Common Carriers
Name | Chartered | State | Opened | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania | 01826-03-03March 3, 1826 | Pennsylvania | 01830-01-011830 | Chartered on May 30, 1811 to build a canal; authorized to build a railroad on March 3, 1826 |
Granite Railway | 01826-03-04March 4, 1826 | Massachusetts | 01826-10-07October 7, 1826 | Only authorized to carry freight until April 16, 1846 |
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company | 01826-04-05April 5, 1826 | Pennsylvania | 01829-10-09October 9, 1829 | Chartered on March 13, 1823 to build a canal; authorized to build a railroad on April 5, 1826 |
Danville and Pottsville Railroad | 01826-04-08April 8, 1826 | Pennsylvania | 01834-09-24September 24, 1834 | |
Mohawk and Hudson Railroad | 01826-04-17April 17, 1826 | New York | 01831-09-24September 24, 1831 | |
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | 01827-02-28February 28, 1827 | Maryland | 01830-01-07January 7, 1830 | Carried passengers from opening |
South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company | 01827-12-19December 19, 1827 | South Carolina | 01830-12-01December 1830 | Carried passengers from opening |
Ithaca and Owego Railroad | 01828-01-28January 28, 1828 | New York | 01834-04-01April 1, 1834 | |
Mill Creek and Mine Hill Navigation and Railroad Company | 01828-02-07February 7, 1828 | Pennsylvania | 01829-11-03November 3, 1829 | |
Tioga Navigation Company | 01828-02-07February 7, 1828 | Pennsylvania | 01839-01-011839 | Chartered on February 20, 1826 to build a canal or slack-water navigation; authorized to build a railroad on February 7, 1828 |
Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad | 01828-02-13February 13, 1828 | Maryland | 01831-07-04July 4, 1831 | |
Chesterfield Railroad | 01828-02-27February 27, 1828 | Virginia | 01831-07-01July 1831 | |
New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Railroad Company | 01828-03-14March 14, 1828 | Maryland | 01832-02-28February 28, 1832 | Chartered on January 6, 1810 as the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike Company to build a turnpike; renamed and authorized to build a railroad on March 14, 1828 |
Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad | 01828-03-24March 24, 1828 | Pennsylvania | 01832-10-18October 18, 1832 | Part of the state-owned Main Line of Public Works |
Schuylkill Valley Navigation Company | 01828-04-14April 14, 1828 | Pennsylvania | 01830-01-011830 | Chartered on March 20, 1827 to build a canal; authorized to build a railroad on April 14, 1828; renamed Schuylkill Valley Navigation and Railroad Company on January 15, 1829 |
Schuylkill East Branch Navigation Company | 01828-04-14April 14, 1828 | Pennsylvania | 01831-11-18November 18, 1831 | Chartered on February 20, 1826 to build a lock navigation; authorized to build a railroad on April 14, 1828; renamed Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company on April 23, 1829 |
New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Railroad Company | 01829-02-07February 7, 1829 | Delaware | 01832-02-28February 28, 1832 | Chartered on January 24, 1809 as the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike Company to build a turnpike; renamed and authorized to build a railroad on February 7, 1829 |
New Castle Turnpike and Railroad Company | 01829-02-07February 7, 1829 | Delaware | 01832-02-28February 28, 1832 | Chartered on January 30, 1811 as the New Castle Turnpike Company to build a turnpike; renamed and authorized to build a railroad on February 7, 1829; merged into the New Castle Turnpike and Railroad Company on March 31, 1830 |
Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad | 01829-04-15April 15, 1829 | Pennsylvania | 01831-04-01April 1831 | |
Northern Liberties and Penn Township Railroad | 01829-04-23April 23, 1829 | Pennsylvania | 01834-04-01April 1834 | |
Mount Carbon Railroad | 01829-07-15July 15, 1829 | Pennsylvania | 01831-01-011831 | |
Tuscumbia Railway | 01830-01-15January 15, 1830 | Alabama | 01832-06-12June 12, 1832 | |
Pontchartrain Railroad | 01830-01-20January 20, 1830 | Louisiana | 01831-04-23April 23, 1831 | |
Lexington and Ohio Railroad | 01830-01-27January 27, 1830 | Kentucky | 01832-08-15August 15, 1832 | |
Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company | 01830-02-04February 4, 1830 | New Jersey | 01832-10-01October 1, 1832 | When the Camden and Amboy imported, assembled, and placed into service the locomotive John Bull, it was the first time that a steam locomotive had ever run on a North American railroad (earlier railroads used animal traction). |
Petersburg Railroad | 01830-02-10February 10, 1830 | Virginia | 01832-10-01October 1832 | |
Lykens Valley Railroad and Coal Company | 01830-04-07April 7, 1830 | Pennsylvania | 01834-04-01April 1834 | |
Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company | 01830-04-07April 7, 1830 | Pennsylvania | 01836-11-05November 5, 1836 | |
Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad | 01830-04-19April 19, 1830 | New York | 01839-01-011839 | |
Boston and Lowell Railroad | 01830-06-05June 5, 1830 | Massachusetts | 01835-06-24June 24, 1835 | |
Petersburg Railroad | 01831-01-01January 1, 1831 | North Carolina | 01833-01-011833 | |
Paterson and Hudson River Railroad | 01831-01-31January 31, 1831 | New Jersey | 01834-01-011834 | |
Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad | 01831-02-09February 9, 1831 | New Jersey | 01836-08-13August 13, 1836 | |
Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad | 01831-02-16February 16, 1831 | New York | 01832-07-12July 12, 1832 | |
West Chester Railroad | 01831-02-18February 18, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01832-10-01October 1, 1832 | |
West Feliciana Railroad | 01831-03-05March 5, 1831 | Louisiana | 01835-01-01January 1835 | |
Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad | 01831-03-21March 21, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01834-03-18March 18, 1834 | Part of the state-owned Main Line of Public Works |
Southwark Railroad | 01831-04-02April 2, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01835-01-011835 | |
Cumberland Valley Railroad | 01831-04-02April 2, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01837-08-16August 16, 1837 | |
Philadelphia and Delaware County Railroad | 01831-04-02April 2, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01838-01-17January 17, 1838 | Renamed Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad on March 14, 1836 |
Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad | 01831-04-05April 5, 1831 | Pennsylvania | 01832-06-06June 6, 1832 | |
Winchester and Potomac Railroad | 01831-04-08April 8, 1831 | Virginia (now partially West Virginia) | 01836-03-01March 1836 | |
New York and Harlem Railroad | 01831-04-25April 25, 1831 | New York | 01832-11-26November 26, 1832 | |
Boston and Providence Railroad | 01831-07-22July 22, 1831 | Massachusetts | 01835-07-28July 28, 1835 | |
Boston and Worcester Railroad | 01831-06-23June 23, 1831 | Massachusetts | 01834-04-16April 16, 1834 | |
Clinton and Vicksburg Railroad | 01831-12-19December 19, 1831 | Mississippi | 01838-01-011838 | Reorganized as the Commercial and Railroad Bank of Vicksburg on December 25, 1833 |
Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad | 01832-01-05January 5, 1832 | Ohio | 01838-01-011838 | |
Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad | 01832-01-13January 13, 1832 | Alabama | 01833-08-20August 20, 1833 | |
Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad | 01832-01-18January 18, 1832 | Delaware | 01837-07-14July 14, 1837 | |
Lawrenceburg and Indianapolis Railroad | 01832-02-02February 2, 1832 | Indiana | 01834-07-04July 4, 1834 | |
Ohio and Indianapolis Railroad | 01832-02-03February 3, 1832 | Indiana | 01851-01-011851 | Renamed Jeffersonville Railroad on February 3, 1849 |
Calais Railway | 01832-02-17February 17, 1832 | Maine | 01832-01-011832 | |
Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad | 01832-02-23February 23, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01833-11-14November 14, 1833 | |
Baltimore and Port Deposit Railroad | 01832-03-05March 5, 1832 | Maryland | 01837-07-06July 6, 1837 | |
New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company | 01832-03-07March 7, 1832 | New Jersey | 01834-09-15September 15, 1834 | |
Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad | 01832-03-08March 8, 1832 | Virginia | 01834-07-27July 27, 1834 | |
New Jersey, Hudson and Delaware Railroad | 01832-03-08March 8, 1832 | New Jersey | 01872-01-011872 | Merged into the New Jersey Midland Railway on April 26, 1870 |
Franklin Railroad | 01832-03-12March 12, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01839-09-10September 10, 1839 | |
Delaware and Maryland Railroad | 01832-03-14March 14, 1832 | Maryland | 01837-07-14July 14, 1837 | Merged into the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad on April 18, 1836 |
York and Maryland Line Railroad | 01832-03-14March 14, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01838-08-23August 23, 1838 | |
Liggett's Gap Railroad | 01832-04-07April 7, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01851-10-20October 20, 1851 | Renamed Lackawanna and Western Railroad on April 14, 1851 |
Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad | 01832-04-14April 14, 1832 | New York | 01836-04-19April 19, 1836 | |
Saratoga and Fort Edward Railroad | 01832-04-17April 17, 1832 | New York | 01848-10-15October 15, 1848 | Reorganized as the Saratoga and Washington Railroad on May 2, 1834 |
New York and Albany Railroad | 01832-04-17April 17, 1832 | New York | 01848-12-31December 31, 1848 | Sold to the New York and Harlem Railroad on March 9, 1846 |
Watertown and Rome Railroad | 01832-04-17April 17, 1832 | New York | 01849-10-01October 1849 | |
Tonawanda Railroad | 01832-04-24April 24, 1832 | New York | 01837-05-01May 1837 | |
New York and Erie Railroad | 01832-04-24April 24, 1832 | New York | 01841-09-23September 23, 1841 | |
Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad | 01832-04-25April 25, 1832 | New York | 01836-04-18April 18, 1836 | Leased by the Long Island Rail Road from opening |
Hudson and Berkshire Railroad | 01832-04-26April 26, 1832 | New York | 01838-09-26September 26, 1838 | |
Boston, Norwich and New London Railroad | 01832-05-01May 1, 1832 | Connecticut | 01840-01-011840 | Merged into the Norwich and Worcester Railroad on June 22, 1836 |
New York and Stonington Railroad | 01832-05-14May 14, 1832 | Connecticut | 01837-11-17November 17, 1837 | Merged into the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad on July 1, 1833 |
Portsmouth and Lancaster Railroad | 01832-06-09June 9, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01836-09-16September 16, 1836 | Renamed Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mountjoy and Lancaster Railroad on March 11, 1835 |
Williamsport and Elmira Railroad | 01832-06-09June 9, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01837-01-12January 12, 1837 | |
Strasburg Railroad | 01832-06-09June 9, 1832 | Pennsylvania | 01837-01-011837 | |
New York, Providence and Boston Railroad | 01832-06-23June 23, 1832 | Rhode Island | 01837-11-17November 17, 1837 | |
Detroit and St. Joseph Railroad | 01832-06-29June 29, 1832 | Michigan | 01838-02-03February 3, 1838 | Sold to the Central Railroad of Michigan on April 22, 1837 |
Selected railroads chartered since 1832:
- 1835: The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad begins operation after 4 years of work; rail route still in operation as the St. Charles Streetcar Line in New Orleans.
- 1836: The Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad Company was the first steam railroad in Florida, opening on September 5.
- 1836: The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad opens in Quebec, Canada.
Read more about this topic: Oldest Railroads In North America
Famous quotes containing the words common and/or carriers:
“The anarchist and the Christian have a common origin.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (18441900)
“Nature, doubtless, has some compelling cause
To glut the carriers of her epidemics
Nor did the peach complain.”
—Robert Graves (18951985)
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