Train Pictures
In one of the "Back to the Future" movies, the Delorean must get back to the future by being pushed to 88 mph on the tracks of a train in the Wild West of the mid-1800s. It is an old steam train, one that seems fittingly synonymous with the growth of the continent through so-called Manifest Destiny (the idea that the United States had a right and responsibility to span from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans). The rail link between the team coming from the west coast and the team from the east, once completed, was essentially the true nail in the coffin of those cultures of the West that had before had a fighting chance to fend off the Americans. Yet, the train brought civilization. It brought (in present day terms) civilians to the West like nothing before was capable of doing. Surely there were raids on settlers and travellers alike, but the infrastructure of the steam train, once installed, proved to the ultimate detriment of previous inhabitants of the continent. I've always been fascinated by train pictures as they tell us about who we are currently, but are also a link to our illustrious past. Hopefully this selection provides you the same insight.
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Modern & Bullet
Historic & Steam