A passenger vehicle, used primarily for public transport and drawn by a team of four or six horses, the stagecoach began operating in England in the late 17th century. American stagecoach lines were begun before the Revolution. Many of the routes they followed are still known as "post roads" because, in addition to passengers and their baggage, stagecoaches also carried mail. As in England, inns known as "coach houses" were established at layover stops between major destinations. Six-passenger stagecoach carried drivers and gun-wielding guards on the outside upper front seat and passengers or two more guards on an outside rear seat. Passengers often had to contend with Indians, robbers, and difficult terrain and weather. Arrival of the railroad ended the stagecoach era, and by the late-19th century they had disappeared.