Editing World's Columbian Exposition (section)

=== Rail ===
[[File:John Bull at the Columbian Exposition-2.jpg|thumb|''[[John Bull (locomotive)|John Bull]]'' on display at the exposition.]]

The ''[[John Bull (locomotive)|John Bull]]'' locomotive was displayed. It was only 62 years old, having been built in 1831. It was the first locomotive acquisition by the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. The locomotive ran under its own power from [[Washington, DC]], to Chicago to participate, and returned to Washington under its own power again when the exposition closed. In 1981 it was the oldest surviving operable [[steam locomotive]] in the world when it ran under its own power again.

A [[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]] [[2-4-2]] locomotive was showcased at the exposition, and subsequently the {{nowrap|2-4-2}} type was known as the ''Columbia''.

An original [[Switch frog|frog]] switch and portion of the superstructure of the famous 1826 [[Granite Railway]] in Massachusetts could be viewed. This was the first commercial railroad in the United States to evolve into a [[common carrier]] without an intervening closure. The railway brought granite stones from a rock quarry in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]], so that the [[Bunker Hill Monument]] could be erected in Boston. The frog switch is now on public view in [[Milton, Massachusetts|East Milton Square, Massachusetts]], on the original [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] of the Granite Railway.

Transportation by rail was the major mode of transportation. A 26-track train station was built at the southwest corner of the fair. While trains from around the country would unload there, there was a local train to shuttle tourists from the Chicago Grand Central Station to the fair. The newly built [[South Side Elevated Railroad|Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad]] also served passengers from [[Congress Terminal]] to the fairgrounds at [[Jackson Park station (World's Fair)|Jackson Park]]. The line exists today as part of the [[Chicago Transit Authority|CTA]] [[Green Line (CTA)|Green Line]].