The History of Railroads

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Railroads The first railroads were made in the 1550s, they first started off with wooden tracks with carts on them with a horse or horses pulling (About, inventors). They had the tracks because it was easier to move on the rails instead of the dirt roads. The railroads were called wagonways back in the 1550s (About, inventors). In 1776 the wooden rails were replaced by iron rails and the wooden wheels were replaced with iron wheels to make the railroad more smooth(About, inventors). In 1789 the iron wheels were replaced with flanged wheels, The flanged wheels were iron wheels that grip the track better (About.com,inventors). In 1800s the steam engine was invented for the railroad (Pacific Southwest railway museum association,history timeline). The Civil War was the first war that railroads were a major feature. The armies usually would hang around the railroads during the war because the trains had all of the supplies. They would shoot at the enemy trains because if they destroyed the enemy trains the enemy would be in big trouble, they would not be able to reload their weapons. So the armies would make a big iron shield to protect the trains. The armies would often trick the enemy by going back and forth with the train so the enemy would chase the train to block their supply lines. As the armies and trains move on they have to keep rebuilding the tracks because the enemy has destroys them. They would also start a locomotive down the track to ram the enemy train. They also had armie ready trains where the troops pile out with weapons ready. Some of the army trains would have bags of sand to protect the army's troops because a bullet can't go through the sand bag. There would be small slits on the sides of the trains that th... ... middle of paper ... ...5, 2014, from http://sdrm.org/history/timeline/ Railroads of the Confederacy (2013). In Civil War Trust. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-and-logistics/logistics/railroads.html Railroad towns (1994). In American History. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/essays/1801-1900/the-iron-horse/railroad-towns.php TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD (2014). In History Channel. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad History: 1800's (n.d.). In History of Railroad Unions in the U.S.. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from https://sites.google.com/site/historyofrrunions/home/early-history-1800-1899 Westward Expansion (n.d.). In Ducksters. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/first_transcontinental_railroad.php

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