Editing Cornelius Vanderbilt (section)

===New York and Harlem Railroad===
Though Vanderbilt had relinquished his presidency of the Stonington Railroad during the California gold rush, he took an interest in several railroads during the 1850s, serving on the boards of directors of the [[Erie Railway]], the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]], the [[Hartford and New Haven Railroad|Hartford and New Haven]], and the [[New York and Harlem Railroad|New York and Harlem]] (popularly known as the Harlem). In 1863, Vanderbilt took control of the Harlem in a famous [[Cornering the market|stockmarket corner]], and was elected its president. He later explained that he wanted to show that he could take this railroad, which was generally considered worthless, and make it valuable. It had a key advantage: it was the only steam railroad to enter the center of Manhattan, running down 4th Avenue (later [[Park Avenue (Manhattan)|Park Avenue]]) to a station on 26th Street, where it connected with a horse-drawn streetcar line. From Manhattan it ran up to [[Chatham, New York|Chatham Four Corners]], New York, where it had a connection to the railroads running east and west.<ref name="Stiles"/>{{rp|365–386}}

Vanderbilt brought his eldest son, Billy, in as vice-president of the Harlem. Billy had had a nervous breakdown early in life, and his father had sent him to a farm on Staten Island. But he proved himself a good businessman, and eventually became the head of the [[Staten Island Railway]]. Though the Commodore had once scorned Billy, he was impressed by his son's success. Eventually he promoted him to operational manager of all his railroad lines. In 1864, the Commodore sold his last ships, in order to concentrate on the railroads.<ref name="Stiles"/>{{rp|387–90}}