The Rise and Fall of American Railways

Why are there so many abandoned railroads in the United States? I'll explain after the intro.
In this video, we're going to explore key points in the history of the US Railroad industry. Exploring the facts of what was primarily used before railroads to the grand railroad era and answering why we have so many abandoned railroads in the United States.
Made with Filmora 11 for a few clips of the footage credit reference Kelly Lacy (permission obtained).
A few clips include fellow KZbinrs: ‪@journeywithjay‬ ‪@DDExplores‬ ‪@thewanderingwoodsman7227‬
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[@lindamccaughey6669]

Wow! That was fantastic. I just love steam trains, cant get enough of them. You presented this so well Kathy, congratulations. Just loved that. Please take care

[@journeywithjay]

This was sooooo awesome, totally killed it.

[@mattPG78]

Kathy, this was a fantastic production. The narration, music, and visuals were perfect. Really great information.

[@jenniferbutcher8393]

Loved this! Thank you😁 That intro....WOW!!!🤩

[@likesanddislikesetc]

Great video! I was a conductor for a class 1. The railroads are the epitome of corporate greed. The burdensome regulations were lifted in 1980 with the Staggers Act/ that’s why there is much less trackage left- this law made it much easier to abandon service. Then class 1s merged and sold off rail lines to short lines and that’s been the story for the last 30+ years. There are 600 short lines and only 6 class 1s now. It’s completely different game. Nothing like it was in 1900. No passengers or mail on the rails - just freight. Except Amtrak and it’s not in good shape at all.

[@DDExplores]

That was excellent ! Never realized such a large percentage is now abandoned ! Thank you for all the hard work that went into this video

[@RusticVentures]

Thanks for watching, DD!

[@jdexploresfan3628]

Thanks for this awesome and epic video. It was very informative and entertaining. Thanks so much for all your hard work. 😃👍

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you so much!

[@TheTaz1999]

Incredibly well put together video, could have watched for much longer..

[@lakefromeshippingcompany]

Superb work, Kathy! Abandoned railway lines fascinate me for some reason. There are many dead rails in this part of the world too. A lot of our regional rail lines were closed in the 1980s on the grounds that it was more economic to use trucks and busses on the highways. 🚂🚃🚃🚃

[@RusticVentures]

Thanks! They are fascinating indeed!

[@samanthab1923]

It’s funny, after graduation I took a job in NYC & commuted like all the dads on my street. Did that for a number of years & even moved closer & took a different line into Newark & then grabbed the PATH. I never gave a thought about the history. FF a bit & we are living in PA with a son. My brother stayed down in Monmouth Co. where we were brought up. I could cut across NJ using backroads @ 60 miles. My son is the one who started pointing out all the RR crossings we would drive over getting from Solebury PA to Lincroft NJ. New Hope had the old Reading line, Lambertville has the Bel-Del, old PA RR. Hopewell another Reading line. Rocky Hill & Kingston were a branch of the PA RR. All of these still had tracks in the pavement as we drove over. Hopewell still active freight line. Monmouth Junction, Dayton, Jamesburg. Finally Marlboro along the old Freehold branch of the North Jersey Coast line. He loved taking that ride & as he got older researched all these routes & even hiked them. All that in such a small state 🚂

[@RusticVentures]

@@samanthab1923 I'm very impressed! Sounds like a very great learning experience! I take a commuter train when I head to the office. Easy, stress-free, plus the added bonus of the Dunkin Donuts app, order coffee when the train is just 5 minutes away...it's always ready, grab and go 😀

[@samanthab1923]

@@RusticVentures I love that. None of that in my day. But the thought of freezing my arse off on the platforms waiting for the train is etched in my memories. Lol ❄️🚂

[@karenpacker8862]

This was beautifully done!!!

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you Karen!

[@danpatch4751]

I didn't realize the railroad started that far back. It seems like every thing else, it had its heyday and has declined alot since the peak of its popularity. Interesting video, thanks for sharing.

[@RusticVentures]

Seemed everything was falling into place, and then it wasn't. Crazy how changes can affect things. Thanks for watching!

[@sonplusone7059]

I absolutely loved this video Kathy. You’ve been doing this type of videos lately, and I love it and your terrific at it. This is your calling. Kept me focused during the whole video. Hope all is going well. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Love and God Bless.

[@RusticVentures]

"Hope all is going well." Day-by-day :-) Thank you for the feedback! Merry Christmas to you and yours too!

[@jwsibelievehikeandfly2272]

Well told plus terrific train shots. Really enjoyed it!!

[@don55s]

Very interesting and professional video. You only seem to be getting better all the time! ROCK ON!!!

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you so much, Don55s!

[@adamtereska8734]

You did an amazing job on this video. Absolutely amazing.

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you, Adam!

[@bagoquarks]

Thank you for the great photographs and video footage and the enlightening history. Well done. Permit me to make my contribution to the question that is your video title - "Why ... ?" - In 1945 General Dwight D. Eisenhower toured a defeated Germany and was impressed by the utility and engineering of its autobahns. In the 1950s, as president, he oversaw the financing and the beginning of the U.S. Interstate Highway system. Ironically many U.S. railroads made good money hauling the materials needed to build the concrete infrastructure that made the 18-wheeler freight-hauling trucks economically viable and, therefore, future competition. - Concurrently a moribund bureaucracy that set regulated (and increasingly non-competitive) rail rates persisted. Another feature of regulation was the division of revenue among railroads when a car was shipped via a multi-carrier route. Some of the division rules awarded a disproportionate amount of revenue to carriers doing less than their fair share of ton-mile work. As such, some railroads in some situations were forced to haul freight at a loss by law. - Meanwhile freight shippers and receivers built dock infrastructure and warehousing complexes that accommodated truck trailers, thereby eroding the ton-mile market share of rail carriers in certain commodity categories. - Manufacturers learned to trim raw inventory stockpiles. "Just in time" (JIT) freight strategies reduced both real estate acreage and working capital dollars that would otherwise be tied up in inventory. A truck carriers could statistically deliver inputs when needed, plus-or-minus a few HOURS; rail carrier performance was an unacceptable plus-or-minus DAYS. - My last point is political. One can argue that passenger cars subsidize trucks moving on the same highways through disproportionate taxation of fuel, tolls, tires, etc. Furthermore, another argument is that public highway construction and maintenance is subsidized by taxpayers in general to a greater extent that private railroad freight routes. The debate is endless.

[@medicatedsquirrel420]

AMAZING video!

[@sparky107107]

tell us more.. so much rail history in your area.

[@RusticVentures]

Thanks Sparky107107! There is a ton, a lot out in the western part of the state too.

[@MissRailfan]

the government taxed the hell outta the rr's and the interstate system killed off passenger service. the northeast part of the country suffered the most, so many railroads all over. multiple railroads serviced many cities. out here in central pa. i can name 4 railroads that paralleled each other in sections. prr/nyc later merged to make pc, prr/reading, back home in western ny, erie/dlw (later merged to make 1 rr el), lv paralleled as well in parts from rochester ny to buffalo ny with nyc and the dlw/prr/erie. allegheny portage rr was the only rr in any states canal system. it also was the rr that built the first rr tunnel "staple bend tunnel" that is still open. the first railroad was actually stourbridge line, honesdale pa. it was successful but it was the first railroad in the country. i guarantee most everyone can name a family member who worked for the railroad. i can name a few myself. i was a rr employee at once, and im friends with active and retired rail workers.

[@beardednomadvanlife6363]

By chance do you have a book out for railroad info or just the abandon places book I’ve saw in the wondering woodsman channel

[@RusticVentures]

Just the 2 abandoned ones (Eastern PA and NJ). :-)

[@waynelutwiniak797]

👍

[@RusticVentures]

Wayne! :-)

[@chrisgray8774]

Very well done. Growing up not far from Enola, PA, a major east cost rail yard, we've lost a lot of lines to the south. At Lemoyne piers stil stand ready accross the Susquehanna River for a railroad that was never built. (40.249591, -76.883285) Only hundreds of yards to the north a bridge remains looking down on City Island and Front Street in Hrrisburg. The rails are coverd in dirt, but access is forbidden. One of two railways on the bluffs behind Wormleysburg has been closed, and stripped from the bridge over Route 11/15, leaving only a dangerous skeleton. This line became one of four passing behind Lemoyne and New Cumberland.to the tressel over the Yellow Breaches Creek, which has dividers seperating four trackways. Two are bare.

[@RusticVentures]

That's a lot in an area! 😞