mason in1857, is typical of the basic American-typelocomotive design of the mid to late 1800s.(Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution Collection.)

-- •ELECTRiC MeTOR(ION EACH AXLE;., TOTAL)

".EACH PISTON MOVES UPAND DOWN WITHIN A CYL.INDER.THIS ENG1NE HAS 16 CYLINDERS

RAOJAiOR

Amtrak's P-30CH Diesel locomotives built byGeneral Electric feature head-end power and a sixaxle, 3000-horsepower unit for use on medium­haul routes. (Photo credit: AMTRAK.)

Diesel engine drawing by Steve Williams.

The Steam LocomotiveA steam locomotive consists basically of a fire­box, a boiler that generates steam, and machineryby which the steam under pressure pushes pistonsto turn the drive wheels. This kind of locomotiveoperates as follows:

Fuel (wood, coal, or oil) is burned in thefirebox .

• Flame and hot gases from the firebox passthrough hollow frretl,1bes in the boiler causing thewater surrounding the tubes to boil under pres­sure into steam.

e The steam under pressure is collected in thesteam dome.

{8 The engineer opens the throttle valve, allow­ing steam to rush down a pipe to the valve chests(of which there are two, one located on either sideof the locomotive). Inside each valve chest, a slidevalve regulates the steam flow in and out of thecylinder. (Again, there are two cylinders, one oneach side of the locomotive.) Inside the cylinder,the steam expands and pushes a piston. Part waythrough the piston's stroke, the slide valve shutsoff the steam supply against the piston; the steamthen expands on its own, pushing the piston fur­ther. At the end ofthe stroke, the slide valve opensa port through which the spent steam exhausts.The cycle is repeated, with the piston beingpushed back and forth. Steam pushes the piston inboth directions, every stroke. The movement ofthe two pistons turns the drive wheels which areconnected to the pistons by the piston rods, theconnecting rods, and the side rods. As the exhauststeam is released from the cylinders, still undersome pressure, it is directed up the smokestack,creating a suction at the front end of the firetubes,

drawing the hot gases from the firebox, therebycreating the needed draft on the fire.

The Diesel~Electric LocomotiveThe diesel-electric locomotive has three essentialworking components: a diesel engine, an electricgenerator, and several electric motors. This kindof locomotive is, in effect, a self-contained powerplant. The engine drives a generator, producingelectricity that is used to power the electricmotors, ofwhich there is one on each driving axle.A brief explanation of the function of each partfollows:

The Diesel Engine. The diesel engine convertsfuel into mechanical energy to turn the generator.Each of the 12 to 20 cylinders in the diesel enginecontains a piston attached to the crankshaft by aconnecting rod. Air enters the cylinder while thepiston is moving down. When the piston movesup, the air in the cylinder is compressed, whichcauses it to become very hot. At the top of thepiston stroke, diesel fuel is sprayed by an injectorinto the hot air and the fuel instantly ignites. The

rapid combustion creates very high pressurewhich forces the piston back down, turning thecrankshaft by means of the connecting rod. Eachcylinder in the engine fires individually, in se­quence, causing the crankshaft to turn continu­ously.

The Electric Generator. The engine's crank­shaft is connected directly to the electric gener­ator, where electric energy is produced.

The Electric Motors. The electric energy pro­duced in the generator flows through wires to theelectric motors. (There is an electric motor oneach driving axle.) The electric motors convertthe electric energy back to mechanical energy toturn the axle and thereby the drive wheels.

Thus, in the diesel-electric locomotive, it is thecompact electric motors, and not the big dieselengine, that actually propel the locomotive.

Note to Teachers: The illustrations on this pagemay be used with an opaque projector, to help youexplain how each type oflocomotive operates ...or as the visual for student committee reports.

Item Sketch Description (use words and phrases)

Station House(outside)

Station House(inside)

AdditionalObservationsof Interest

Lesson Plan

Step 1:Down by the Station-Planning anOn Site VisitTo enable first-hand observation, your lessonshould if at all possible include a visit to a nearbyrailroad station. To obtain information about pro"cedures to follow and useful persons to contact inplanning such a field trip, you might contact thepublic affairs department ofthe railroad line serv­ing your area. . . check the yellow pages of yourtelephone book. . . or refer to the annotated bibli­ography of railroad resources included in this is­sue of ART TO ZOO.

In planning your visit, you will first need to findout what kinds of services are available at the site.Are guided tours offered? For what grade levels?Will a railroad employee who is knowledgeableabout the history both of the railroad and of yourcommunity be available to give the tour? And ifnot, can you find such a person on your own,through your local library or historical society?

Retired railroad employees, many of whom arerailroad and train "buffs," are often happy to vol­unteer their services to school groups . . . andsome individual railroad lines, includingAMTRAK, will make special arrangements forschool groups if given advance notice. In addi­tion, excursion and scenic railroads usually offerspecial rates and programs for schools. (See the1984 Steam Passenger Service Directory-in­cluded in our bibliography under Special Re­sources-for a list of these facilities in the UnitedStates and Canada.)

If there is no railroad station in operation withinreasonable distance of your school, you mightconsider visiting a freight depot instead-sincefreight is, and always has been, the most impor­tant business ofthe railroads. Certainly the histor­ical correlation between the growth of the rail­roads and the growth of the nation can be seenthrough the study offreight as well as ofpassengertrains. Because a freight yard can be a dangerousplace for children, arrangements for a supervisedvisit must be made with the freight yard ahead oftime, and your group must be closely chaperoned.Under these circumstances, you can then simplyadapt our lesson plan to suit your needs.

Step 2:Preparing Your StudentsTo prepare your students for their railroad stationor freight yard visit, encourage them to share inclass discussion their own experiences with trainsor railroads. Some of the children may actuallyhave ridden on a steam excursion railway or amodem diesel-powered locomotive. Others mayfrequently pass a railroad yard or have occasion tosee trains running through town. Others may haveread books or seen television specials on the sub­ject.

Once this discussion has been completed,armed with pencil, pad, and camera (if desired),your students will be ready to go . . .

Step 3:-rhe Visit ItselfFirst thing at the station, direct the children'sattention to an arriving, departing, or waiting rail­road train. Have them look at the train's engine, orlocomotive, so as to find the headlight and thefuelcontainer and to notice where the engine is cou­pled (linked) to the cars it pulls. The childrenshould also be able to locate, painted on the side ofthe train, an identifying name and number.

Then have them carefully observe the cars thatthe engine is pulling. What kind are they: pas­senger or freight? If freight, what types offreightdoes this train seem to be carrying? How can youtell? If passenger, how many cars are there, andjudging from the nnmber of seats, about howmany passengers does each car hold? Also, bylooking through the train's windows, the childrenmay be able to see if there's a separate dining car,sleeping car, or lounge. Finally, have the young­sters notice how the flanged wheels of the train fitthe rails of the track so as to keep the train on itscourse.

Then move the class inside the station house tocontinue their observation and data-gathering ac­tivity. Here you should be able to obtain a sched­ule from which information can be gleaned aboutwhere this particular train is headed and where itcame from, as well as its daily hours ofarrival and

Data Sheet for Railroad Station Visit

departure. Also from the schedule-or from thestationmaster-the students should be able to findout how many trains in general stop at this stationto pick up passengers in the course of a usual day. . . and whether most of the people who ridethese trains are traveling long or short distances.Then you might try to find out to what extent thisstation is used by people commuting to and fromtheir jobs.

Once these questions about how the station isused have been answered, you are ready to directyour students' attention to the architecture of thestation house itself. Clues found here can revealthe approximate date of the structure, as well asgive you an idea as to the significance of the rail­road in your community at the time that the stationhouse was built. Architectural features to note onthe inside of the building include: the shape of thedoors and windows, the wall coverings and fur­nishings (if any), and any decorative elementssuch as light fixtures, fancy moldings, or stainedglass. Have each child select a specific one ofthese features to sketch and describe briefly,using a wOl'ksheet like theooeshownhere.

Finally move back outside again and ask thechildren to finish their architectural observations,including notation of the building's overall sizeand any ornamental features such as railings, stat­ues, and columns. Have the children notice alsothe building's stairs and steps and what materialsthe structure is made of. Again have each studentchoose an architectural feature to sketch and de­scribe on the worksheet.

Step 4:Classroom Follow-upNext day, back in the classroom, ask the childrento describe the locomotive(s) they saw at the sta­tion. Ask: Did it have a smokestack? Then ask,Do you think the train we saw was a steam loco­motive or a diesel locomotive? How could youtell?

Now explain to the students that the early trains(until about the 194Os) used steam-powered en­gines, and that steam locomotives were graduallyreplaced by the diesel locomotive. Ask the chil­dren why they think this happened; and after theyhave had a chance to speculate, tell them that inorder to better understand "why," we need toknow something about these two different kindsof engines. Then using an opaque projector alongwith the illustrations and explanations on page 2 ofthis issue of ART TO ZOO, discuss the characteris­tics ofsteam-powered versus diesel-powered loco­motives, and have the students help you make alist of these similarities and differences on thechalkboard.

Next ask the children if they can describe theearly steam trains that once used the station youvisited-and why they think the railroads finallychanged from steam power to diesel power. As thisdiscussion progresses, help the children see thatthe change-over from steam to diesel occurredprimarily because the steam locomotives werecostly to operate, used a lot offuel, and needed alot of maintenance. A steam engine was in opera­tion only about one-fourth of the time. The rest ofthe time it was either taking on water and fuel, orbeing cleaned or repaired. In addition, it pollutedthe air with large amounts of smoke and cinders.

On the other hand, the new diesel engines in use

then were cheaper to operate and used less fuel­and the new diesels in use today are even moreeconomical and powerful than the older ones.They also cause much less air pollution than thesteam engine.

Now ask the children to refer to their worksheetsketches and descriptions in discussing the sta­tion house. Ask them what they leamed fromexamining the structure. Did they, for example,find out when it was built? Ifnot, could they try toidentify the general period by comparing the styleofthe building with the architectural styles used inthis country from let's say the 1850s up to thepresent? For example, was the style fancy like atypical Victorian building or was it fairly plain in amore modem way? The date of the station housemay well give them a clue as to when the railroaditself was built in the area. Also, judging from thearchitecture, do the children feel that the stationwas (and perhaps still is) an important building inthe community?

Step 5:A Homework AssignmentAs a homework assignment, ask the children tofind out the answers to these four questions:

When was the first railroad built through thisarea?

til What important events were taking place inthe nation as a whole at about that time?

• How have the kinds of trains used on ourrailroad line changed over the years?

«I How have changes in the railroad (includingAMTRAK consolidation) affected our communi­ty?

Next day, after the children have discussed theiranswers to these questions, share with them theinformation on the history ofrailroading and west­ward expansion presented earlier in this article,emphasizing the interconnection between thebuilding of the railroads and the growth of theUnited States.

Step 6:Further ResearchFollowing this discussion, make a list on thechalkboard of several topics which the studentsfeel need further research, such as:

• Why the railroad was first built in their com­munity.

• Effects (if any) of the railroad on the devel­opment of the community.

., Relationship of the development of the rail­roads to significant national events occurringfrom around 1830 to the present.

• What trains ofthe future will be like-includ­ing engineering and design.

• How railroad folk heroes and legends reflecta period of American history.

Have the students work in committees to com­plete this research and report on their findings tothe rest of the class. Much of the information theyuncover might be recorded on a special railroadtime-line (like the one shown here) which can bemade to extend all along the classroom walls so asto provide a backdrop for a class report or exhibit.

And so, that's one way to travel the rails ofAmerica from your own classroom, an excitingadventure that most boys and girls of today mightnot otherwise, in reality, experience.

Bibliography

For TeachersAssociation of American Railroads. RailroadFacts. 1983 ed. Office of Information and PublicAffairs, American Railroad Building. Washing­ton, D.C.

Alexander, E. P. Iron Horses-American Loco­motives 1820-1900. Bonanza Books, New York,1941.

Ball, Don. Portrait of the Rails, From Steam toDiesel. New York Graphic Society, Greenwich,Connecticut, 1972.

Botkin, B. A., and Harlow, Alvin F. Treasury ofRailroad Folklore. Crown Publishers, New York,1953.

Carpenter, Reginald; Kalla-Bishop, Peter; Mun­son, Kenneth; and Wyatt, Robert. Powered Vehi­cles: A Historical Review. Crown Publishers, NewYork, 1974.

Hand, Victor, and Edmondson, Harold. The Loveof Trains. Crescent Books, New York, 1974.

Holbrook, Stewart. The Story ofAmerican Rail­roads. American Legacy Press, 1981.

Hollingsworth, Brian. Atlas of the World's Rail­ways. Everest House Publishers, New York,1980.

A spike of pure California gold was driven signaling the completion of the building of the transcontinentalrailroad.(Photo credit: National Park Service, Golden Spike National Historic Site.)

Jensen, Oliver. History ofRailroads in America.American Heritage Publishing Co.lMcGraw-Hill,New York, 1975.

McPherson, James Alan, and Williams, Miller,eds. Railroads-Trains and Train People in Ameri­can Culture. Random House, New York, 1976.

Ogburn, Charlton. Railroads: The Great Ameri­can Adventure. National Geographic Society,Washington, D.C., 1977.

Phillips, Lance. Yonder Comes the Train-TheStory of the Iron Horse and Some of the Roads ItTravelled. A.S. Barnes, New York, 1965.

White, John H., Jr. Early American Locomotives.Dover Publications, New York, 1972.

For ChildrenAult, Phi. "All Aboard!" The Story ofPassengerTrains in America. Dodd, Mead, New York, 1976.

Broekel, Ray. Trains. Children's Press, Chicago,1981.

Cameron, Elizabeth. The Big Book ofReal Trains.Grosset and Dunlap, New York, 1968.

Colby, C. B. Railroads U.S.A. Steam Trains toSupertrains. Coward-McCann, New York, 1970.

Dorin, Patrick C. Yesterday's Trains. Lerner Pub­lications, Minneapolis, 1981.

Hamilton, Russel. The First Book of Trains.Franklin Watts, New York, 1956.

Holbrook, Stewart H. The Golden Age of Rail­roads (A Landmark Book). Random House, NewYork, 1960.

ART TO ZOOis a publication of theOffice of Elementary and Secondary EducationSmithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560

Editor: Bobbi BedfordRegular Contributors:THE ANACOSTIA NEIGHBORHOOD MUSEUMTHE CHESAPEAKE BAY CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

STUDIESTHE COOPER-HEWITT MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS

AND DESIGNTHE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDENTHE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ARTTHHE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUMTHE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART and the

RENWICK GALLERYTHE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORYTHE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORYTHE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYTHE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Smithsonian Institution PressAssociate Editor: Ruth W. Spiegel

McCready, Albert L. Railroads in the Days ofSteam (American Heritage Junior Library).American Heritage Publishing Co.lHarper andRow, New York, 1960.

Pierce, Jack. The Freight Train Book. CarolrhodaBooks, Minneapolis, 1980.

Rutland, Jonathan. The Young Engineer Book ofSupertrains. 1978. EDC Publishing Co., P.O. Box470663, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74147.

Scharff, Robert. The How and Why Wonder Bookof Trains and Railroads. Grosset & Dunlap/AllenPublishers, 1981. .

Smith, Boyd E. The Railroad Book. Rev. ed.Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1983.

Snow, Richard. The Iron Road-A Portrait ofAmerican Railroading. Four Winds Press, NewYork, 1978.

Yepsen, Roger. Train Talk-An Illustrated Guideto Lights, Hand Signals, Whistles and Other Lan­guages of Railroading. Pantheon, New York,1983.

Special Resources Bibliography1984 Steam Passenger Directory, edited by Mar­vin H. Cohen, available at $5.00 postpaid fromEmpire State Railway Museum, P.O. Box 666,Middletown, New York 01940.

AMTRAK. For help and information regarding

Art to Zoo brings news from the Smithsonian Institutionto teachers of grades three through eight. The purposeis to help you use museums, parks, libraries, zoos, andmany other resources within your community to openup learning opportunities for your students.

Our reason for producing a publication dedicated topromoting the use of community resources among stu­dents and teachers nationally stems from a fundamen­tal belief, shared by all of us here at the Smithsonian, inthe power of objects. Working as we do with a vastcollection of national treasures that literally containsthe spectrum from "art" to "zoo," we believe that ob­jects (be they works of art, natural history specimens,historical artifacts, or live animals) have a tremendouspower to educate. We maintain that it is equally impor­tant for students to learn to use objects as research toolsas it is for them to learn to use words and numbers-andyou can find objects close at hand, by drawing on theresources of your own community.

Our idea, then, in producing Art to Zoo is to sharewith you-and you with us-methods of working withstudents and objects that Smithsonian education staffmembers have found successful.

services and facilities in your area, contact:East: M. Diane Elliott, Director, Special Events,Corporate Communications, National RailroadPassenger Corporation, 400 North Capitol Street,N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.Midwest: Deborah Marciniak, Corporate Com­munications, 210 South Canal Street, Chicago,Illinois 60606.West: Arthur Lloyd, Director, Corporate Commu­nications, One California Street, Suite 1250, SanFrancisco, California 94111.

Association of American Railroads, Office of In­formation and Public Affairs, 1920 L Street,N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. (Write for freeeducational materials.)

V. Allan Vaughn, Chairman, Board of Directors,National Railway Historical Society, Inc., 320Wisconsin Avenue, Apt. 511, Oak Park, Illinois60302. (Write for help in locating regional soci­eties.)

We are especially grateful to WILLIAM WrrHuHN, Cura­tor, Division of Transportation, National Museum ofAmerican History, Smithsonian Institution, for his ad­vice and help in preparation of this issue of ART TOZOO. Additional help was provided by:

Marvin H. Cohen, Editor, Steam Passenger Directory,Middletown, New York;

William Crawford, President, Massachusetts Bay Divi­sion of Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc., Ward Hill, Massa­chusetts;

Brian Jensen and Clifford Geisler, Department of Ex­hibits, National Museum of American History, Smith­sonian Institution;

John F. McGinley, Superintendent of the Potomacfreight yards;

Daniel Spiker and Calvin Booth, also ofPotomac yards,Alexandria, Virginia.

John Sequiera, Office ofInformation and Public Affairs,Association ofAmerican Railroads, Washington. D.C.;

David Squires, Director, Old Dominion Division ofRailroad Enthusiasts, Inc., Vienna, Virginia; and

Susan Tolbert, Museum Technician, Department ofTransportation, National Museum of American Histo­ry, Smithsonian Institution.

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Make Your Own Model!

Magnetic Levitation Train Model. (Used bypermission of Young Engineer Book ofSupertrains, EDC Publishing Company, Tulsa,Oklahoma.)

3 Trace out the large planbelow. Mark it on a thinpiece of card and cut outthe shape. Cut out the trackslot. Fold along the dottedlines and bend the traininto shape. Do not gluethe tabs yet.

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Write a Story!You might be surprised to learn how trains and railroading are so much a part of ourAmerican folklore. In fact many of our traditional folksongs are about trains andrailroad engineers. For instance, "Casey Jones" is a ballad about a real trainengineer who died in the wreck of his locomotive, the "Cannonball."

Many railroad stories ofheroic deeds have become legends. For example, there isthe story of Kate Shelley, the daughter of a railroad man who risked her life in orderto warn the engineer of an oncoming passenger train about a washed-out bridgeahead.

Stories oftrain robbers ofthe American West, such as the Jesse James gang, havebecome a part of railroad folklore along with stories about Indian attacks on trains,and of train engineers trying to outrun prairie fires.

Railroad folklore is also filled with hobo songs and stories. . . ghost stories andtall tales. One example is the Phantom Drag, a story about a hobo riding a fast trainthrough space with Casey Jones, the engineer, running a race with time.

Chris Wass, whose picture you have seen in this issue, wrote a story recentlyabout an encounter of two railroaders of the late 18008 with a "cosmic cow"outer space.

Now ... perhaps you would enjoy writing a story yourself. Using one of theseideas, or an idea ofyour own, create your own version ofa railroad adventure-a talltale . . . a ghost story ... or even a science fiction or fantasy.

Good luck with your story! You might even like to send us a copy for possible usein a future issue of ART TO ZOO. Mail it to us at the Smithsonian Office ofElementary and Secondary Education, Arts and Industries Room 1163, Washing­ton, D.C. 20560.

'''-<.

Freightyard drawing by Steve Williams.

ENGINE TERMINAL(ROUND HOUSE)

/-

CLASSIFICATIONAREA

FREE OFFER!Freightyard Game

The pattern for a board game that simulates therouting of railroad cars through a freightyard maybe gotten free of charge by sending your requestto ART TO ZOO, OESE, Arts and Industries Room1163, Washington, D.C. 20560.

Pullman interior from about the 19205. "Seats by day-beds by night."(Photo credit: From the Pullman Negative Collection, Smithsonian Institution.)

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In the meantime, many pioneers had begunslowly to make their way into the rich lands of thecentral plains, creating a need for transportationthat was safer and faster than lumbering wagons.Building railroads west of the Mississippi wassoon planned by the railway entrepreneurs. Thiswas to be a slow, expensivejob, and the distancesto be crossed were immense. Because the stateand federal governments had very little cash oftheir own, land grants were then a popular andcommon way to finance public projects such asturnpikes and canals, and to encourage settlementalong the routes. In 1850, President Millard Fill­more signed the first railroad land grant to aid thebuilding of the Illinois Central Railroad. Later,land grants were used to finance additional linesbuilding west. By 1860, Chicago had become theleading railroad center of the nation, thecrossroads for many of the major lines runningboth east-west and north-south.

Spanning the Continent (1862-1869)Although the westward expansion of the railroadshad been slowed by the Civil War, an importantimpetus to growth was taken on July 1, 1862,when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pa­cific Railroad Act authorizing the construction ofa transcontinental railroad. In order to supportthis project, the government promised about $50million in bonds and 22 million acres of un­developed federal land in land grants. In ex­change, the government would receive manytimes the value in preferential rates for mail,goods, and travel. Two companies were chosen toundertake the work: the Union Pacific Railroadwas to start building from Omaha, Nebraska, andmove westward, while the Central Pacific Rail­road was to start from Sacramento, California,and move eastward. The two lines would even­tually meet so as to link the East Coast and theWest Coast.

The job, begun after the war ended, was co­lossal-rugged mountains had to be crossed, tun­nels had to be drilled, trestles had to be builtacross deep canyons, and rivers had to bespanned. And out on the plains, Indians oftenattacked the workers in an effort to stop the build­Ing.-1b-the American Indians who lived in thoseareas, the railroad was a terrible thing, for theyknew it would bring vast numbers of settlers topermanently displace the original people fromtheir land and their homes.

On May 10, 1869, the two railroads met atPromontory, Utah, in what is one of the mostmomentous events in American history-thespanning of the continent by a continuous systemof railroads. This accomplishment meant that thewestern states were more closely linked to the restof the country. Before 1869, some people fearedthat the United States might split apart again, thistime west from east. After the continental railroadwas completed, however, such fears disappeared.The trip from the East to the West Coast nowcould be made in only seven days, thus ending theera of dangerous sea voyages around CapeHom-and the long, hard wagon journeys.

In addition to the opening of the transcontinen­tal railroad, two other developments were of vitalimportance in making various railroad lines ofAmerica a workable system nationwide. Theywere:

1. After the Civil War, the railroads settled on astandard "gauge"-of4'81;2" between the two railsofa line of track-so that all lines would be able tointerchange with each other.

2. In 1883, trains began operating on "railroadstandard time," which quickly resulted in stan­dardization of time nationwide since so many ac­tivities were tied to the coming and going oftrains.Decades later, Congress passed the StandardTime Act of 1918, ratifying what had been in effectfor years. This is the system oftime we use today.

Early Travel on the RailroadsAn early train would consist of an engine provid­ing the power, a tender containing water and fire­wood (engine and tender together constituted thelocomotive) and several passenger or freight cars(sometimes called coaches iffor passengers). Thecars were connected simply by alink-and-pin cou­pling which meant that there was little to preventthem from bumping together as the locomotivestarted and stopped, often sending passengerssprawling. Fortunately, however, improvementscame quickly during the 1800s.

Travel by PullmanThe greater distances Americans were beginningto travel in the 1850s prompted several business­men to independently construct railroad cars forsleeping purposes. The most famous of these en­trepreneurs was a traveling cabinetmaker, GeorgeMortimer Pullman, who in 1859 converted a stan­dard railroad car into a car made just for sleeping.Pullman later introduced a completely furnisheddining car, with kitchen, as part of his "Pullmanservice."

George Pullman became the owner of a fleet oftrain cars, which he leased to railroad lines. Afterthe opening of the transcontinental railroad in1869, Pullman cars came into use by most railroadcompanies, making passenger travel from coast tocoast much more enjoyable than before. Thesecars had seating sections in which the seats couldbe converted to comfortable berths at night. Eventhough competing companies provided some ofthe same services, by the 1890s the name"Pullman" brought to mind comfortable and oftenluxurious train travel, not only in the UnitedStates, but in other parts of the world as well.

Steam and DieselAs you will see on page 2 of this issue of ART TO

Zoo, there are basically two kinds oflocomotives:steam and diesel. Steam came first; then, in the1930s and 1940s, diesel. Diesel engines, greatlydeveloped and improved, are in use today.

It Started with SteamThe era of the steam locomotive lasted for morethan a century, from the 1830s until after the Sec­ond World War. Many of the very early steamlocomotives were painted bright colors, withshiny brass and fancy scrollwork.

By the 1850s, many railroads had adopted abasic locomotive design, known as the "AmericanType" or "4-4-0." Because its running gear(wheels and their suspension system) was ideally

suited to high-speed travel on often rough track,this highly successful design \~/::l.S used by mostbuilders for many years. The early Americansteam engines were fueled by wood, which wasgradually replaced by coal during the 1870s and1880s-earlier in the east where coal was moreplentiful.

Following the work of the first locomotive pio­neers, locomotive designers continued to buildlarger and more powerful engines, until the steamlocomotive reached its peak of efficiency around1930. Some steam locomotives built between 1925and 1950 weighed up to a million pounds, hadhorsepowers of up to 8000, and could pull onehundred fifty freight cars! Steam locomotives forpassenger service could pull express trains at wellover 100 miles per hour, in regular service, dayafter day.

The Change to DieselBy 1940, locomotives burnIng diesel oil as fuelwere becoming popular. Diesels were clean andconvenient to operate, with greatly reduced main­tenance costs for the railroad companies. Pas­sengers appreciated the elimination of smoke andcinders.

Although the diesel engine itself was inventedby Rudolph Diesel in the 1890s, it was not until theearly 1920s that diesel-powered locomotives wereused experimentally. The major conversion fromsteam to diesel began after the end ofWorld War IIin 1945. By the early 1950s, diesel locomotiveswere a common sight on most railroads, pullingboth freight and passenger trains. By 1960, thesteam locomotive had disappeared from the majorrailroads of America. Today the steam locomotiveis used primarily for excursions on historic andscenic railroads. Most commercial railroads areoperated entirely by diesel locomotives.

Rail Freight: A Profitable BusinessThe railroads in the United States continue tocarry a greater percentage of the total intercityfreight hauled in comparison to any other mode offreight transport, including trucks, pipelines, wa­terways, and air. (Railroads carryover one-thirdof all intercity freight; trucks over one-fourth.)There are railroad freight cars designed to carryalmost anything you can think of-including mostof the nation's coal and ore. . . most of its specialchemicals ... and even lettuce (which, via the"Salad Bowl Express," can reach a table in a NewYork City restaurant from a field in California infive days, including packing in California andpreparation in New York!).

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AMTRAKA big drop in long-distance passenger service,owing to increased dependence by American trav­elers on the automobile and airplane, was a primefactor in the financial crisis suffered by the rail­roads during the 1960s. In 1971, so as to maintainrailroad passenger service in the United States,Congress created the National Railroad Pas­senger Corporation, AMTRAK. AMTRAK nowowns and operates the passenger train service,which, except for the busy Northeast Corridor

(Washington-New York-Boston), runs on railsowned by the independent freight companies.From wooden track to AMTRAK-more than ahundred years ofthe romantic steam era and rapidchanges following the switch to diesel. But whatof the future? Perhaps trains will glide along a railsupported by a cushion ofair or guided by electro­magnetic force. Perhaps they will travel throughunderground tubes at unheard of speeds. Withtechnology advancing so rapidly today, innova­tions will surely occur. In any event, the railroadswill continue in efforts to meet the transportationneeds of a still growing America.

Once you have familiarized yourself with allthese materials on trains and railroads, you areready to begin sharing this information throughthe following lesson, in which the children willexamine the role of the railroad in the develop­ment of 19th- and 20th-century America and seehow railroading ev~nts in their own communityreflected developments in the nation as a whole.In the process, students will practice data-gather­ing, organizing, writing, and time-sequencingskills while getting the chance to make carefulobservations at first hand.

AMTRAK'S newest turboliners represent a blendof American and French designs with theirmodern lines and comfortable, all-electricinteriors. Seven of the red, white, and blue"turbos," built by Rohr Industries in California,are in service. (Photo credit: AMTRAK.)

"Flanged" wheel of the "John BulL"(Photo credit: Eric Long, photographer, SmithsonianInstitution.)

Middletown, New York, depot photographed in 1910 by J. E. Bailey for The Railroadians of America, Inc.(Photo credit: From a glass-negative in the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, National Museum ofAmerican History, Smithsonian Institution.)

Train "buffs" are not of course limited to retirees. In this photo are Rich Delmar, a Washington attorney,and Chris Wass, a sixth grade student from Wheaton, Maryland-both train enthusiasts. In the photo,Chris and Rich are touring the Hall of Railroads in the National Museum of American History. Richexplained that his love of trains began when as a child he would often wait on a hill near his home to seethe Pennsylvania and Jersey Central trains speed by. He remembers waving to the engineers, and the thrillof having the engineers wave back! As Rich was growing up, he continued to be intrigued by bothpassenger and freight trains, and recalls with delight the time an engineer actually allowed him to climbinto the cab of a big locomotive. Stories of such events bring back memories, to many, of a bygone erawhen the trains of America were so much a part of everyday life, and were indeed the "King of the Road."(Photo credit: Fernando Sandoval.)