Thanks, that's a pretty neat site. I also consulted my 1960 copies of the World Book Encyclopedia (I will never throw them out, they are a wealth of information, and much of what was history then (1960) is no longer included as history in the new CD Grolier type of encyclopedias). The Encyclopedia did note that 1830 was when the first railroad was run to haul passengers. The Baltimore and Ohio ran a few horse drawn passenger cars a few miles out of Baltimore. I also went to the Map Collections web site of the Library of Congress and found an 1829 map of Pennsylvania. Canals were marked (the Union Canal went through Dauphin Co.) and a Proposed Railroad was marked from Harrisburg to Chambersburg. Your right when you mention that once the technology was reliable the age of railroads took off at a fast pace. Transportation was so important for commerce, passengers were not the priority. So, maybe when they mention "cars" they are referring to the horse drawn rails, I just never came across a reference to it before in Dauphin County. Marcia Fronk ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Penrose" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 12:03 PM Subject: RE: [PADAUPHI] Cars, Canal Boats and Stages in 1829 > Go to the site below and see just when railroads started up in the east. > It was a very rapid development after rails were chartered. > > > > http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/nation/train_1 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Houston [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 8:39 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [PADAUPHI] Cars, Canal Boats and Stages in 1829 > > > I'm trying to figure what "cars" is referring to from the following page > > from the "History of Dauphin County" 1907. > > In a report by the committee on roads to the State senate, dated 1829, > appeared the following: > > "Arrival and Departure of Cars, Canal Boats and Stages. (Colder's Line)" > > The Philadelphia cars leave Harrisburg every morning at 7 1/2 > o'clock, > and at 4 o'clock p. m. and arrival from Philadelphia at 6a. m. and 2 p. > m. ..... > Chambersburg cars leave here every day at 8 1/2 a. m. and 2 1/2 p. > m. > Arrive from Chambersburg at 7a. m. and 2 p. m. > The Express Packet Boat leaves Harrisburg every day at 2 1/2 p. m. > and arrives from Pittsburg every day at 10 p. m. ..... > The Reading Stage leaves daily at 8 o'clock a. m. and arrives from > Reading daily at 8 p. m.... > > The Packet Boats are the canal boats, the Stage is well, a horse drawn > stage coach, would anyone have an idea what they meant by "cars"? > > There was no passenger railroad that I'm aware of in the late 1820's, > unless > they were cars on tracks being hauled by horses. Steam engines were just > > making their debut as a curiosity in this country in 1829. > > Marcia Fronk

Marcia, I have seen many such references in writings of the 1860's. One diarist often referred to "going to meet his son at the cars from Phila." and he was talking about the steam railroad at that time. Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Houston" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 12:58 PM Subject: Re: [PADAUPHI] Cars, Canal Boats and Stages in 1829 > Thanks, that's a pretty neat site. I also consulted my 1960 copies of the > World Book Encyclopedia (I will never throw them out, they are a wealth ...