<Ul> <Li> 1853 Indianapolis' Union Station, the first "union station" in the world, opened by the Terre Haute & Richmond, Madison & Indianapolis, and Bellefontaine railroads . </Li> <Li> 1862 Chattanooga The Great Locomotive Chase, in which Union raiders led by James J. Andrews commandeered a 4 - 4 - 0 American locomotive, "The General" and attempted to sabotage Confederate tracks, telegraph lines, and bridges to prevent Confederate troops from moving by rail to Chattanooga . </Li> <Li> 1865: George Pullman becomes well known for luxury sleeping cars, called Pullman cars in his honor, after he loaned one of his cars to be in the funeral train of Abraham Lincoln from Chicago to Springfield, IL . </Li> <Li> 1869: Union Pacific and Central Pacific complete first transcontinental railway link at Promontory Summit . </Li> <Li> 1869: George Westinghouse establishes the Westinghouse Air Brake Company . </Li> <Li> 1870s: Railroads begin to install automatic block signals which improve safety, allow faster train speeds, and allow more efficient utilization of trackage . </Li> <Li> 1870s and 1880s: Strikes break out against railroads and the Pullman Palace Car Company . Corporations hire Pinkerton guards to break up the strikes . Nonetheless, much violence occurs in the strikes . Many people were killed, buildings and rolling stock were burned, and reports of rioting shocked middle - class Americans . </Li> <Li> 1883: Standard time zones adopted by railroads . </Li> <Li> 1886: Many southern states convert from broad gauges such as 1,524 mm (5 ft) to standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄ in). (See also Broad gauge #United States .) </Li> <Li> 1887: Congress creates the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate railroads and ensure fair prices . </Li> <Li> 1891: Webb C. Ball establishes first Railway Watch official guidelines for Railroad chronometers . </Li> <Li> 1893: Railroad Safety Appliance Act requires air brakes and automatic couplers on all trains, which greatly reduces railroad worker injuries and deaths . </Li> <Li> 1896: Supreme Court rules in United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co. that the Takings Clause under eminent domain could be applied for historic preservation . </Li> </Ul> <Li> 1853 Indianapolis' Union Station, the first "union station" in the world, opened by the Terre Haute & Richmond, Madison & Indianapolis, and Bellefontaine railroads . </Li> <Li> 1862 Chattanooga The Great Locomotive Chase, in which Union raiders led by James J. Andrews commandeered a 4 - 4 - 0 American locomotive, "The General" and attempted to sabotage Confederate tracks, telegraph lines, and bridges to prevent Confederate troops from moving by rail to Chattanooga . </Li> <Li> 1865: George Pullman becomes well known for luxury sleeping cars, called Pullman cars in his honor, after he loaned one of his cars to be in the funeral train of Abraham Lincoln from Chicago to Springfield, IL . </Li>

When was the first train invented in america