Last Day of Private U.S. Railroad Control Before Full USRA Wartime Operation

As World War I strained the U.S. transportation network, congestion and inefficiencies plagued the privately operated railroads. Although President Wilson’s nationalization order was issued on 28 December 1917, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) became fully operational on 1 January 1918. Thus 31 December 1917 was effectively the last full day of independent private freight and passenger train operations. The USRA centralized dispatching, standardized locomotive designs, and prioritized war logistics. The nationalization—temporary but unprecedented—marked one of the most dramatic governance shifts in U.S. railroad history. Private control resumed in 1920 under the Transportation Act.