it opened the whole western united states.
It opened the whole world (there is one outside the USA!).
There are several high speed railway line proposed in US. The most developed are the one in Florida and the one in California.
Some popular US railway books are as follows; Life along the line, The Railway Book, and there are several more. These books can be found in book stores or on the internet.
The US has the largest railway network of any country by far.
About Us - 2003 The Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway was released on: USA: 19 May 2006
Conductor
vehicles, except railway or tramway, and parts
vehicles, except railway or tramway, and parts.
The Pacific Railway Act of 1862. With the southern states absent, no discussions were required as to why New Orleans would not be the hub of the transcontinental railway. The problem was that the Pacific Railroad could not afford to build the railway. To make the railway possible the US government and the Lincoln administration subsidized the railroad company with public land grants.
One reason the US railway system expanded so much in the latter years of the 19th century was the fact that there was allot of territories that needed railways. And, the railroad companies often with help from the Federal government had the funds to build them. By the 1880's the US contained one third of the world's railway mileage.
Bismarck
the B&O (Baltimore & Ohio) in about 1831.
telegraph railway pony express