railroad barons powerful individuals control railroads in usa cornelius vanderbilt leland stanford...
TRANSCRIPT
Railroad Barons
• Powerful individuals• Control railroads in
USA• Cornelius Vanderbilt• Leland Stanford• Made lots of money• Aggressive, risk takers• Gave money away
later in life
Railroads Stimulate the Economy
• Created economic links
• Carried natural resources and farm goods
• Carried manufactured goods
• Stimulated steel,iron,lumber, & coal industries
• Created 1,000’s of jobs
Railroad Improvements and Technology
• Standard gauge- all RR’s same width
• Westinghouse-air brakes
• Janney-linking system• Swift-refrigerator cars• Pullman-sleeping car
Competing for Customers
• 2 kinds-passengers and businesses
• Most money from businesses
• Rebates-secret discounts to customers
• Pools-agreements between big RR companies
• Force smaller RR out
• Govn’t tried to stop
Railroads change the USA
• Growth of industry in the West
• Flour milling to Great Plains
• Ag equipment to Midwest
• Beef production -Chicago
Time Zones
• People travel more
• Concerned with hours rather than miles
• Regions of country were united
• 4 time zones in the continental USA created
• Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific
Questions
• How did the RR change life for farmers and ranchers?
• How did the RR change industry in the USA?
• How did the RR unite the USA?
• Which change in RR’s was the most important?