The construction of the transcontinental railroad touched the lives of so many people of so many backgrounds and races. It was interesting to find out how heavily involved the Chinese were in this process, specifically 80%. It indeed was unfortunate to take away many jobs when the Steam Engine came to play. In the long run, the railroad was done quicker and more efficient. Today, our lives would be different without the heavy reliance on railroads. Travel time is cut nearly in half because of the technology that is able to cut into tough mountains and cavern spaces, enabling travelers to go through rather than around. Travel time is faster in general as well. The six months in the 1800s that took to travel to California, now only took two weeks after the railroad was in action.
The exhibit also had a display listing the average speed of travel in miles per hour:
- 3 mph – foot
- 10 – horse – (obviously a single rider)
- 4-7 – wagon – (multiple passengers and a large load)
- 5-10 – ship (no further explanation on the display – presumably this would be for sail driven ships of the mid 19th century)
- 15 – train, mid-19th-century steam
- 20-70 – automobile (obviously this would be into the 20th century)
- 600 – airplane
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