the rail road was never abandoned in the US and it was freight that did all the work to powering the US economy and still does. all the while I find it bizarre people heap so much praise on the European use of rail for transport when its numbers aren't really that high compared to other forms of transport in Europe.
Nope. US history is that the long haul routes were built to serve passengers and mail, not goods, between urban centers. That's why the railroad coming through a western town was such a big deal. It's meant access for PEOPLE. People could move there, without having to spend half a year riding in a wagon covering 10 miles a day. Bulk freight mostly went on short lines that mostly ran from resource to the point of consumption. Lumber to ports; coal to urban centers. Purchased goods being transported long distances got commissioned into baggage/cargo cars on passenger trains, and you didn't really see bulk freight come into play across the country until the early 20th century. Cars started taking over passenger duty in the 30s for short/middling distances and passenger rail slipped in frequency most place until there was just one or two trains a day through most of the passenger network, exclusive of REALLY long-haul Limited services. Slow trains were mostly kept alive by postal duties. (Trucks weren't a big priority for schlepping mail because on a rail car, mail could be not only carries but also sorted and prioritized onboard, and exchanged without even stopping the train. Just slow down, throw the bag with mail for the area out the door, grab the bag for outbound mail off a hook as you go past, dump it on the table, and start sorting. By the next town, you've got everything ready to go again. Next-day delivery for mail 250-300 miles away was NORMAL for the USPS if you were mailing between points on or near the same line, even a hundred years ago.)
Edit to add: go look at some old photos of trains. Count what proportion were freight-only vs passenger. Keep in mind how much you pay NOW to go someplace yourself versus sending a box there, and remember that it wasn't a lot different in value then. It wasn't freight shipment that payed for rights of way and rails to go down.