Overview of the Bells & Whistles Tour
This tour focuses on a general overview of railroad history of railroads in the
region, safety on the railroad, and the rolling stock of the Museum of the
American Railroad. We will cover basic safety procedures, shapes, colors, and
vocabulary of the railroad, including railroading jobs and building
components of trains and tracks. We will also showcase the highlights of our
collection, which includes the world’s largest steam locomotive.
1. Orientation
Railroads in Dallas
Houston & Texas Central Railroad
Texas & Pacific Railway
Railroads in North Texas
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe
Rock Island
Southern Pacific
Safety on the tracks
Crossing tracks safely
2. Tour
Diesel-Electric Locomotion
Electric Locomotion
Steam Locomotion
Coal powered
Oil powered
Workers on the railroad
Mail and the rail
Passenger trains
Coach seating
Segregated coaches
Pullman accommodations
Santa Fe Railroad
Cabooses
Signals
Dining Car
Switchers
Depots
3. Conclusion
Speaking of bells and whistles… your
class will get to ring the bell of the Frisco
#4501 (1942) when you take a tour of the
Museum of the American Railroad. On
certain days of the year, our volunteers
also blow the steam whistles for the Dallas
Union Terminal Locomotive #7 and the
Union Pacific #4018, the “Big Boy!”
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Lesson Reinforcements
The following activities feature suggested activities teachers can implement to reinforce the
lessons learned during the tour. Each lesson reinforcement references the corresponding
Texas Essential Skills and Knowledge. Teachers can modify these activities to accommodate
their own styles, their student’s readiness, and the kinds of reinforcements that are desired.
Table of Contents
Lesson 1: How can you stay safe around Trains?
Teach the importance of train and rail safety!
Lesson 2: What are the Tasks, People, and Things you see around a Train?
Explore the people that make trains go!
Lesson 3: Map your way around a Railroad!
Read, interpret, and even create a map!
Lesson 4: When is it where, and where is it when?
Examine why we have time zones, and how to use them.
Lesson 5: What Railroads went where in North Texas?
Discover the railroads that helped to fuel growth in North Texas.
4
Teaching Materials
9
5
6
7
8
For Lesson 1: How can you stay safe around Trains?
Resource: 1. How can you stay safe around Trains?
10
Worksheet: 1. How can you stay safe around Trains?
13
For Lesson 2: What are the Tasks, People, and Things you see around Trains?
Resource: 2. What are the Tasks, People, and Things you see around Trains? 14
For Lesson 3: Map your way around a Railroad!
Worksheet: 3. Map your way around a Railroad!
17
Teachers Guide: 3. Map your way around a Railroad!
19
For Lesson 4: When is it where, and where is it when?
Resource: 4. When is it where, and where is it when?
21
Worksheet: 4. When is it where, and where is it when?
22
For Lesson 5: What Railroads went where in North Texas?
Worksheet: 5. What Railroads went where in North Texas?
23
Power Point Show: 5 Railroads in North Texas
attached
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
1. How can you stay safe around trains?
Staying safe around trains is a VERY important life skill. As more and more students
live in cities that are crossed by train tracks, learning how to cross and what signs
mean will help them navigate their own geography.
This Lesson Plan covers:
TEKS Kindergarten
Social Studies: 2 b; 4 a; 7a-b; 14a-b; 15a-d; 16 a-b; 17 a-b
TEKS 1st Grade
Geography: 1.6 b, c; 1.9 b; 1.17 a-d; 1.18 a, b; 1.19 a-c
Objectives
1. The student will be able to follow simple directions.
2. The student will understand the standardized rules
of safety on railroad tracks.
3. The student will use reasoning skills to predict what
will happen next.
Materials
RESOURCE: 1. Train safety signs; WORKSHEET: 1.
Train safety signs
Suggested Activity
1. Show each train safety sign to the students. Ask
them to identify what the signs might mean, then give
them the positive answer.
3. Explain to the students that trains and train tracks
are private property and should never be played
around.
4. Explain to the students the motto, “Stop, Look, and
Listen!”
4. Hand out the worksheets. Ask the students to color
and fill out the worksheets.
The brakeman was responsible for much of
the safety on trains, including setting the
brakes for each car, checking on track
conditions, and watching for fires. (Library
of Congress photograph)
Even More Ideas!
The non-profit organization
Operation Lifesaver gives free
presentations on railroad safety
to students. To book a speaker,
visit http://www.oli.org/ .
Guiding Questions
Why should we be careful around trains?
Should you play around train tracks?
What should your parents do at a train crossing that is not
marked?
What should your parents do at a train crossing that is
marked?
What should school buses do at all train crossings?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
2. What are the tasks, people, and things you see around a train?
Learning what people do for a living helps children understand how all of us
contribute to our society. This lesson plan not only introduces students to the many
different jobs on the railroad, but also allows them to use their imaginations as they
create their own stories!
This Lesson Plan covers:
TEKS 1st Grade
Social Studies: 1.6 b, c; 1.9 b ; 1.17 a-d; 1.18 a, b; 1.19 a-c
TEKS 2nd Grade
Social Studies: 2.2b; 2.9 b; 2.16 a-b; 2.17 a-e; 2.18 a-b; 2.19 a-b
TEKS 3rd Grade
Social Studies: 3.3 a-c; 3.10 d; 3.17 a-f; 3.17 a-c; 3.18 a-b
Objectives
1. The student will learn to spell and use new vocabulary
words.
2. The student will understand the different kinds of jobs
on the railroad.
4. The student will define the tasks of a railroad worker.
5. The student will use manual dexterity to write and
illustrate a story about a railroad worker.
6. The student will understand cause and effect by putting
together a story about a railroad worker.
Materials
RESOURCE: 3. Working on the Railroad
While the engineer drove the train, the
conductor was actually the head authority, and
all train personnel answered to him (and, later
on, to her!) (Catskills Archive photograph)
To learn more about jobs on trains, visit
http://www.catskillarchive.com, “I’ve been
working on the Railroad”
Suggested Activity
1. Divide students into groups of 2-4 and hand out copies of RESOURCE 3 to each group.
3 Ask them to identify what the person in the image is doing or what kind of item they see
(like a depot, box car, caboose), then ask the students to explain what the job/function is in
each image.
4. Using the photographs from the slides, the students can create a story by moving the
photos around to have a beginning, middle, and end.
5. Ask the students to write the story they made up. You can also ask them to make up their
own story that isn’t the group’s story. The students to illustrate their story, too.
Guiding Questions
Why would a person want to work for the railroad?
What is the purpose of a conductor/ station agent/ fireman/ brakeman/ porter/ engineer?
What kind of noises, smells, and sights would one find inside a locomotive?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
3. Map your way around a railroad!
In this lesson plan, students will learn to read maps that locomotive engineers and
passenger have used as well! We’ll hone their geography skills while giving them an
entertaining way to look at the world through the use of old and new maps.
This Lesson Plan covers:
rd
TEKS 3 Grade
Social Studies: 3.2 a-b; 3.4 b-d; 3.5 a-d; 3.11 a-b; 3.16 a-f; 3.17
a-c; 3.18 a-b
TEKS 4th Grade
Social Studies: 4.4 c; 4.5 a-b; 4.8 a-d; 4.9 a-c; 4.12 a-c; 4.13 b-d;
4.14 a-c ; 4.21 b-c;: 4.22 a-f; 4.23 a-e; 4.24 a-b
TEKS 5th Grade
Social Studies: 5.4 f; 5.5 a; 5.6 a-b; 5.7 a; 5.8 a-d; 5.14 b; e; 5.25
a-f; 5.26 a-e;
Objectives
1. The student will use a map to locate places.
2. The student will learn to read a map legend.
3. The student will use manual dexterity skills to draw a map.
Railroad maps were also called
“route maps” or “system
maps.” They showed the routes
and which towns the trains
traveled through. (Library of
Congress photograph)
Materials
WORKSHEET: 4. Railroad Maps; TEACHER’S GUIDE: 4. Railroad Maps
Activity
1. Copy and distribute the WORKSHEET: Railroad Maps
2. Explain what they see: the lines, stops, symbols.
3. Ask students to create a “legend” for these maps that
explain the symbols shown.
4. Explain why trains stopped at certain points, what a
“right of way” is, what a branch line, a trunk line, and a belt
line are.
5. Ask students to create their own railroad in Texas (or their
own home state).
Even More Ideas!
Ask your students to create
their own railroad, complete
with corporate names, route
maps, and time tables. They
can even create distinctive
colors and logos for their
“railroad corporation!”
Guiding Questions
Why does a map need a legend?
How can maps help a traveler?
Where should your train stop? Why should it stop there?
Where would you put bridges for your railroad?
What is a difference between a branch, trunk, and a belt line?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
4. When is it where, and where is it when?
Standardized time is a railroad invention! Sir Sandford Fleming, a mechanical
engineer from Canada, came upon the idea of a universal time keeping system based
on Greenwich Mean Time. Railroads lobbied for this kind of system, as it made
scheduling easier. In 1918, the United States Congress passed the Standard Time Act
that made our clocks what they are today! This lesson plan helps students figure out
this efficient system.
This Lesson Plan covers:
nd
TEKS 2 Grade
Mathematics: 2.9 c; 2.10 b; 2.12 b-d
Social Studies: 2.2 a-d; 2.4 c; 2.5 a-b; 2.6 c; 2.16 a-b; 2.17 b, d;
2.18 b; 2.19 a-b
TEKS 4th Grade
Mathematics: 4.12 a; 4.14 a-d
Social Studies: 4.4 c; 4.6 a-b; 4.8 a-d; 4.19 b, e; 4.14 b; 4.22 c, f;
4.23 d; 4.24 a-b
The railroads created time
Objectives
zones in order to make their
1. The student will understand time zones and use them to know the
trains run on time. (Library
correct time.
of Congress map)
2. The student will learn about the history of time zones in the United
States.
3. The student will calculate distances using time increments through basic
arithmetic.
4. The student will predict and estimate time.
Materials
RESOURCE: 5. Time zone map and clock;
WORKSHEET: 5. Time zone map
Activity
1. Ask your students to make the clock from RESOURCE: 5. Time
zone map & Clock.
2. Show students the time zone map of the contiguous United
States.
3. Plot your location and then use the clock to make up a time.
4. Demonstrate what time it is in the different zones according to
“your own standard time.”
5. Demonstrate distances for each time. For example:
Train A leaves Dallas for St. Louis at 8 am.
Train A travels an average speed of 60 mph.
St. Louis is 600 miles from Dallas.
What time will it be in St. Louis when Train A arrives?
5. Using the answers on the worksheet, ask the students to create a
time table for their trains.
Santa Fe Tower 19, which is on display
at the Museum of the American
Railroad, routed trains on the right
tracks and kept them on time.
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
5. What railroads went where in North Texas?
Railroads were instrumental in building the towns and industries of most regions
west of the Mississippi River, and North Texas is no different. This lesson plan asks
students to discover the impact of the railroads that came through North Texas by
utilizing original research.
This Lesson Plan covers:
TEKS 7th Grade
Social Studies: 7.6 a; 7.7 a-b; 7.9 c; 7.12 a-b; 7.13 a-c; 7.20 a, ce; 7.21 a-g; 7.22 a-d; 7.23 a-b
TEKS 9th Grade
Social Studies: 9.1a, 9.3a; 9.8 a-b; 9.11 a; 9.22 a-c; 23 a-b; 9.24
a-h; 9.25 a-d; 9.26 a-b
Objectives
1. The student will describe the history of the different
railroads in North Texas.
2. The student will utilize the computer for research.
3. The students will present their findings to the class.
Materials
WORKSHEET: 6. Railroads in North Texas; POWER
POINT: 6. Railroads in North Texas
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific’s Rocket took
Dallas travelers all the way to Memphis. (Museum of
the American Railroad photograph)
Activity
1. Introduce the lesson by showing the POWER POINT:
Railroads in North Texas
2. Separate your students into groups of 3: one as a
recorder, the other as leader, the other as the researcher.
3. Copy and distribute the WORKSHEET: Railroads in
North Texas
4. Ask students to research the railroads listed on the
sheet.
5. The groups will compile their findings into a
presentation that they will then present to the class.
Guiding Questions
What was the importance of your railroad in North Texas?
Where did your railroad go to? Where did it start?
What other railroads did it intersect?
What did the railroad’s “logo” look like?
What kind of trains did your railroad run – passenger? Freight?
Both?
Amtrak replaced private passenger service in
the 1970s. Their trains run today on routes that
famous trains like the Santa Fe Super Chief
used. The Museum of the American Railroad
exhibits several Amtrak sleeping cars.
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Teaching Materials
Resources
Worksheets
Guides
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Resource: 1. Train Safety Signs
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Worksheet: 1. Train Safety Signs
What do the signs mean?
What must you do when you see the sign?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Resource: 2. Working on the Railroad
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Worksheet: 3. Railroad Maps
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Teacher’s Guide: 3. Railroad Maps
Map your way around a railroad!
Teacher’s Guide
Objectives
1. The student will use a map to locate places.
2. The student will learn to read a map legend.
3. The student will use manual dexterity skills to draw a map.
Materials
RESOURCES: Maps
TEACHER’S GUIDE: Railroad Maps
Paper, pencil, art supplies
Activity & Explanation
1. Show students the series of railroad maps in RESOURCES: Maps
2. Explain what they see: the lines, stops, symbols.
lines in bold: trunk and branch lines of the railroad
round circles: short stops at depots along their route
larger round circles with dots inside: main stations with longer stops &
multiple transfers possible
3. Ask students to create a “legend” for these maps that explain the symbols
shown.
4. Explain why trains stopped at certain points, what a “right of way” is, what
a branch line, a trunk line, and a belt line are.
belt line – a looping track that connects to several different lines. Often, belt
lines were built by cities to entice railroads to lay tracks.
branch line, side line – a line off the trunk/main line with established routes
control towers – oversees switching at rail yards
depots – buildings that hold freight and/or passengers that will travel on a
train
junction – area on branch or trunk lines where two or more tracks intersect
mixed trains – trains that could carry both freight and passengers
rail yard – large area with multiple tracks where freight cars are loaded and
unloaded, and are coupled with their trains according to their route.
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
right of way: a strip of privately or publicly-held land that legally allows
railroads to lay tracks. Landowners may be reimbursed for this allowance.
round house – workshop for train repairs with locomotive switching area
routes – the established destination where the train travels
siding – track next to a main or branch line that allows one train to wait for
another train to pass, each train having track rights. Usually, passenger trains
took precedence over freight trains, unless the freight train carried valuable
commodities (bullion, war supplies)
switching – moving freight and passenger trains onto tracks according to their
track rights – a privately-held track that leases usage rights to other railroads.
trunk line, main line – the main track of a railroad with established routes,
often with track rights for other railroads.
3. Ask students to create their own railroad in Texas.
4. Ask students to create a map that shows their trains’ routes, stops, and
destinations.
5. Ask students to create a map legend.
Guiding Questions
Why does a map need a legend?
How can maps help a traveler?
Where should your train stop? Why should it stop there?
Where would you put bridges for your railroad?
What is a difference between a branch, trunk, and a belt line?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Resource: 4 Standard Time
Time zone map, clock, and time zones
What time is it, anyway?
If you asked this question in 1880, you might
have received five different answers in the same
city.
The Railroads literally invented Standard Time.
Before time was standardized, each locality set
the time of day to suit its needs. Early
timekeeping was based on the sun’s midday
position which established high noon. As a
result, one town’s noon might be a neighboring
town’s 12:15pm or 12:43pm, and so on. The
difference in high noon between east and west
Chicago was 67 seconds.
Before railroads, travel over long distances was
infrequent and slow at best. Trains often shrank
travel times from days to hours on some lines.
When the first rail lines began to cross the
continent, timekeeping between communities was difficult. Maintaining accurate schedules
was next to impossible with so many time changes along the routes. Something had to be
done about a nation suddenly brought closer together by this fast, new conveyance.
Following the opening of the first Transcontinental rail line in 1869, the railroads endured
well over 100 “local” times throughout the country. A person traveling from Maine to
California was required to change his watch no less than 20 times.
In 1872, at a meeting of railroad Superintendents in St. Louis,
an organization was created to develop and implement
“standardized time.” Known as the General Time
Convention, the group adopted a plan which separated the
nation into four specific time zones. The zones were based on
the 75th, 90th, 105th, and 120th meridians. The four meridians
are approximately on the longitudes of Philadelphia,
Memphis, Denver, and Fresno. They became known as the
Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones
respectively.
Finally, on November 18, 1883 the railroads and the nation
adopted Standard Time as we know it today. The transition
was relatively smooth, and other than some rather colorful
commentary by folks who saw standard time as “contrary to
nature,” the nation embraced the change. Newspaper
accounts of the day ranged from supportive and humorous, to belligerent opposition. The
Indianapolis Sentinel commented that the General Time Convention had determined “to
have the clocks and watches in the United States regulated to suit the convenience of the
railroads.” The Sentinel went on to say that, “the nation must eat, sleep, and work as well
as travel by railroad time. It is a revolt, a rebellion. The sun will be requested to rise and
set by railroad time. The planets must, in the future, make their circuits by such timetables
as railroad magnates arrange.”
Even more amazing was the fact that standard time was adopted without passage of any
Federal legislation. In fact, all branches of government cooperated with the change. It
wasn’t until 1918 that Standard Time was officially sanctioned by the Federal Government
when daylight saving time was adopted as part of conservation measures during World
War I.
That fateful day in 1883 would forever change our lives, and is a testament to the vision
and planning of railroad managers, if not their high degree of influence on commerce and
the nation. Standard Time is now is use around the world. In addition to travel, it
regulates television and radio broadcasts across the nation.
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Worksheet: 4. Time zones
It’s Time to Leave!
Example:
Train A leaves Dallas for St. Louis at 8 am.
Train A travels an average speed of 60 mph.
St. Louis is 600 miles from Dallas.
What time will it be in St. Louis when Train A arrives?
600 miles / 60 mph = 10 hours from Dallas to St. Louis
8 am + 10 hours = 6 pm
Dallas is in the same time zone as St. Louis, so it will be 6 pm when the train
arrives in St. Louis.
1. The Burlington Route Zephyr leaves Denver, CO for Houston, TX at 11 pm.
The zephyr travels an average speed of 100 mph.
Houston is 1,200 miles from Denver.
What time will it be in Houston when the Burlington Route Zephyr arrives?
2. The Chicago Rock Island Rocket leaves Chicago, IL for New York City at
12.35 pm.
The Rocket travels an average speed of 80 mph.
New York City is 800 miles from Chicago.
What time will it be in New York City when the Rocket arrives?
3. The Amtrak Empire Builder leaves Seattle, WA for Chicago, IL at 9.05 am.
The Empire Builder travels an average speed of 70 mph.
Chicago is 2100 miles from Seattle.
What time will it be in Chicago when the Empire Builder arrives?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Worksheet: 5. Railroads in North Texas
Railroads in North Texas
Objective
The point of this project is to learn the history of railroads in Texas, why the
railroads were important to the economic development of North Texas, and
how each railroad contributed to the region’s growth. You will put the
information you discover in a presentation that you will present to your
classmates.
Materials
Computer, paper, pens and pencils, poster board, markers, glue, scissors,
PowerPoint (if desired).
Topics
General information:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/rr societies
www.texasescapes.com/TexasRailroads/TexasRailroads.htm
Past Railroads (“Fallen Flags”)
Texas & Pacific Railroad:
www.texaspacificrailway.org/
Houston & Texas Central: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txrober2/
HOTBHOUSTONTEXASCENTRAL.htm
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad:
www.katyrailroad.org/
St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad (Frisco): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
St._Louis_%E2%80%93_San_Francisco_Railway
St. Louis-Southwestern Railroad (Cotton Belt) http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/St._Louis_Southwestern_Railway
Southern Pacific:
http://www.sphts.org/
Santa Fe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchison,_Topeka_and_Santa_Fe_Railway
Present Railroads
Union Pacific:
www.up.com/
Amtrak:
www.amtrak.com
Burlington Northern Santa Fe:
http://www.bnsf.com/
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Roles
For your group presentation, you will need to divide the labor, not unlike
railroaders did when working on the trains! Each person in the group will
have certain duties:
 Recorder
The recorder writes down all the information and then arranges it in a way
that the story makes sense. You will first write a draft, then revise the draft
until you have a satisfactory document that makes sense and provides
information. You must also make sure your grammar and punctuation is
correct.
The recorder of your group is _____________________.
 Leader
The leader makes sure that all the people in the group stay “on task.” You will
decide what information is important to include, what does not need to be
included, and how to accurately cite the sources your group used. You will
also make the final presentation.
The leader of your group is _______________________.
 Researcher
The researcher finds the information about the topic in books or on-line. You
will have to know how to use the internet and discern what makes a “good”
source (factual, objective) and what doesn’t (opinions, inaccurate). It is very
important that you tell your Recorder from which source your information
comes, as you will need to document all of your sources.
The researcher of your group is _____________________.
Guiding Questions
Approximately when did your railroad arrive in North Texas?
Where did your railroad travel to?
What were the names of its passenger trains?
What was the importance of your railroad to North Texas?
Why, do you think, did your railroad travel in North Texas?
What towns did your railroad enter? Found? Bypass?
What did the railroad’s “logo” look like?
What happened to your railroad? Is it still operating, or is it defunct?
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com
Presentation
Organize your findings into a poster board or PowerPoint presentation. Make
sure to include photos! Add bulleted lists that highlight what you think is
relevant information.
Evaluation
Your presentation will be evaluated on:
proper source citation
answers to guiding questions
factual content
organization of topic
Timetable from America’s heartland, 1886
Southern Kansas Railway Company schedules adhering to Standard Time
Museum of the American Railroad Fair Park, Dallas www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com