How did railroads change ideas about travel?

Prior to the invention of steam powered railroads, nearly all forms of locomotion had been muscle-powered. You either walked where you wanted to go or rode on an animal to get where you were going. The railroad changed human perception of time and space, making long distance travel much faster and easier.



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Railroads expanded significantly, bringing even remote parts of the country into a national market economy. Industrial growth transformed American society. It produced a new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class. It also produced a vastly expanded blue collar working class.

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The Transcontinental Railroad reduced travel time from New York to California from as long as six months to as little as a week and the cost for the trip from $1,000 to $150.

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Railways existed as early as 1550, in Germany. These pathways of wooden rails called “wagonways” were the beginning of modern rail transport, making it easier for horse-drawn wagons or carts to move along dirt roads.

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They unified countries, created great fortunes, enabled the growth of new industries, and thoroughly revolutionized life in every place they ran. Yet the human tolls for some projects were ghastly, with deaths of native laborers running into the tens of thousands.

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6 Surprising Advantages of Rail Transport Over Road Transport
  • Rail transport can be cost effective. ...
  • Shipping via train is more environmentally friendly. ...
  • Trains are capable of hauling large loads. ...
  • Railways are reliable. ...
  • Rail freight can be efficient. ...
  • Rail options provide you with access to capacity.


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The railroad had major advantages over previous modes of transportation, being both flexible and dependable; they were not subject to winter ice as canals were, and were faster and more reliable than steamships. This was especially important when transporting agricultural products.

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The invention of the steam engine, credited to James Watt in 1774, would prove to be a crucial improvement to rail transportation even though coal mine pumping efficiency was the intended outcome of his invention.

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Railroads created a more interconnected society. Counties were able to more easily work together due to the decreased travel time. With the use of the steam engine, people were able to travel to distant locations much more quickly than if they were using only horse-powered transportation.

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First-Class Passenger Cars Offered Luxury Passengers traveling across the continent in the dining salon car of the Pacific Railroad, circa 1870. The journey west on railroads wasn't only faster and easier than covered wagons, it could also be luxurious.

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Transcontinental Railroad Facts
  • It was built to connect the United States' East and West Coasts. ...
  • Approximately 1,800 miles of track. ...
  • The transcontinental railroad cost roughly $100 million. ...
  • Workers came from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicity. ...
  • President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act.


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The building of the Transcontinental Railroad also affected communication across the American continent. As they were building the railroad, the US government sought to establish a system of telegraph lines alongside it, which made it easier for messages to get from coast to coast in a fraction of the time.

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