In the next 20 years, Thomson extended the line west, creating the Pennsylvania Company in 1870–71 to lease and develop systems from Pittsburgh to Chicago. The line’s Philadelphia-to-Pittsburgh service began in February 1854. By careful choice of the route and the location of the Horseshoe Curve, Thomson completed a through line that crossed the Alleghenies and the Appalachians without using inclined grades. Hired as chief engineer of the railroad in 1847, he was president by 1852 and held that position until his death. In 1846, the Pennsylvania Railroad was chartered to build a railroad system that would allow Pennsylvania to compete with New York and other eastern states in operating trade lines to the west. From 1832 to 1847, he was chief engineer for the Georgia Railroad, which constructed an Atlanta-to-Augusta line, the longest line built by one company up to that time. In 1830, he became head of the engineering division for the Camden & Amboy Railroad in New Jersey. At that time, the corps was surveying the best course for a rail line from Philadelphia to Columbia. Thomson joined the Pennsylvania engineer corps at 19. 10, 1808, Springfield Township, Pa., U.S.-died May 27, 1874, Philadelphia), American civil engineer and president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company who consolidated a network of railroad lines from Philadelphia to various cities in the Midwest and the South, extending as far as Chicago and Norfolk, Va. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.

Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.

100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.

COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.

Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.

This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.

#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.

Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.

Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.

Thomson dictionaries neede