Timeline of Land Acquisition by Rail Roads

Chronology of the Northern Pacific & Related Land Grant Railroads
Compiled by George Draffan, Public Information Network, www.endgame.org July 24, 2001 version
Chronicles how land intended for settlers was deeded to Railroads. Even after some Railroads went bankrupt and did not provide services, they retained the land. President Lincoln was a railroad attorney and ceded more land to the railroads.
This is an important timeline.

Now we have a former rail road company (Texas Pacific Group) turned equity investment firm positioned to buy Texas's biggest power company, TXU. Public Private partnerships on transportation are nothing new for the United States. There is a rich history where the private corporations stopped providing services yet retained the wealth.

1916 There were 254,000 miles railroad in the U.S.
Railroads carry three quarters of all intercity freight
and 98 percent of all intercity passengers.
1950 There are 224,000 miles railroad in the U.S.
1959 There are 220,000 miles railroad in the U.S.
1978 Railroads carry 36 percent of total intercity freight
(trucks carry 25 percent; oil pipelines carry 23 percent).
They carry less than one percent of the passenger traffic
(autos carry 84 percent; commercial airplanes carry 12 percent).
1980 Railroads carry 38 percent of U.S. intercity freight traffic.
1980 Staggers Act deregulates railroads.
1991 There are 176,000 miles of railroad track.
Railroads haul 37.6 percent of freight traffic

THE CORPORTATIONS OWNING RAILROAD and/or Railroad acquired acreage