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The Golden Age of Railroading
The period between 1869 and 1910 is know as the Golden Age of Railroading. The railroad system achieved its modern form, and the appearance of locomotives and cars attained a beauty and elegance which no other transportation machines have ever approached. The 4-4-0, the American Standard steam locomotive, typified the era of steam. These handsome engines, built in the thousands by dozens of manufacturers, pulled trains of wood freight and passenger cars to every part of the country. The California State Railroad Museum exhibits a spectacular collection of beautifully restored locomotives and cars of this era, capturing a glimpse of the way railroads looked at the end of the 19th century.

The Era Of Expansion
California's internal railroad system also grew. The dominant Central Pacific Railroad and later the Southern Pacific network served the principal cities and fostered the new industries of export agriculture and tourism. Other major railroads reached the Pacific Coast in California: The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and the last trans-continental railroad, the Western Pacific, which also ran through Sacramento. Smaller lines connected mines, sawmills, packing houses and farming communities to the mainline network. Innovations such as the air brake and automatic couplers made railroads safer and more efficient, but were not to be universally adopted for many years. As a consequence, railroading remained one of the most dangerous industrial occupations until the eve of World War I.

The Standard Era
Railroads went nearly everywhere, and the passenger train became the way to travel. During the 1880s passenger cars were larger and more comfortable, making possible a faster service which was more reliable than any other mode of transportation. The paint on the new 85-foot cars was varnished to make it shiny - the word "varnish" is still slang for first-class passenger car - and the cars offered steam heat, gas lighting and plush appointments to a traveling public used to cold, dark and sometimes hard accommodations. Railroads competed with one another to provide passengers with the latest improvements; each line's premier train featured better and newer amenities than the others. Electric lights and ventilation came into use early in this century, and safer, all-steel cars were built in considerable numbers at the start of World War II. While there were many subsequent developments of importance - ice-operated air conditioning being one - the classic passenger car of the standard era had come into existence by 1920, and many remain in service today.

The 20th Century
Steel cars, heavier tracks, more sophisticated locomotives and increased traffic brought America's railroads to their modern form by 1920. The automatic coupler and air brakes became standard. Compounding - using steam more than once - and articulation were combined in large Mallet-type freight locomotives capable of moving prodigious numbers of cars. Trailing trucks allowed bigger fireboxes, and superheating made engines more efficient. The national system encompassed 255,000 miles of track in 1920. Steam railroads were the core of this network, serving every major community. Electric interurban and street railways provided passenger service, sometimes in competition with the steam roads. Street railways prompted cities to expand, creating suburbs and paving the way for the rise of the automobile. Together, these railroads gave the United States an unparalleled and indispensable transportation system.

Railroads Today
The story of the modern railroad era is one of decline and revitalization. Competition from trucks and automobiles forced the industry to contract during the 1950s and 1960s, and many economists believed that the railroad was doomed. Passenger train service, never profitable, drained the financial resources of many railroads to the point of disaster. By the late 1960s the American intercity passenger train network was a costly national scandal, prompting the creation of Amtrak in 1971. The freight train has since been updated to serve the needs of the 21st century. Unit trains, more powerful and efficient locomotives and containerization have transformed the way freight trains look. Train crew size has been reduced, and the caboose is gone. Computers are common aboard locomotives, and many lightly used or unprofitable routes have been abandoned or sold, leaving the remaining railroad lines more effective and able to handle greater amounts of traffic. A very dramatic change in the face of modern railroading has resulted from mergers. Companies are combining in order to become more efficient and profitable, causing some well-known names to disappear. The Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroads disappeared into the new Burlington Northern. The Western Pacific and the Missouri Pacific became parts of the Union Pacific; Southern Pacific and the Denver & Rio Grande Western have merged and were purchased by Union Pacific in 1996; and many more combinations are inevitable. Today the nation's railroads employ 192,000 people who maintain and operate just under 200,000 miles of track. 26,000 locomotives pull 1.6 million freight and passenger cars. Railroad employees and the equipment they operate carry forward an honorable tradition of service and occupy an essential place in the nation's economy. Every aspect of railroading is enjoying a renewed interest: the California State Railroad Museum preserves the distinguished history of the railroad industry in the West, helps promote public understanding of the role railroads play today, and looks forward to their bright prospects for tomorrow.