Railroads

1825
Created by a man
Who had a dream and a plan
Oh damn, what a plan!
Railroads

1845

They grew and grew
Until they were even better than those children of the blue

1855
They were known far and wide
The network stretched over thousands of miles of our country side

1859
Abraham Lincoln said
Even with the coming war on his head
"I have to connect coast to coast,
With a railroad longer than most

If they won AND built the line
With the same money, men
At the same time
Then they could really boast

1869
Abe and Judah of course did not live to see this toast
When they finished the 1st transcontinental
(The line from coast to coast)
But at least
It took only 7 years to get the feast

1916 (peak year for track mileage 254,000 miles)
With a whistle and a holler and a hug
Clap clap clap and a bang and a chug
Railroads kept going
Growing and Growing
In WW1 they were a mess
But by WW2 they could face the enormous task and say "yes"

1970
Then hard times came
When the government made them limp and lame
But if it's all the same
There's nothing better than a great train
Railroads will be back
Just as soon as they find the right track