Law & Order on the Railroad: History of Railroad Police

Railroads became the primary mode of long-distance transportation in the United States during the mid-to-late 1800s. As the number of railroads increased, so did problems such as theft, vandalism, robberies, labor disputes, and trespassing. Local law-enforcement agencies often did not exist, or if they did, they lacked the resources to handle the challenges—and railroads were left to handle them by themselves.

Modern railroad special agents are far more professional than the hired guns of a hundred years ago. Experience and highly specialized training make today’s railroad police some of the most highly trained law-enforcement officers in the country. Explore this fascinating history of crime-fighting on the rails—which has some surprising Hollywood connections­—with Patricia LaBounty, curator at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa.