The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphan

Orphan

An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...

ed, abandoned, or homeless children. At the time the orphan train movement began, it was estimated that 30,000 vagrant children were
living on the streets of New York City.

Two charity institutions, The Children's Aid Society

Children's Aid Society

__notoc__The Children’s Aid Society is a private charitable organization based in New York City. It serves 150,000 children per year, providing foster care, medical and mental health services, and a wide range of educational, recreational and advocacy services through dozens of community centers,...

 (established by Charles Loring Brace

Charles Loring Brace

Charles Loring Brace was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform...

) and The New York Foundling

The New York Foundling

The New York Foundling, founded in 1869 by the Sisters of Charity, is one of New York City’s oldest and largest child welfare agencies. The Foundling operates programs in the five boroughs of New York City, Rockland County, and Puerto Rico...

 Hospital, determined to help these children.