Major Events
Hotspots
Name That Railroad
Name That Train
Famous Railroaders
100
Two railroads, one from San Francisco, and one from Omaha met at Promontory Summit on May 10th, 1869. This occasion was celebrated with the driving of a Golden Spike.
What is the Transcontinental Railroad?
100
This Midwestern City is sometimes referred to as "The Railroad Capital of the World."
What is Chicago?
100
Formed on May 1st, 1971, this railroad is in charge of all long distance passenger trains in America.
What is Amtrak?
100
Known for its scenic ocean vistas, this train runs daily between Los Angeles and San Diego.
What is the Pacific Surfliner?
100
This man has been credited with inventing the first steam-powered locomotive.
Who is Richard Trevithick?
200
Union Soldiers snuck into Georgia to steal a locomotive, the General. Confederate Soldiers chased them down, first on foot, and then on another engine, the Texas.
What is the Great Locomotive Chase?
200
A busy stretch of desert railroad, running between San Bernardino and Barstow, CA.
What is Cajon Pass?
200
This railroad is known for its distinctive, bright yellow paint scheme.
What is the Union Pacific?
200
This train, cars from which are now on display at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, is well-known for passing through the heart of the Rocky Mountains on its way to California.
What is the California Zephyr?
200
This railroader was mostly famous for his animated films. It is commonly joked that his first theme-park was an excuse for him to play trains whenever he wanted. He also founded an evil mega-corporation.
Who is Walt Disney?
300
The process in which steam locomotives were phased out of regular service in favor of diesel locomotives over the course of several decades.
What is Dieselization?
300
A U-Shaped curve, home to a triple-tracked mainline just outside of Altoona, PA.
What is Horseshoe Curve?
300
Founded in 1827, this railroad was the first common carrier railroad in the United States.
What is the Baltimore & Ohio?
300
Operated by the Illinois Central Railroad, this train ran between Chicago and its namesake city and was popularized as a country folk song by the same name.
What is the City of New Orleans?
300
This railroad tycoon founded what would eventually be known as the New York Central Railroad.
Who is Cornelius Vanderbilt?
400
This was the United States' largest railroad up until it filed for bankruptcy in 1970.
What is Penn-Central?
400
Located in Wyoming, this stretch of railroad is known for being the highest point on the transcontinental railroad.
What is Sherman Hill?
400
This railroad is perhaps best known for its Native American-inspired flagship train. A song about the railroad, written by Johnny Mercer in 1944, was also briefly featured in the Tom & Jerry animated short, "Cat Concerto."
What is the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad?
400
Running from New York to Chicago, this streamlined train has been used in many pieces of media as a sort of stock image and is an icon of the Art-Deco Era.
What is the 20th Century Limited?
400
This engineer was popularized via a folk song, that details his death in a train crash. The song was later popularized by Johnny Cash and the Grateful Dead.
Who is Casey Jones?
500
It was at this event, that one of the first mass-produced diesel locomotives, the EMC-E4 was displayed to the public.
What is the New York World's Fair?
500
This spot is known for having 3 railroads (The B&O, C&O, and NKP) converge on each other at once.
What is the Iron Triangle/What is Fostoria, Ohio?
500
Running from San Diego and El Centro via the Carrizo Gorge, this railroad was dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" while under construction, as the railroad was carved through desert mountain ranges.
What is the San Diego and Arizona Railroad?
500
Running between San Francisco and Los Angeles, this train was very popular for its bright colors and Daytime running schedule.
What is the Coast Daylight?
500
This Swiss Inventor was credited with inventing the articulated steam locomotive, where a large hinge pin and an extra set of cylinders were placed in the center of the frame of a steam locomotive.
Who is Anatole Mallet?