Built with a single set of tracks consisting of hardwood rails and wooden ties, and using wooden trestles to carry it over low-lying areas, the 136-mile Charleston-Hamburg Railroad was one of the longest railroads in the world when it was completed in 1833. It also became the first railroad in the United States to be powered entirely by steam, the first to carry mail under contract, and the first to provide regularly scheduled passenger service.
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The earliest general map to show the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company's line which began in Charleston, S.C. It was completed to Hamburg, S.C., in 1833. Its 136 miles of track were then the longest in the world.
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Charleston - Hamburg Railroad, also known as
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1833
1969
Innovations
Built with a single set of tracks consisting of hardwood rails and wooden ties, and using wooden trestles to carry it over low-lying areas, the 136-mile Charleston-Hamburg Railroad was one of the longest railroads in the world when it was completed in 1833. It also became the first railroad in…
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