How to Find U.S. Train Routes From 1893

The railroad revolutionized the way people traveled and shipped goods in the United States during the nineteenth century. The first tracks for America's first line, the Baltimore and Ohio, weren't laid until 1830. By 1869, however, the Union Pacific Railroad had met the Central Pacific line and trains were able to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. These transcontinental trains were a boon to mapmakers, so if you're interested in finding train routes from a specific year you're in luck. You can check out the Library of Congress's Railroad Maps Collection online and find all the information you need.

• 1

  Visit the Library of Congress's Railroad Maps Collection (see Resources). You can visit in person in Washington D.C., or you can visit online at their website. The Library of Congress has conveniently scanned all of their railroad maps so you can view them on your computer at home.

• 2

  Make a list of the routes you are looking for if you have certain train routes in mind. By 1893, the United States had railroads crisscrossing the continent.

• 3

  Click on the link that reads "Railroad Lines" all the way to the right just beneath the illustration of a locomotive. This will bring you to the Railroad Lines Index. Here you will find three lists of railroads, divided alphabetically.

• 4

  Click on the appropriate link to take you to the railroad you are looking for.

• 5

  Click on the name of your railroad once you find it. This will take you to a page that lists all the maps for your railroad.

• 6

  Click the map dated closest to but not later than 1893. This will take you to a page with a map of the railroad, information about the map, the date of the railroad, other names for the railroad and sometimes additional notes.

• 7

  Check the dates of the maps railroad by railroad if you are not looking for a specific railroad. You can find out which ones were operating in 1893 this way.

• 8

  Search for all of the maps particular to a geographical location if you only need to find railroads that passed through certain cities.

• 9

  Zoom in on the maps so that you can get a good look. You can print them for your reference if you need to. If you find an especially beautiful map, you can even order your very own copy of it directly from the Library of Congress.