diff --git a/railties/lib/rails.rb b/railties/lib/rails.rb
index d69e3eea6aa20756d93e15164fd9e0da7b71a273..41672325bd287d1456fb1e6b606c75bfdd32b410 100644
--- a/railties/lib/rails.rb
+++ b/railties/lib/rails.rb
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
 RAILS_ENV = (ENV["RAILS_ENV"] || ENV["RACK_ENV"] || "development").dup unless defined?(RAILS_ENV)
 
 module Rails
+  autoload :Bootstrap, 'rails/bootstrap'
+
   # Needs to be duplicated from Active Support since its needed before Active
   # Support is available. Here both Options and Hash are namespaced to prevent
   # conflicts with other implementations AND with the classes residing in Active Support.
diff --git a/railties/lib/rails/application.rb b/railties/lib/rails/application.rb
index b3b48194d4f9884086636ed5dc006f1c1384d010..6034aa8485fbba3ee72b2d4744f52c8e81f5515f 100644
--- a/railties/lib/rails/application.rb
+++ b/railties/lib/rails/application.rb
@@ -83,8 +83,9 @@ def load_tasks
     end
 
     def initializers
-      initializers = super
+      initializers = Bootstrap.new(self).initializers
       plugins.each { |p| initializers += p.initializers }
+      initializers += super
       initializers
     end
 
@@ -103,135 +104,6 @@ def call(env)
       @app.call(env)
     end
 
-    initializer :load_all_active_support do
-      require "active_support/all" unless config.active_support.bare
-    end
-
-    # Set the <tt>$LOAD_PATH</tt> based on the value of
-    # Configuration#load_paths. Duplicates are removed.
-    initializer :set_load_path do
-      config.paths.add_to_load_path
-      $LOAD_PATH.uniq!
-    end
-
-    # Set the paths from which Rails will automatically load source files, and
-    # the load_once paths.
-    initializer :set_autoload_paths do
-      require 'active_support/dependencies'
-      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_paths = config.load_paths.uniq
-      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_once_paths = config.load_once_paths.uniq
-
-      extra = ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_once_paths - ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_paths
-      unless extra.empty?
-        abort <<-end_error
-          load_once_paths must be a subset of the load_paths.
-          Extra items in load_once_paths: #{extra * ','}
-        end_error
-      end
-
-      # Freeze the arrays so future modifications will fail rather than do nothing mysteriously
-      config.load_once_paths.freeze
-    end
-
-    # Create tmp directories
-    initializer :ensure_tmp_directories_exist do
-      %w(cache pids sessions sockets).each do |dir_to_make|
-        FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(root, 'tmp', dir_to_make))
-      end
-    end
-
-    # Preload all frameworks specified by the Configuration#frameworks.
-    # Used by Passenger to ensure everything's loaded before forking and
-    # to avoid autoload race conditions in JRuby.
-    initializer :preload_frameworks do
-      ActiveSupport::Autoload.eager_autoload! if config.preload_frameworks
-    end
-
-    initializer :initialize_cache do
-      unless defined?(RAILS_CACHE)
-        silence_warnings { Object.const_set "RAILS_CACHE", ActiveSupport::Cache.lookup_store(config.cache_store) }
-
-        if RAILS_CACHE.respond_to?(:middleware)
-          # Insert middleware to setup and teardown local cache for each request
-          config.middleware.insert_after(:"Rack::Lock", RAILS_CACHE.middleware)
-        end
-      end
-    end
-
-    initializer :initialize_logger do
-      # if the environment has explicitly defined a logger, use it
-      next if Rails.logger
-
-      unless logger = config.logger
-        begin
-          logger = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.new(config.log_path)
-          logger.level = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.const_get(config.log_level.to_s.upcase)
-          if RAILS_ENV == "production"
-            logger.auto_flushing = false
-          end
-        rescue StandardError => e
-          logger = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.new(STDERR)
-          logger.level = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger::WARN
-          logger.warn(
-            "Rails Error: Unable to access log file. Please ensure that #{config.log_path} exists and is chmod 0666. " +
-            "The log level has been raised to WARN and the output directed to STDERR until the problem is fixed."
-          )
-        end
-      end
-
-      # TODO: Why are we silencing warning here?
-      silence_warnings { Object.const_set "RAILS_DEFAULT_LOGGER", logger }
-    end
-
-    # Sets the logger for Active Record, Action Controller, and Action Mailer
-    # (but only for those frameworks that are to be loaded). If the framework's
-    # logger is already set, it is not changed, otherwise it is set to use
-    # RAILS_DEFAULT_LOGGER.
-    initializer :initialize_framework_logging do
-      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.logger ||= Rails.logger
-      Rails.cache.logger ||= Rails.logger
-    end
-
-    # Sets the dependency loading mechanism based on the value of
-    # Configuration#cache_classes.
-    initializer :initialize_dependency_mechanism do
-      # TODO: Remove files from the $" and always use require
-      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.mechanism = config.cache_classes ? :require : :load
-    end
-
-    # Loads support for "whiny nil" (noisy warnings when methods are invoked
-    # on +nil+ values) if Configuration#whiny_nils is true.
-    initializer :initialize_whiny_nils do
-      require('active_support/whiny_nil') if config.whiny_nils
-    end
-
-    # Sets the default value for Time.zone
-    # If assigned value cannot be matched to a TimeZone, an exception will be raised.
-    initializer :initialize_time_zone do
-      require 'active_support/core_ext/time/zones'
-      zone_default = Time.__send__(:get_zone, config.time_zone)
-
-      unless zone_default
-        raise \
-          'Value assigned to config.time_zone not recognized.' +
-          'Run "rake -D time" for a list of tasks for finding appropriate time zone names.'
-      end
-
-      Time.zone_default = zone_default
-    end
-
-    # Set the i18n configuration from config.i18n but special-case for the load_path which should be
-    # appended to what's already set instead of overwritten.
-    initializer :initialize_i18n do
-      config.i18n.each do |setting, value|
-        if setting == :load_path
-          I18n.load_path += value
-        else
-          I18n.send("#{setting}=", value)
-        end
-      end
-    end
-
     # # bail out if gems are missing - note that check_gem_dependencies will have
     # # already called abort() unless $gems_rake_task is set
     # return unless gems_dependencies_loaded
diff --git a/railties/lib/rails/bootstrap.rb b/railties/lib/rails/bootstrap.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..15d5b2b59dd897cf0eaecc82c1f642d3d6e296cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/railties/lib/rails/bootstrap.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+module Rails
+  class Bootstrap #< Railtie
+    include Initializable
+
+    def initialize(application)
+      @application = application
+    end
+
+    delegate :config, :root, :to => :'@application'
+
+    initializer :load_all_active_support do
+      require "active_support/all" unless config.active_support.bare
+    end
+
+    # Set the <tt>$LOAD_PATH</tt> based on the value of
+    # Configuration#load_paths. Duplicates are removed.
+    initializer :set_load_path do
+      config.paths.add_to_load_path
+      $LOAD_PATH.uniq!
+    end
+
+    # Set the paths from which Rails will automatically load source files, and
+    # the load_once paths.
+    initializer :set_autoload_paths do
+      require 'active_support/dependencies'
+      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_paths = config.load_paths.uniq
+      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_once_paths = config.load_once_paths.uniq
+
+      extra = ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_once_paths - ActiveSupport::Dependencies.load_paths
+      unless extra.empty?
+        abort <<-end_error
+          load_once_paths must be a subset of the load_paths.
+          Extra items in load_once_paths: #{extra * ','}
+        end_error
+      end
+
+      # Freeze the arrays so future modifications will fail rather than do nothing mysteriously
+      config.load_once_paths.freeze
+    end
+
+    # Create tmp directories
+    initializer :ensure_tmp_directories_exist do
+      %w(cache pids sessions sockets).each do |dir_to_make|
+        FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(root, 'tmp', dir_to_make))
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Preload all frameworks specified by the Configuration#frameworks.
+    # Used by Passenger to ensure everything's loaded before forking and
+    # to avoid autoload race conditions in JRuby.
+    initializer :preload_frameworks do
+      ActiveSupport::Autoload.eager_autoload! if config.preload_frameworks
+    end
+
+    initializer :initialize_cache do
+      unless defined?(RAILS_CACHE)
+        silence_warnings { Object.const_set "RAILS_CACHE", ActiveSupport::Cache.lookup_store(config.cache_store) }
+
+        if RAILS_CACHE.respond_to?(:middleware)
+          # Insert middleware to setup and teardown local cache for each request
+          config.middleware.insert_after(:"Rack::Lock", RAILS_CACHE.middleware)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    initializer :initialize_logger do
+      # if the environment has explicitly defined a logger, use it
+      next if Rails.logger
+
+      unless logger = config.logger
+        begin
+          logger = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.new(config.log_path)
+          logger.level = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.const_get(config.log_level.to_s.upcase)
+          if RAILS_ENV == "production"
+            logger.auto_flushing = false
+          end
+        rescue StandardError => e
+          logger = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger.new(STDERR)
+          logger.level = ActiveSupport::BufferedLogger::WARN
+          logger.warn(
+            "Rails Error: Unable to access log file. Please ensure that #{config.log_path} exists and is chmod 0666. " +
+            "The log level has been raised to WARN and the output directed to STDERR until the problem is fixed."
+          )
+        end
+      end
+
+      # TODO: Why are we silencing warning here?
+      silence_warnings { Object.const_set "RAILS_DEFAULT_LOGGER", logger }
+    end
+
+    # Sets the logger for Active Record, Action Controller, and Action Mailer
+    # (but only for those frameworks that are to be loaded). If the framework's
+    # logger is already set, it is not changed, otherwise it is set to use
+    # RAILS_DEFAULT_LOGGER.
+    initializer :initialize_framework_logging do
+      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.logger ||= Rails.logger
+      Rails.cache.logger ||= Rails.logger
+    end
+
+    # Sets the dependency loading mechanism based on the value of
+    # Configuration#cache_classes.
+    initializer :initialize_dependency_mechanism do
+      # TODO: Remove files from the $" and always use require
+      ActiveSupport::Dependencies.mechanism = config.cache_classes ? :require : :load
+    end
+
+    # Loads support for "whiny nil" (noisy warnings when methods are invoked
+    # on +nil+ values) if Configuration#whiny_nils is true.
+    initializer :initialize_whiny_nils do
+      require('active_support/whiny_nil') if config.whiny_nils
+    end
+
+    # Sets the default value for Time.zone
+    # If assigned value cannot be matched to a TimeZone, an exception will be raised.
+    initializer :initialize_time_zone do
+      require 'active_support/core_ext/time/zones'
+      zone_default = Time.__send__(:get_zone, config.time_zone)
+
+      unless zone_default
+        raise \
+          'Value assigned to config.time_zone not recognized.' +
+          'Run "rake -D time" for a list of tasks for finding appropriate time zone names.'
+      end
+
+      Time.zone_default = zone_default
+    end
+
+    # Set the i18n configuration from config.i18n but special-case for the load_path which should be
+    # appended to what's already set instead of overwritten.
+    initializer :initialize_i18n do
+      config.i18n.each do |setting, value|
+        if setting == :load_path
+          I18n.load_path += value
+        else
+          I18n.send("#{setting}=", value)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/railties/test/application/initializer_test.rb b/railties/test/application/initializer_test.rb
index 3fd0b0e5df044f8132196626a79cc1d4329f19bf..754c0f18390dba65a1041adbde2442381d9e1bcd 100644
--- a/railties/test/application/initializer_test.rb
+++ b/railties/test/application/initializer_test.rb
@@ -83,6 +83,17 @@ module Zoo::ReptileHouse ; end
       assert_equal "congratulations", $test_after_initialize_block2
     end
 
+    test "after_initialize runs after frameworks have been initialized" do
+      $activerecord_configurations = nil
+      add_to_config <<-RUBY
+        config.after_initialize { $activerecord_configurations = ActiveRecord::Base.configurations }
+      RUBY
+
+      require "#{app_path}/config/environment"
+      assert $activerecord_configurations
+      assert $activerecord_configurations['development']
+    end
+
     # i18n
     test "setting another default locale" do
       add_to_config <<-RUBY