What difficulty did the builders of the transcontinental railroad have to overcome?
The following are two of the difficulties that builders of the transcontinental railroad found ways to overcome: Natural barriers such as mountains, rivers. and forests. A need for workers.
What challenges did the first railroads face?
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.
What was the problem with the transcontinental railroad?
Trouble on the tracks. Many dangers came with the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. In the east, tracks ran through Native American tribal territories. The Native Americans saw this as a threat to their existence and a violation of their treaties with the United States.
Who are the competitors for the transcontinental railroad?
Dreams of a Transcontinental Railroad. Two Competing Companies: The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad. Danger Ahead: Building the Transcontinental Railroad. Driving Toward The Last Spike. Impact on The United States.
What was the working conditions in the Central Pacific Railroad?
The majority of workers for Central Pacific were Chinese immigrants, who agreed to work in very poor conditions. In order to lay track in the mountains, laborers had to blast through granite cliffs, risking their lives to lay explosives. Snowstorms, explosions, freezing temperatures, and avalanches killed hundreds of workers.
When did they start building the transcontinental railroad?
Dreams of a Transcontinental Railroad. Building of the Transcontinental Railroad, circa 1869. America’s first steam locomotive made its debut in 1830, and over the next two decades, railroad tracks linked many cities on the East Coast. By 1850, some 9,000 miles of track had been laid east of the Missouri River.