Boston and Albany and New York Central and Hudson River Railroads

Boston to Denver via Albany, Buffalo, and St. Louis.

The Boston & Albany Railroad was formed in 1870 as, at the time, the longest and most expensive point to point railroad in the United States. The lines are shown here a decade and a half later, after expanding with several spurs throughout Massachusetts. These developments are shown in further detail in a regionalized inset map in the lower right.

The primary image shows the entire country east of Denver, with lines of the B&A, New York Central and other connecting routes emphasized in bold. Railroads are shown connecting cities like arteries to organs, offering the potential traveler numerous options from point to point.

Text on the verso sets the B&A apart as America’s aorta, as “the only double track route from New England to the West” (Chicago and St. Louis, in this case). Although this may not sound like much today, the ability for trains to go both directions allowed for a huge savings in time for the traveler. Printed in Boston by the Rand Avery Supply Company in 1885.