Cross section of bridge rail from the Panama Railroad, 1850

Cross section of bridge rail from the Panama Railroad, 1850

This small section was cut from one of the original rails laid on the Panama Railroad in 1850.

The Panama Railroad was one of the earliest lines built in Central and South America, and the adoption of a rail of the bridge type is interesting as it was seldom employed in America. The actual section appears to have been cut from an unused rail.