Railroads
Railroads originated in Britain, and the first one created in America was the Baltimore and Ohio, reaching 73 miles within four years of its initial construction. Unlike canals which froze up in the winter and were expensive to build, railroads could be used all year round, were chepaer and much faster.
The advantages obviously outweighed the disadvantages in this case, especially after the challenges involving them were worked out over time. Railroads were the most dominant for of transportation and by 1860 over 30,000 miles of railroad was built throughout the United States.
The travel time of any trip was cut down to a sliver of what it had been. Going from Detroit to New York only took 2 days which would have been unimaginable at the very beginning of the 19th century.
The travel time of any trip was cut down to a sliver of what it had been. Going from Detroit to New York only took 2 days which would have been unimaginable at the very beginning of the 19th century.