Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.

The railroad was one of the most transformative inventions of the Industrial Revolution, fundamentally altering human perception of time and space. Before the mid-19th century, travel was limited by the speed of an animal or a human on foot; the railroad made long-distance travel and freight transport remarkably faster, cheaper, and more reliable. This "shrinking" of the world facilitated the rapid settlement of vast territories, such as the American West, and led to the creation of Standard Time to synchronize train schedules across different longitudes. Economically, railroads integrated national markets, allowing mineral, timber, and agricultural products to reach distant urban centers, which fueled the growth of modern capitalism. Socially, it democratized travel, allowing the working class to take vacations for the first time and increasing literacy as "railway literature" became a popular way to pass the time. It was a microcosm of progress that brought the developed and undeveloped areas of nations together, forever changing how people worked, lived, and communicated.