what influenced the railway industry?

Question

what started it/what social context influenced it

Answer 1

In many ways, it influenced itself. From the beginning it was always about being able to move large or heavy quantities of freight, as well as providing faster, more efficient travel for goods and passengers.

Prior to the development of rail travel in the eastern US, most goods traveled via natural waterways or canals, such as the Erie Canal, where flat bottomed boats were employed, drawn by horse walking along side of the canal. Expansion was slow, due to the fact that transport of goods was largely dependent on the location of the waterways.

Cartage was an option, but still not able to transport large quantities of goods due to the primitive technology, and passengers were still riding in stage coaches.

Then came the railroads, circa 1830. This began expansion in all directions, most importantly, to the west. No longer constrained by the proximity of waterway growth came quickly.

As the years past, the railroads encouraged the westward movement and, in many cases, created it's own business as it went. Railroads granted land for farming, seeds for planting and range for grazing, all for the purpose of capturing the business generated by this self-created customer base. So, with western expansion came the opportunity to transport people and goods west, while transporting the fruits of their labor to the east. Truly a win / win situation for the railroads.

This was especially true during the building of the first transcontinental railroad, chartered by the Pacific Railway Act, which was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln. The railroads were granted huge land holdings in that they were granted a square mile of land, alternating between both sides of the right away, each and every mile built. Much of this land was disposed of in the fashion mentioned above as a way to encourage migration westward and provide economy for those who chose to relocate west.

So, it could be argued that social context was influenced by the railroads, instead of the other way around, particularly when speaking of growth and expansion.

Other influences were development of better technology, which in turn shaped the railroads operations. The goal was always bigger, better, more powerful, more efficient.

Answer 2

I'm not a history buff or anything but i was thinking along the lines of the industrial revolution (steam engine) and men with large bank accounts and egos to match, captains of industry wanting to capitalize on getting things done faster and probably what they considered safer back then

Answer 3

Supply and demand. Better way of shipping items. It was also safer or so they thought until they continually kept being robbed. Still considered a very good way to ship products.

Answer 4

Speed, tonnage, and money. Did you know, 85% of the merchandise that you buy at Wal-Mart was shipped by railroads...

Answer 5

We are always looking for ways of faster transportation.

Answer 6

MONEY