ABSTRACT
More than a dozen American civil engineers visited Britain from 1825 to 1840 to learn more about their profession, and in doing so acquired the knowledge and skill to build railroads. They acquired the necessary technical knowledge in Britain through meetings with British engineers and close observation of the newest railroads. The American civil engineers who returned with this special knowledge were readily hired by railroad corporations, and they dominated the market for chief engineers in the early years. Many of the early railroads built by the visitors were imitations of the most impressive of the British railroads, the Liverpool and Manchester. One of the outlays of a railroad company which does not add to the number of miles, although it materially augments the cost, is that of terminals. These involve an amount little understood by those outside of railroad circles.
