The Railroads One of the major events in the gilded age was the construction of the railroads. At that time there was no artifact of the new industrial culture as powerfully symbolic as the locomotive. In this time period the ton-miles of freight carried by the thirteen principle lines in the country rose from 2.16 billion to 14.48 billion, an increase of six hundred percent. In the next couple years track mileage more than tripled from thirty …showed first 75 words of 608 total…

…showed last 75 words of 608 total…kept the West connected to the East. This are something the railroad did for the country, which benefited from it. The development of the railroad had a tremendous affect on the entire world. After introduced in America, the trend stated in Europe and went all around the world. It helped transport men and equipment around the country faster than any other method. Smith, Page. THE RISE OF INDUSTRIAL AMERICA. New York: Penguin Books. Pages 89-112.