Railroad Barons

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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

2
Railroads Stimulate the Economy

• Created economic links
• Carried natural resources and farm goods
• Carried manufactured goods
• Stimulated steel,iron,lumber, coal industries
• Created 1,000s of jobs

3
Railroad Improvements and Technology

• Standard gauge- all RRs same width
• Westinghouse-air brakes
• Janney-linking system
• Swift-refrigerator cars
• Pullman-sleeping car

4
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
• Govnt tried to stop

5
Railroads change the USA

• Growth of industry in the West
• Flour milling to Great Plains
• Ag equipment to Midwest
• Beef production -Chicago

6
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

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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 RRs was the most important?