July 31, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the July 31, 1858 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the beginning of a train derailment on the Erie railroad.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
Fears of violence during the 1877 strike pushed many states to press local guards and militias into service in railyards.
August 8, 1877 | Illustration
This illustration from the August 8, 1877 issue of PUCK Magazine mocks the Fifth Pennsylvania Regiment's efforts to put down the riot.
July 23, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the July 23, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a major railway disaster near Montreal, Canada. The conductor failed to heed a signal that the Belacil Bridge was open for barge traffic and the ensuing accident killed ninety people and wounded one hundred more.
March 14, 1868 | Illustration
This image from the March 14, 1868 issue of Harper's Weekly offers a cartoonist's conception of the railroad to the Pacific as the movement of a line of trunks.
February 27, 1864 | Illustration
This image from the February 27, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the interior of a Union hospital car during the American Civil War. See Woman's Work in the Civil War on this site for the recollections of a hospital train nurse.
May 11, 1861 | Illustration
This image from the May 11, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts members of the Eigth Massachusetts Regiment repairing bridges on the railroad from Annapolis, Maryland to Washington, D.C.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
This August 4, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts the assault on a soldier of the Sixth National Guard Regiment in Baltimore, emphasizing the disparity in force and posture between the "mob" and the lone soldier.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
This August 4, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts the strikers and the crowd attacking soldiers at the Baltimore Armory, and emphasizes the defensive posture of the military and the aggression of the crowd.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
This August 4, 1877 image from Leslie's Illustrated depicts a stealthy and determined crowd setting fire to the Camden Street Railroad Station.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
Wide-spread rioting in Pittsburg led to the burning of over 40 buildings and the deaths of dozens of people.
1859 | Illustration
The characters encoutered along the rail journey are part of the artist's experience.
June 30, 1866 | Illustration
This image from the June 30, 1866 issue of Harper's Weekly offers a stinging cartoonist's criticism of the nature of the Camden and Amboy Railroad Company.
1859 | Illustration
American railroad progress is compared with the adoption of the technology in England.
August 4, 1877 | Illustration
Philadelphia strikers and their supporters gathered at the Callowhill Street Depot and Bridge to stop freight runs on Monday, July 23. Nearly 1200 police were ordered to the terminal, eventually sending 100 marines to clear the tracks.
August 11, 1877 | Illustration
Although there was no large-scale unrest in New York, crowds did gather in Tompkins Square during the Railroad Strike. Tompkins Square had been the site of civil unrest and rioting at several points in New York history, including during the 1863 Draft Riots, and police feared speakers would rile up strike supporters.
April 27, 1872 | Illustration
This image from the April 27, 1872 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a proposed harbor at Dover, Delaware, that includes a railroad depot for shipping cargo.
February 25, 1871 | Illustration
This image from the February 25, 1871 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the recovery of bodies following a serious railroad accident at New Hamburg, New York.
February 25, 1871 | Illustration
This image from the February 25, 1871 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts New Hamburg, New York the morning following a serious railroad accident.
February 25, 1871 | Illustration
This image from the February 25, 1871 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a burning railroad car following an accident at New Hamburg, New York.