Railroad Workers Benefits

Many people did not want to work for the railroads. There was much danger associated with this job. The most dangerous job for workers was the brakeman. The Brakeman rode on top of the trains and jumped down pushing a larger wooden stick into the spokes of the wheels to slow it down until it stopped. This was an extremely dangerous job and was stopped once the air brakes were invented. Another negative part of the railroad workers was the lack of payment that they received. Railroad workers made barely two dollars for a twelve-hour day. The harsh work, low pay and long days led to many angry workers that went on strike several times. The largest strike was in Baltimore and Ohio. The strikes spread to West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The south did not use the railroads much, but the north depended greatly on them. Due to the Government relying on the railroads in the north, the importance of the railroads stood out. The railroads were used to carry large quantities of troops to battles faster and cheaper. This gave the north an advantage because of their response time to certain battles. Speed was the main advantage. They were able to quickly move soldiers from one battle to another much faster than before. The government’s reliance on the railroads grew even stronger once World War I began. The government used the railroads to organize military operations and to navigate soldiers and generals to where they needed to go. This allowed them to be much more organized in their work and get all of the support that they needed.
By the time that the Second World War started, locomotives had made many advancements. They became faster and more powerful. Diesel engines were created and passenger cars had improvements. These passenger cars were no longer wooden and had air conditioning by 1929. The railroads had made so many improvements that during World War II the government did not need to seize the railroads because of how fast the locomotives were operating. This cleared out the railroads and allowed the military to use them for whatever they

When the Baltimore and Ohio railroad opened as the first American railroad, a national revolution began. The opportunities that train travel gave to America allowed large growth from city to city. These railroads were built thanks to the determination of people who believed that they could make America better. The railroads advanced so greatly, they surpassed all of Europe’s systems of transportation. These railroads created ease in everything from transporting merchandise to travel to working out wars. They connected the nation by every town and allowed every commoner to be able to travel outside of their home. Thanks to the Railroads, America has been allowed to grow to the extent that it has gotten to