HOW IT ALL BEGAN - All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide - page 13

West. And, naturally, the goods produced by these factories were
then shipped by rail to consumers in every area of the country,
including back to those people living in the now-prosperous
western towns.
It was certainly a time for people with new ideas. There can
be no doubt that Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck had a good
one when they started their catalog business in 1887, but it was
the railroads and their efficient handling of letters and packages
that made it all possible. In fact, it's hardly a coincidence that
Richard Sears, the partner who first realized the potential of the
mail-order business, began his working career as a railroad agent
in Minnesota. The Sears Tower (renamed the Willis Tower in
2009) that dominates the Chicago skyline today is as much a
monument to the American railroad as it is to those two far-
sighted entrepreneurs.
Bigger, Better, Faster Trains
As the country grew, so did the railroads. There were more trains
going to more places and getting there faster—and safer too. Air
brakes had been developed by George Westinghouse and were in
general use on most trains by the 1880s. About that same time,
a simple but significant improvement in the design of passenger
cars occurred when an elastic diaphragm was added to each end
of every car. These diaphragms connected when the cars were
coupled together, and just like that, the passageway between rail-
cars became enclosed. Until this improvement took place, the
business of crossing from one lurching car to another was not
for the young, old, or faint of heart. Furthermore, once it became
easy and safe for passengers to pass between moving railway cars,
the modern version of the dining car suddenly became feasible.
The first regular onboard food service had begun in 1842,
with credit again going to the Baltimore & Ohio. The food was