who was the first president to ride a train

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The first Presidential candidate to use a train for campaigning was William Henry Harrison, who ran for President, unsuccessfully, in 1836. Then, in 1841, as President-elect, Harrison became the first to use a train to ride to his inauguration.

Jackson, who had never been on a train before, was the first president to take a ride on the Iron Horse, as locomotives were known then. The steam locomotive was first pioneered in England at the beginning of the 19th century by Richard Trevithick and George Stephenson.

The train allowed FDR, who suffered from polio, to make public appearances under controlled circumstances, as health concerns had loomed heavily over his candidacy. A special wheelchair was also constructed for FDR to use while on the U.S. Car No.1. Moving the President on the rails was an intricate affair, with one railroad expert stating:

Two years later, Andrew Jackson gave railroad travel its presidential christening. The acceptance of railroads came quickly in the 1830s, and by 1840 the nation had almost 3,000 miles of railway, greater than the combined European total of only 1,800 miles.