The steam railroad was invented in Great Britain in the 1820s. It was an immediate success, and other countries around the world were quick to adopt it.
The railroad was of clear advantage to big countries like the U.S., and quite quickly American companies were making their own locomotives and rails.
Almost all of this early development took place in the east. Then it moved to the prairies to ship cattle. But the Rockies barred the way farther west.
