What caused the transcontinental railroad to be built?
The transcontinental railroad was built to open up the interior and allow settlement in these areas, to make rural and unexplored areas accessible, and to ease the transportation of both goods and passengers from one area to another.
Why was building the transcontinental railroad so difficult?
Another challenge they faced was the need to create tunnels through the mountains. Using nitroglycerin, they had to blast through the mountains in a very dangerous manner. On average, they were only able to get through 1 foot of mountain at a time. In the end, 11 tunnels were completed.
How many Chinese died building the transcontinental railroad?
There were many Chinese workers that died during the construction of the railroad. There is historical documentation that at least 100 Central Pacific workers died in a single avalanche while building through the Sierra Nevada Mountains — most of these workers would have been Chinese.
How much did it cost to build the transcontinental railroad?
CPRR Discussion Group said… One estimate of the cost to build the transcontinental railroad is $46,989,320 for the Central Pacific Railroad, plus $77,559,370.61 for the Union Pacific Railroad , for a total of $124,548,691.
How long did it take to build the transcontinental railroad?
T took 6 years to build the Transcontinental Railroad. It was built between 1863 and 1869 and it measured 1,776 miles in length.
What tools were used to build transcontinental railroad?
Some of the tools needed included wheelbarrows, horse drawn scrapers, two-wheel dump carts, shovels, axes, crowbars, blasting powder, quarry tools and iron rods. On top of that, locomotives, wheel trucks, switch mechanisms and foundry tools were needed as well.
What was the initial purpose of the transcontinental railway?
The transcontinental railroad was a railroad built to connect the country from the East to West. This was designed to help boost trade and transportation throughout the country. With the railroad built goods from the new farms in the West could be delivered to people in the West.