Railroads in the 1830s

It wasn't until the 1830s that steam-powered trains entered the United States. In 1833, the longest steam railroad in the world was built from the South Carolina Canal to Hamburg, which spanned 136 miles.

In the link is the 1828 plan of the proposed Boston and Providence Railway, which is the earliest map in the Library of Congress that shows a railroad survey. As steam was not commonly used yet, these lines were original to be used by trains that got their power from horses.