On this day in 1917, the US railroads were nationalized by the government. See our TrainBoard calendar for more details. This is the period when the "USRA" type steam engines were introduced in the USA.
Probably worth pointing out that this was always envisioned as a temporary wartime effort to improve transportation efficiency during the First World War, and that it lasted only a bit over 2 years. These days the word "nationalization" carries a bit of a different connotation, in that in many countries it implies a permanent takeover of private enterprise by the government. Regards Ed .
