: Known as "The Commodore," he shifted his focus from steamboats to railroads in the 1860s, creating the massive New York Central Railroad system .

While the term "Railroad Pioneer" covers a lot of ground—including historical figures like Cornelius Vanderbilt and the legendary John Henry —the following narrative focuses on the most iconic "pioneer" of all: the small steam engine that literally put Chicago on the map. The Little Engine That Built Chicago

: The Pioneer wasn't new; it was built around 1840 and purchased from an eastern railroad. On its first official run for the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad , it only traveled a few miles to Des Plaines.

to connect growing cities like New York and San Francisco.