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The site selected is about three hours from DC. But yeah, nowhere near NYC. Interestingly enough, I was reading an article[0] about how Wheeling and Pittsburgh

The site selected is about three hours from DC. But yeah, nowhere near NYC. Interestingly enough, I was reading an article[0] about how Wheeling and Pittsburgh were competing to be the gateway to the west. When the National Road bypassed Pittsburgh, that was a big win for Wheeling. Most of the rail ended up going through Pittsburgh, though, and then the PA Turnpike opened a path through the mountains that further solidified Pittsburgh's advantage. For WV's part, I could see them being very motivated to try and bring a new mode of transportation through their state. [0]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20093288?seq=1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20093288?seq=1

jcranmer 6y ago
In the 1820s and the 1830s, after the opening of the Erie Canal, there was serious competition to figure out which Ohio River city would be the western terminus of various eastern seaboard cities. By the 1840s, however, it became clear that the answer to transportation was going to be the railroad, and terminating at the Ohio River made no sense; the real target was the western entrepôts such as Chicago. From the perspective of the major NE railroads, the New York Central traveled through the same Mohawk Gap that the Erie Canal uses, and then travel along the south bank of Lake Erie. The Pennsylvania Railroad followed the route of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal system, that traveled Philadelphia-Pittsburgh via Altoona. The B&O (originating from a state that had no access to the Ohio River) tried playing off Virginia and Pennsylvania against each other, but Pennsylvania stopped playing ball when it committed to the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Virginia forced the B&O to pick Wheeling over Parkersburg to make it harder for B&O to bridge the Ohio River and push on to Chicago. (The B&O would eventually reach Parkersburg, cross the Ohio there, and continue to Chicago, but this happened a generation later). The Pennsylvania Turnpike was based on the route of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, which was never built.
- Brendinooo 6y ago
  Yeah! That South Pennsylvania Railroad was only going to happen because Vanderbilt felt that the Pennsylvania Railroad was stepping on his turf in New York. Interesting stuff.

jcranmer 6y ago

In the 1820s and the 1830s, after the opening of the Erie Canal, there was serious competition to figure out which Ohio River city would be the western terminus of various eastern seaboard cities. By the 1840s, however, it became clear that the answer to transportation was going to be the railroad, and terminating at the Ohio River made no sense; the real target was the western entrepôts such as Chicago. From the perspective of the major NE railroads, the New York Central traveled through the same Mohawk Gap that the Erie Canal uses, and then travel along the south bank of Lake Erie. The Pennsylvania Railroad followed the route of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal system, that traveled Philadelphia-Pittsburgh via Altoona. The B&O (originating from a state that had no access to the Ohio River) tried playing off Virginia and Pennsylvania against each other, but Pennsylvania stopped playing ball when it committed to the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Virginia forced the B&O to pick Wheeling over Parkersburg to make it harder for B&O to bridge the Ohio River and push on to Chicago. (The B&O would eventually reach Parkersburg, cross the Ohio there, and continue to Chicago, but this happened a generation later). The Pennsylvania Turnpike was based on the route of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, which was never built.

Brendinooo 6y ago
Yeah! That South Pennsylvania Railroad was only going to happen because Vanderbilt felt that the Pennsylvania Railroad was stepping on his turf in New York. Interesting stuff.