The United States owes much of its territorial expansion and also its structure as a country to large railway projects.<\/p>\n
The first railroads in the United States began to be built in the 1820s<\/strong> in the eastern part of the country. For many years, private companies built long railroads<\/strong> across the country, which were nationalized in 1917 and for three years due to the entry of the United States into World War I.<\/p>\n One of the companies that built these railroads was the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad<\/strong>, whose purpose was to connect the two ends of the country. This company had many problems building its line in Arizona, specifically in Johnson Canyon,<\/strong> not only because it was a mountainous area, but also because of the presence of basalt.<\/p>\n The problems of this railway line did not end with its opening in 1882.<\/strong> Due to its location, it suffered from rock falls, fires and explosions, and even gunfights<\/strong>, something not too uncommon in the wild west of the USA at that time. It ended up being considered one of the most dangerous railway lines in the USA<\/strong>. Operations on this line were abandoned in 1959 and the rails were dismantled. Today the old line is a mountain route that crosses the Johnson Canyon tunnel, which suffered a spectacular fire. Today Sidetrack Adventures<\/a> has posted an interesting video following this ancient line:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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