America emerges from this War as the strongest military Nation in the world. This may seem strange to many of us because we are not a military minded people. A second look into this seeming contradiction shows our military strength came in part from our great pre-war industries. One of the oldest of these is the railroad. It has played a major role in achieving the great Victory today. But it has also been an important factor in building America for more than 100 years.

     The year 1830 is an important one to all Americans because it was in that year the locomotive "Tom Thumb" ran a race with a horse-drawn car at Baltimore. It was in that year that the first locomotive, "Best Friend of Charleston," was placed in regular service on any American railroad. And the next year the "De Witt Clinton" made its first run from Albany to Schenectady.

     To appreciate what this meant in those days we should remember our country at that time was largely a rich, unexplored wilderness. It needed transportation for its development. There were waterways and a few turnpikes but the country needed more than that - it must have an all year round transportation system. From this great need came the Railroad. Horses were used for power before the locomotive. The first tracks were wooden rails, then wooden rails topped with iron straps, and then the iron "T" rail.