The Panama Canal Railway (PCR, Spanish: Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. Opened in 1855, the route today stretches 47.6 miles (76.6 km) across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near Panama City). The construction of the railroad, under difficult physical conditions and with the day's limited technology, was hailed as an international engineering achievement—one that cost US$8 million and the lives of an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 workers. The railway was vital to the early 1900s construction of the Panama Canal, and its route was altered to accommodate the creation of the canal's Gatun Lake.
The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway (PCR, Spanish: Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America.
Historical Significance
The Panama Canal Railway (PCR, Spanish: Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America.
Events Before
Alice Mary Robertson is born
Alice Mary Robertson, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1854-01-02.
Presbyterian minister John Miller Dickey and his wife, Sarah Emlen Cresson, found Ashmun Institute, a historically Black
Presbyterian minister John Miller Dickey and his wife, Sarah Emlen Cresson, found Ashmun Institute, a historically Black college later known as Lincoln University, in Hinsonville, Pennsylvania
Republican Party is formally organized in Ripon, Wisconsin
The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is one of the two major political parties in the United States.
Great Britain and France declare war on Russia, expanding the Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of…
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (23) weds Elisabeth, Duchess of Bavaria (16) at the Augustinerkirche, Vienna
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (23) weds Elisabeth, Duchess of Bavaria (16) at the Augustinerkirche, Vienna
Events After
Colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the first piece of legislation, the Electoral Act of 1856, anywhere in the world pr
Colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the first piece of legislation, the Electoral Act of 1856, anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot
Republican Party holds its first national meeting in Pittsburgh
Republican Party holds its first national meeting in Pittsburgh
The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia sign the Treaty of Paris endin
The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia sign the Treaty of Paris ending the Crimean War
American industrialist and firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt (41) weds American philanthropist Elizabeth Hart Jarvis (29
American industrialist and firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt (41) weds American philanthropist Elizabeth Hart Jarvis (29) at Christ Episcopal Church in Middleton, Connecticut, until his death in 1862
Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa, and head west for Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled han
Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa, and head west for Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts
More from the 1850s
birth
Alice Mary Robertson is born
Alice Mary Robertson, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1854-01-02.
birth
Tim Keefe is born
Tim Keefe, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1857-01-01.
City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582
National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on January 28, 1855?
- The Panama Canal Railway (PCR, Spanish: Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. Opened in 1855, the route today stretches 47.6 miles (76.6 km) across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near Panama City). The construction of the railroad, under difficult physical conditions and with the day's limited technology, was hailed as an international engineering achievement—one that cost US$8 million and the lives of an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 workers.
- Why is The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the... significant?
- The Panama Canal Railway (PCR, Spanish: Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America.