Choo choo! Most of you know what makes that sound. It's a train coming down the railroad tracks.

However, do you know how trains have made our lives better through the years? In 1853 Cornelius Vanderbilt saw the need to get materials from one side of the country to the other quickly so he created the New York Central railroad system.

Cornelius Vanderbilt developed his interest in shipping materials when he was a boy working with his father, who owned a boat that shipped materials from one part of New York to another.

When Cornelius became an adult he saw that there were many factories and companies that had sprung up around the country, but there was no good way to get the materials from one part of the country to the other. That is when he came up with the idea of using trains to deliver materials throughout the country.

Vanderbilt didn't know for sure if people would like his idea or if it would cost to much money to get their materials shipped to the other parts of the country. He knew there was a chance he could lose money but he was willing to take the risk because  he wanted to follow his dreams.

Unlike other people who were starting companies, Cornelius Vanderbilt did not need money from others to help get his company started. He had made money earlier on in his life in the boat shipping business and was ready to take this new challenge on by himself.

Vanderbilt’s idea took off and he made a lot of money with his idea of shipping materials using the railroad. In fact, he became one of the richest men in the United States making millions of dollars.