0:00:02 > 0:00:07I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:07 > 0:00:09with my reliable Appletons' Guide.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18my Appletons' General Guide to North America will direct me
0:00:18 > 0:00:24to all that's novel, beautiful, memorable and striking
0:00:24 > 0:00:26in the United States.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30As I journey across this vast continent,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34I'll discover how pioneers and cowboys conquered the West.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36GUNSHOTS
0:00:36 > 0:00:39And how the railroads tied this nation together,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42helping to create the global superstate of today.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I'm continuing towards the south,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17riding on the tracks of the old Illinois Central Railroad.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Benefiting from the advocacy services
0:01:19 > 0:01:22of a lawyer named Abraham Lincoln,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27by 1856 it was the longest railway in the world, running,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29in the words of my Appletons',
0:01:29 > 0:01:32'across the rich prairie lands of central Illinois,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36'which roll off as far as the eye can reach.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Eventually it would stretch down to New Orleans,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41with more than 3,000 miles of track.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Running parallel to the Mississippi,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47a river to which it offered fierce competition.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58My railway journey tracks the birth of the industrial Midwest.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02I began in the 19th century powerhouse of Minneapolis.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Then headed south along the trade route of the Mississippi,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08to La Crosse in rural Wisconsin.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Striking east, I landed at Lake Michigan's Milwaukee,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and then turned south
0:02:14 > 0:02:17to explore rail's golden age in Chicago.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Next, I'll continue south through Illinois's rich prairie,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23whose agriculture fed the cities,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and end at the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30On this leg I journey south of Chicago
0:02:30 > 0:02:33through Illinois' old prairie lands,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35beginning at Homewood's fine country club.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I then had to the wonderfully named Kankakee,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42before I finish in Champaign with a heritage ride
0:02:42 > 0:02:44at the Monticello Railway Museum.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52This time, I get my hands on the hooter.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55People often talked about the smell of steam locomotives.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57What about the sound of them?
0:02:57 > 0:02:59TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I'm in full swing on the fairway.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Taking the club back...
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Oops.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07..and party on the platform.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13# I'll be gone by 100 miles when the day is done. #
0:03:28 > 0:03:30The cafe bar is open and serving and as always,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32thank you for riding Amtrak.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39My next stop is Homewood, Illinois.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Appletons' tells me that the streets of the villages
0:03:42 > 0:03:47are regularly laid out and planted with shade lined trees.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Chicago was grimy and polluted,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54but the well-off could buy fresh air and after a short train ride,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58swing by their country club, even if it was a fair way off.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Homewood is a suburb of Chicago,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20about 25 miles south-west of The Loop.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23The railroad transformed this rolling farmland
0:04:23 > 0:04:26into a country getaway for wealthy Chicagoans,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31and attracted its first country club for members only in 1899.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34I'm curious to know more about its founding
0:04:34 > 0:04:37from club historian Greg Ohlendorf.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Hello, Greg.- Michael. Welcome to Flossmoor Country Club.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Thank you. Very, very beautiful.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- I'm so pleased to be here.- Well, let's go out and have a look around.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Thank you very much.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Flossmoor retains its exclusivity today.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Joining would set me back about 13,000 dollars.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00So when do we first get country clubs being formed in the Chicago area?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Basically the 1890s.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05They spurred off of the rail that went north to Chicago Golf Club,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and then down south to clubs like Flossmoor.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11If the railway had not come down to Homewood at the time,
0:05:11 > 0:05:12this country club wouldn't be here.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Did the railroads ever invest directly in country clubs?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Matter of fact, they did.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19In 1893, the Illinois Central Railroad
0:05:19 > 0:05:22bought 160 acres of farmland out here,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24so they had this piece of property and didn't know what to do
0:05:24 > 0:05:27with it until a couple of our founding members came along, and asked them
0:05:27 > 0:05:32to extend the rail line so that they could build a country club out here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37The Illinois Central Railroad built its first suburban commuter line
0:05:37 > 0:05:42south of Chicago in 1856, to serve the new middle class of Hyde Park.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45By the 1880s,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49commuter lines struck out from the city in 15 different directions as
0:05:49 > 0:05:54far as 40 miles, enabling well-paid professionals to commute,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56or spend weekends away from the city.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Why were people, I imagine particularly men, so keen to escape Chicago?
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The hustle and bustle of the city was probably in its time not much
0:06:04 > 0:06:06different than it is today.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08So I think just getting out to the country and the beginnings of
0:06:08 > 0:06:13suburbanisation probably encouraged folks to leave the city at a time on
0:06:13 > 0:06:14the weekend to play a little golf.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16During the early 1880s,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20well-heeled businessmen who enjoyed sporting clubs in the city began to
0:06:20 > 0:06:23establish similar amenities in the country.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Golf, tennis,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29shooting and horse riding, and formal clubhouses with lavish ballrooms
0:06:29 > 0:06:31offered members an exclusive social life.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Greg, you're a businessmen.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Do you think that from the earliest days businesspeople from Chicago
0:06:37 > 0:06:40saw the advantage of getting together on the golf course?
0:06:40 > 0:06:44I think business and golf probably were tied together from very early times.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46One of our founders was a golfer and two were not,
0:06:46 > 0:06:47but they still saw the advantage of
0:06:47 > 0:06:50coming out and spending time together on the weekend.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And so the great wealth of the United States,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55do you think it's partly due to the existence of its golf courses?
0:06:55 > 0:06:56I'd like to believe that.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It probably has more to do with the existence of transportation and the
0:06:59 > 0:07:01railways moving people about easily.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10By 1900, there were over 1,000 country clubs across America.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13We start with this big fella, do we?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- We're going to go with the long club first.- Aha. So...
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Looking towards the target.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Can't even see the flag from here cos it's such a long hole.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Taking the club back...
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Oops.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- What do you think, Greg? - It's a fair way.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35It's not THE fairway.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I think I may have let you down on that one, Jerome. Sorry about that.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46It's all right, we'll get through.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- We will, will we?- It's all about the next shot.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The next shot, think of that. The next shot.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58In a bunker, but a politician has often been in tighter situations.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I'll show you how much I know about golf. This is called the 19th hole.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It is, and this is the best part, Michael.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15And this one, I think I will be able to sink.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- Yes.- Cheers.- Cheers to you as well.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I'm leaving behind country pursuits
0:08:28 > 0:08:33to return to the railroad that by 1882 stretched over 900 miles,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35from Chicago to New Orleans.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47TRAIN HORN BLARES
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I'm headed for Kankakee.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Appletons' tells me it's upon the river of the same name,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55a tributary of the Illinois.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58When the railroad was begun,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02a forest stood upon the site of this now important town.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07In the words of the song, "Architects may come and architects may go,"
0:09:07 > 0:09:09I wonder if any had designs on Kankakee?
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Bye-bye.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30The Illinois Central Railroad reached the single cabin
0:09:30 > 0:09:32which was Kankakee in 1853,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and ordered that a town be developed on this bend of the river.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Using the train, farmers could send crops to Chicago, 56 miles away, in
0:09:42 > 0:09:47three hours instead of six days, and the new settlement prospered.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48- Hello, Larry.- Good afternoon.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- Welcome.- I'm Michael.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- Nice to meet you, Michael, you're welcome to step in.- Thank you.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It's a lovely stretch of river, isn't it?
0:09:58 > 0:10:03It is. Very peaceful out here, especially today, very nice and calm.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Lots of lovely properties along here.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10There is. Riverview Historic District, so a lot of neat homes from prior years.
0:10:10 > 0:10:1360 miles from Chicago, and it couldn't be more peaceful.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17As a lover of architecture,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21I'm excited to be visiting Frank Lloyd Wright's ground-breaking
0:10:21 > 0:10:23B Harley Bradley House,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28a building that revolutionised American design in the 20th century.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Another architect, Gaines Hall, and his wife Sharon,
0:10:31 > 0:10:32own the property today.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Hello, Gaines.- Hi Michael, nice to see you.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36A great pleasure indeed.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Gaines, a Frank Lloyd Wright house.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42I'm seeing a fairly low-sitting property, subdued colours,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45very strong horizontal lines, an emphasis on the roof.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47That's what came to be known as the Prairie Style.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50He was trying to emphasise the horizontality of the prairie.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54This particular house became the one that has been associated with the
0:10:54 > 0:10:56beginning of the Prairie Design.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58One architect told me, he said,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02"This is the house that changed the face of American architecture."
0:11:02 > 0:11:04It left behind old European influences,
0:11:04 > 0:11:09you see nothing of Corinthian or Greek revival, or Roman.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It left all that behind.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12It's truly American.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And you think he was deliberately seeking a
0:11:15 > 0:11:17non-European, American style?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21I think he was looking for his expression of what he began to call
0:11:21 > 0:11:23the Organic Style, associating with nature,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and nature on the prairie was relatively flat.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The gable ends actually kick up, if you will.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33And that's because Wright had a real fascination with Japanese architecture.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35And that's about the only influence we can see from
0:11:35 > 0:11:37somewhere outside the United States.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Wisconsin's broad,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45flat prairie land in 1867.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48He rejected the ornate European tradition,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and designed over 1,000 buildings in an Organic Style,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56including Pennsylvania's Fallingwater in 1935,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00and New York City's Guggenheim Museum, completed in 1959.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Now, you and your wife have played an important role in the house's
0:12:04 > 0:12:07history. Tell me about that.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Well, we moved to Kankakee in 1998,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and we were asked if we'd ever seen the house, and we said no.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15So we came and looked at the house.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And then, when the owners wanted to tear down the stable,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20which had had no attention for 16 years,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22and it was in dilapidated condition,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26we determined that it was something that was worth saving for Kankakee.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29So we went through some negotiations, we sold our house,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33bought this house, moved in with not a working bathroom,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and began to start the restoration.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- And may we take a look inside now? - You certainly may, let's go.- Good.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41During the late 19th century,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44many American architects looked to the past,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47and European styles, for their inspiration.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51They built elaborate, many-storeyed houses with turrets and porches,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54or grand neoclassical mansions.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57The contrast with the modern Prairie Style
0:12:57 > 0:12:58of Frank Lloyd Wright was stark.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Hmm.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05The interior is not what I would have guessed from the exterior.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10Here we've got all these dark woods, quite simply carved.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It's almost more a celebration of the forest than it is of the prairie.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- Ah, you must be Sharon.- Hello.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Hello.- Nice to meet you.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Congratulations to you on this amazing house.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Thank you. It's a nice home to live in.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's laid out very nicely to entertain.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Does it have any quirks or details that captured your imagination?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I think one of the fascinating things to me,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35is all of the wood in here is quarter sawn oak.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39It's the way the log is actually cut, and it gives a unique grain.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Very refined kind of a grain.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45And so Frank Lloyd Wright was into designing the light fixtures,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47the furniture, every detail of the house.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50He was. He designed most of the furniture that was in the house.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Unfortunately, it was all sold off over the years.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Well, I first saw the house from the river,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57can we now see the river from the house?
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Absolutely.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Well, one is certainly very aware of the river.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's absolutely a wonderful view, isn't it?
0:14:08 > 0:14:09The house is very well-oriented.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14The river is something that I think makes the house setting unique.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18He just wanted to make sure that wherever his architecture was,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21it blended with the surrounding, and it recognised nature.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24You can see, standing here, that we're in the trees,
0:14:24 > 0:14:25we're overseeing the river,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and you're practically outside at this point.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31You've now confronted the man Frank Lloyd Wright.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32He has a reputation of being
0:14:32 > 0:14:35the greatest American architect of the 20th century.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Why do you think that is?
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It's hard to say why, but I would agree that he probably is.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Wright had his own style,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46he was wanting to create something new all of the time.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48When people come to visit this house,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51they're blown away by what it was in 1900,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55when Victorian and other styles were still there.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58This is the house that changed the face of American architecture.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04So, Kankakee's legacy is impressive,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and I'm lucky to have had such a privileged tour.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I'm heading back to the station, where, hospitably,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18the locals are throwing a party.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23If you've ever heard of the town of Kankakee,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24it could have been in a song.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27You might have heard it sung by Johnny Cash,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29or maybe by Arlo Guthrie,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and it celebrates a great train.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33It's called The City of New Orleans.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It passes through the station in a few moments' time,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41and there's a concert where they're going to sing the song!
0:15:41 > 0:15:43APPLAUSE
0:15:46 > 0:15:51# Riding on the city of New Orleans
0:15:51 > 0:15:53# Illinois Central... #
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- How are you?- I'm good, how you? How was your trip?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- A very good trip so far, thank you very much.- Yeah?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04# Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
0:16:07 > 0:16:11# Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of grain
0:16:13 > 0:16:17# All along the southbound odyssey
0:16:17 > 0:16:20# The train pulls out at Kankakee
0:16:21 > 0:16:26# And rolls along past houses, farms and fields
0:16:27 > 0:16:32# Good morning, America, how are you?
0:16:34 > 0:16:39# Say don't you know me I'm your native son
0:16:40 > 0:16:46# I'm the train they call the city of New Orleans
0:16:47 > 0:16:53# And I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
0:17:03 > 0:17:07# Good morning, America, how are you?
0:17:09 > 0:17:15# I said don't you know me I'm your native son
0:17:16 > 0:17:22# I'm the train they call the city of New Orleans
0:17:24 > 0:17:30# And I'll be gone five hundred miles when they day is done. #
0:17:30 > 0:17:31APPLAUSE
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Thank you!
0:17:45 > 0:17:49This morning I'm heading south towards Memphis, Tennessee.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00This is an enormous privilege,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04to be able to spend a moment or two in the cab of the Amtrak.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And to be able to see for my own eyes
0:18:07 > 0:18:10that the Illinois Central was built through the prairies,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12straight as a die.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17More than a quarter of Amtrak's national routes
0:18:17 > 0:18:19pass through Illinois.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25This diesel-electric locomotive has a maximum speed of 110mph.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31My next stop will be Champaign, Illinois.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36The guidebook says that it's a rapidly-growing city of 5,000 inhabitants,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40at the intersection of the Indianapolis, Bloomington
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and Western Railroad.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Clearly an important crossing point for railroads.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And Champaign might be the place to raise a glass to the history of the
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Illinois Central.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Ladies and gentlemen, we are now arriving in Champaign-Urbana.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Champaign-Urbana will be our next stop.
0:18:58 > 0:19:05126 miles south of Chicago, Champaign was founded in 1855,
0:19:05 > 0:19:06when the Illinois Central Railroad
0:19:06 > 0:19:10laid its tracks two miles west of Urbana.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14By 1871, Champaign was a thriving commercial centre,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17with three railroads converging on the city.
0:19:17 > 0:19:2120 miles west at the Monticello Railway Museum, a heritage line,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25once owned by the Illinois Central, has been preserved.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I'm going to ride on the footplate.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31There's no better way to understand railroad history
0:19:31 > 0:19:35than to ride on old tracks, with vintage rolling stock.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41Starting with this locomotive, a 280 from 1907.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:19:57 > 0:20:00People often talk about the smell of steam locomotives,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02what about the sound of them?
0:20:02 > 0:20:04TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Particularly in America!
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Chartered in 1861,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15the Monticello Railroad Company was incorporated
0:20:15 > 0:20:19into the Illinois Central Railroad in 1902,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21at the height of its expansion.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25The museum and its locomotive are run by rail enthusiasts,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27like director John Sciutto.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30John, it's great to be on the footplate with you.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- Nice to meet you.- Wonderful locomotive, 1907, I believe. Tell me about it.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It was built in 1907 for the Southern Railway,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40it was last assigned to the Memphis Division,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43which ran between Sheffield, Alabama and Memphis.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Did the museum have to do much work on the locomotive?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47At the time it was purchased by the Museum,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49it literally looked like a pile of scrap.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51This locomotive was completely rebuilt,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54took a period of about 15 calendar years.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03The engine runs on 7.5 miles of vintage track, bought by the Museum.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And how do you feel, now that you can drive it on your own track?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Oh, it's wonderful that we have this,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15not only a piece of history, running here in central Illinois,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19but it's been recognised worldwide for our restoration efforts.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:21:29 > 0:21:33I'm curious to know more about the creation of the Illinois Central
0:21:33 > 0:21:34as we head back.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39How was the railroad organised, politically speaking?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A Douglas were key supporters
0:21:42 > 0:21:46of the original concept of pushing for land grant railroad
0:21:46 > 0:21:48through Illinois.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50The United States government owned the majority of the land in the
0:21:50 > 0:21:53territory of the state, at the time.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57And they basically gave the land to the railroad,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and the railroad in turn then sold off parcels to towns,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04farmers and people that were developing along the railroad,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and then that money helped fund the railroad itself.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08What did the railroad get out of it?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11The railroad in turn received
0:22:11 > 0:22:14all the freight traffic and passenger traffic.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Stephen Douglas was an Illinois Senator,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21who together with Senator William King from Alabama,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24steered the first Land Grant Act through Congress.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The Act secured 2.5 million acres of federal land
0:22:27 > 0:22:29for the State of Illinois to sell,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33thereby raising finance to build a railroad.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36The Illinois Central was the first land grant railroad,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and paved the way for many more to follow.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42The Illinois Central Railroad was very unique and key,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45that it was not only the longest railroad in the world at the time,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47but where other railroads were east and west,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49the Illinois Central was north and south, geographically.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54So naturally, it was a conduit for folks, especially in southern states,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57that wanted to move to the free states of the north,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00that they were transported from commerce areas such as New Orleans,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03to the commercial and growing areas of the north, particularly Chicago, Illinois.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And did that intensify after the abolition of slavery?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Absolutely. All the free slaves,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11and folks that wanted to better themselves,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14a lot of them migrated to the north via the Illinois Central Railroad.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19- And Chicago in particular? - And Chicago in particular.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The Illinois Central was greatly indebted to a young lawyer,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Abraham Lincoln,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29who defended the railroad in some 50 cases during the 1850s.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37I'm returning to central Champaign, to visit the University of Illinois,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41which for over a century has been at the cutting edge of rail research.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Appleton says of Champaign, that it has a female academy,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51and that its schools are large and well-connected.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55In a town that largely owes its existence to the railways,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59I'd like to know what track education has taken since.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03We've had railways now for 200 years,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06but there are always more refinements to be made.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11I'm keen to find out the latest from Dr Chris Barkan,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Director of Rail Tech.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14- Chris.- Hello.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17My 19th century guidebook tells me
0:24:17 > 0:24:20that this was an area of institutions,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22of education, and of course it's a railway station.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Somehow the two have come together.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30Yes, well, the university was the result of President Lincoln signing the Moral Act in 1862,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34which led to the formation of land grant universities throughout the United States.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37How do you think it is that the university finds its way into rail?
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Well, of course, railroads were rapidly being built in the second half of the 19th century,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and the first knowledge I have of a rail programme around here was when
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Professor Talbot started his work, I would say in the late 1880s,
0:24:49 > 0:24:50or early 1890s.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Arthur Talbot was a brilliant civil engineering student here
0:24:56 > 0:24:58during the late 1870s.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00He became a professor
0:25:00 > 0:25:02and his work on the design and construction of track
0:25:02 > 0:25:05remains fundamental today.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07By the beginning of the 20th century,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11we were very clearly established as a substantial railway engineering department.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Nowadays, what are the sorts of issues you're dealing with?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17We obviously want to continue to improve safety,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19to prevent derailments and collisions.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21And if we're going to mix high-efficiency freight trains,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24and high-speed, reliable passenger trains on the same infrastructure,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26we have to be particularly careful about this.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Building on the work of Professor Talbot,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Riley Edwards is researching how track structure
0:25:35 > 0:25:37is affected by today's trains.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Hello, Riley!- Hello, Michael.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- Good to see you.- Welcome to the track loading system.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47What can we lend a hand with?
0:25:47 > 0:25:51So, the task today is adhering some special gauges to the track,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54that allow us to measure what the loads are, that go onto the track structure.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So this process is going to be led by graduate research assistant Aaron Cook.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59He's involved in putting these gauges on.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01- Nice to meet you.- Hello, Aaron.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03So you actually do this out on the tracks?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Yes. We install it under traffic,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08which means we have flagmen out on the line protecting us,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11warning us when there's a train coming, and we clear up,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13let the train pass, then get back to work.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20I'm getting down to a little layer under the top of the metal,
0:26:20 > 0:26:25giving us a nice clean surface on which to attach the gauge.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29So, the first step, we've got this track welder.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31All it does is it puts a large current through.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34That current will melt the tiny bit of the metal on this gauge, here.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36And this gauge has got a bunch of little wires
0:26:36 > 0:26:37that run inside it back and forth.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39What it does is it measures
0:26:39 > 0:26:41how much things move as loads go across them.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It changes its resistance, and we measure that resistance.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47We know how much the rail is pushed on by the wheel.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49That is clever. So the gauge down here on the side,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51below the top part of the rail,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53is nonetheless going to record what is happening,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56what's pressing down on there, and to what extent.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04So, we could reasonably expect to do that in ten minutes,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06before the next train comes?
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Not all of that. We usually pull off and go back on several times by this
0:27:09 > 0:27:10- point in the process.- I'm relieved,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13because it was taking me quite a long time!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Well, I'm very, very grateful to you, and good luck with the work.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16Thank you.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Chicago owed much of its greatness to railroads,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38including the Illinois Central.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Two Illinois politicians played a vital role in bringing in the railroads,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49The rapid development of the railroads was demonstrated
0:27:49 > 0:27:50when, in 1865,
0:27:50 > 0:27:56Abraham Lincoln was able to return home from Washington by train.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57In his coffin.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Next time, I test my frontier resolve...
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Abraham Lincoln split rails, and then, the United States.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14..unearth Illinois' elixir of life...
0:28:14 > 0:28:16I'm making apple butter.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19It makes you young and good-looking, Michael!
0:28:19 > 0:28:22..and consider American Civil War tactics.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Grant, as a military commander, never made the same mistake twice.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28He understood that war is total war, you fight it to win,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30or you don't get in.