Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Sign up for Morning Brew's free daily newsletter: morningbrewdaily.com/wendover

Watch Jet Lag: The Game at youtube.com/jetlagthegame

Buy a Wendover Productions t-shirt: standard.tv/collections/wendover-productions/products/wendover-productions-shirt

Subscribe to Half as Interesting (The other channel from Wendover Productions): youtube.com/halfasinteresting

Youtube: YouTube.com/WendoverProductions
Instagram: Instagram.com/sam.from.wendover
Twitter: Twitter.com/WendoverPro
Sponsorship Enquiries: wendover@standard.tv
Other emails: sam@wendover.productions
Reddit: Reddit.com/r/WendoverProductions

Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

Historic US rail map data courtesy Bygone Maps, LLC and licensed under CC-BY-SA (historic rail graphics correspondently avaliable under a CC-BY-SA license)

References
[1] homesignalblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/27/efficiency-and-the-decline-of-american-freight-railroads
[2] wx4.org/to/foam/maps/2Wx4/001/1905-05ColoradoMidland_PTT.pdf
[3] wx4.org/to/foam/maps/2Wx4/001/1909ca_SP-SRR-A%26WP-L%26N_WashingtonSunsetRoute.pdf
[4] trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/28-class-i-operating-ratios-reach-new-lows-in-2019
[5] trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/class-i-operating-ratios-reach-another-new-low-despite-pandemic
[6] oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/Amtrak_Root_Causes_Final_Report_9_8_08_with_508_charts.pdf
[7] media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Host-Railroad-Report-Card-2021-Final-v2.pdf
[8] freightwaves.com/news/economics/flashback-friday-interstate-commerce-commission-1-2
[9] freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsleaders-jp-morgan-greatly-influenced-us-railroads-in-the-late-19th-century
[10] enotrans.org/article/amtrak-at-50-the-rail-passenger-service-act-of-1970
[11] transportgeography.org/contents/applications/rail-deregulation-united-states