Railways Lead the Way

Chapter 19, Section 1

Pgs. 556-559

Consolidation

The practice of combining separate companies

Standard Gauge The uniform width

of railroad tracks adopted in the 1880s.

Rebates Secret discounts that large railroads offered

to their biggest customers.

Pools Secret agreements railroad barons made

amongst themselves.

Railway Lines in the Nation There were 5

railway lines in the nation by the 1890s.

By 1900, 250,000 more miles of track had been laid.

Vanderbilt Vanderbilt gained

control of the New York line and made a fortune by consolidating several companies.

Railroads Lead to Industrial Growth

Iron – used to make steel Steel – tracks and trains Lumber – tracks Coal – to run the steam engine trains

Advantage of a Standard Gauge It allowed trains from different railroads to

use the same rails, eliminating the transfer of goods from one train to another.

Technological Developments Air brakes Janney car

couplers Refrigerated

cars Pullman

sleeping car

Railroad Barons By consolidating and driving other railroads

out of business using rebates and pools railroad barons were able to make huge fortunes.

Time and Distance

They began to measure distances by how many hours the trip would take instead of how many miles traveled.

Effects of Railroad Expansion1. People moved westward2. Industry moved westward3. Transporting raw materials to factories and

manufactured goods to market became more efficient

4. Cities and towns grew along the railroads5. New technologies were developed6. The American economy grew7. Many people became wealthy