What influenced the growth of the
railroad?
 There’s gold in them there hills!!
 California Gold Rush 1849
 The discovery of silver and gold in
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Montana
Idaho
Colorado
Alaska
 Merchants followed miners West
 Homesteaders
 Cattle Ranchers
Development of the railroads
1850 Railroads in the United States
By the1860’s the railroads had
expanded
 1863 Two companies competed to build the first
transcontinental railroad
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The Union Pacific Railroad started building westward from
Omaha, Nebraska
The Central Pacific Railroad started building eastward from
Sacramento, California
Inventors and New Railroad
Technology
George Westinghouse- air brakes that
improved the system for putting the
trains to a halt, which made the trains
themselves much safer.
Eli H. Janney- Janney car couplers
made it easier for railroad workers to
link train cars.
Gustavus Swift- refrigerated cars
helped railroads to ship meat, and
other perishable goods over long
distances.
George M. Pullman- the Pullman
sleeping car- a luxury railway car with
seats that converted into beds for
overnight journeys. Pullman also
made improved dining cars, raising
train travel to a new level of comfort.
Railroads Move the Nation West!
•The growth of railroads pave the way for
American Industry to move west.
•In the 1800’s the flour industry moved west from
east coast to Kansas City!
•Agriculture development moved west as well from
New York to Wisconsin
•Trains distributed people out west- easier for
people to move from rural areas to urban areas
known as urbanization!
Railroad Transform the Nation’s Economy
Railroads transported raw materials- iron, coal, timber steel…
these industries BOOMED! The mining industry increased
and farmers were able to ship products across the country
all year long machines sent to farmers for faster jobs
(tractors)
Growth of Industries
Lumber industryThe industry boomed as lumber was needed for RR ties as
well as for buildings in the new towns across the country.
Growth of Industries
Coal industryProvided fuel for locomotives and heat for homes. This
industry had incredible growth.
Consolidation of railroads
 Smaller lines were often costly to run
 Railroad Barons emerge as larger companies buy up
the smaller ones
An 1870 cartoon shows
Cornelius Vanderbilt
straddling two railroads he
consolidated and racing
Jim Fisk of the Erie
Railroad.
Competition Destroyed by Rebates and Pools
•Railroad companies often fought each other for old customers, and for new
customers.
•To their biggest companies, railroad companies offered rebates- these were secret
discounts.
•Smaller companies could not compete with rebates that bigger companies offered,
and were forced out of business.
•Giving these discounts forced companies to put freight rates for farmers and other
customers who shipped a small amount of goods.
•Railroad Barons also made secret agreements among themselves, known as pools.
They divided the railroad business, and set rates on the region.
•And with no other competition in the region, the company could charge higher rates
and earn larger profits than ever!
•Congress tried to control this situation by passing laws, but it did not stop the
railroad barons!
What does the development of
railroads have to do with time?
 Why are there time zones?
 Our system of time zones is a result of the railroad boom
 Towns kept their own time
 1883 all railway clocks were set to new standard
 Congress enacted Standard Time Act -1918- based on
railroad time zones
Time Zones
•Railroads affected the way Americans thought about time as well!
•People began measuring distances by how many hours the trip would take rather
than the number miles!
•This led to a national system of time with four time zones!
Advantages/Disadvantages
 Write 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of the
expansion of the railroad
 Make sure to include who these advantages and
disadvantages affected