MAP 16.1 Expansion of the Railroad System, 1870–1890
In 1860, the nation had 30,000 miles of rail track; by 1890, it had 167,000 miles. The tremendous burst of construction during the last twenty years of that period essentially completed the nation’s rail network, although there would be additional expansion for the next two decades. The main areas of growth were in the South and in lands west of the Mississippi. Time zones — introduced by the railroad companies in 1883 — are marked by the gray lines.