ClassX Video Lessons The History of Railroads for Kids | Learn about trains and the first railroad in America
Have you ever seen a train zooming by or crossed over train tracks in a car? Trains are fascinating, and today, we’re going to learn all about their history. So, hop on board, and let’s start our journey through time!
Before trains, people traveled by walking, riding horses, or using wagons pulled by horses. This was slow and you couldn’t carry much with you. The first railroads were built to move goods, like coal, from one place to another. These tracks were made from steel and wood or stone.
Did you know that the first train cars were pulled by horses? You might wonder why this was better than pulling a wagon on a road. Well, train tracks were much smoother than the bumpy roads back then. On a road, a horse could pull about 350 pounds, but on a track, it could pull up to 4,000 pounds!
Using horses had its problems—they were slow and needed lots of care. Then came steam technology! In 1827, a steam locomotive named Tom Thumb carried people on a 13-mile track in America. It went 18 miles per hour, which was super fast back then! Fun fact: the inventor of Tom Thumb, Peter Cooper, also invented Jell-O!
People soon realized that railroads could connect cities and make travel and shipping much easier. The Railroad Act of 1862 helped build a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific. On May 10, 1869, two railroads met in Promontory, Utah, joining the East and West.
Building railroads created jobs for many people, from laying tracks to making steel. New inventions like air brakes and comfy passenger cars made train travel safer and more enjoyable. This time before World War I is known as the Golden Age of trains.
Today, super-fast trains called bullet trains can travel at 250 miles per hour! They are popular in Europe and Asia and are good for the environment. In the U.S., people mostly travel by car or plane, but trains might become more popular as technology improves.
True or false: The first rail cars were pulled by cows? False! They were pulled by horses.
Fill in the blank: A steam locomotive called the Tom ____ traveled at 18 miles per hour. Thumb!
What were early train tracks made out of? Steel, wood, and sometimes stone.
Great job, train enthusiasts! Trains have played a big part in history and will continue to be important in the future. Next time you see a train, remember how much they’ve changed over time!
Hope you enjoyed learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for more fun resources and activities.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Welcome to the history of railroads for kids! Have you ever driven over railroad tracks while riding in a car? What about actually riding on a train? Ever looked at train tracks and wondered where they begin and where they end? Well, you are in luck! Today, we are going to talk all about the history of trains and railroads. Let’s meet up with our conductor and try not to lose our train of thought while we learn.
Before the railroads, people traveled mainly by foot, horse, or horse-drawn wagon, much like the pioneers. As you can imagine, this was not a very fast way to travel, and you couldn’t take a lot of stuff with you. The first railroads were designed to carry freight or goods from place to place. Tracks were made with steel and wood or stone. The first train cars were specifically designed to haul coal, which was a main source of heat at the time.
Here’s an interesting fact: the first train cars were actually pulled by horses! You might be asking yourself why pulling rail cars was any faster than if a horse pulled something on a road. Well, for one thing, train tracks made the path a whole lot smoother. Roads were not smooth and paved like they are today. In fact, on a road, a horse could only pull about 350 pounds, while on a steel track, one horse could pull as much as two tons, which is equal to 4,000 pounds!
Even though horses could carry more on a track than on a road, there were still lots of problems with using animals. For example, horse-drawn rail cars were still quite slow, and someone had to make sure the horses stayed healthy—not to mention cleaning up after them!
The solution to these problems came in the form of steam technology, which was already being used to power other machines like steamboats. In February of 1827, a 13-mile stretch of railroad track became the first commercial railroad in America. A man named Peter Cooper successfully transported a small crew of people on a steam locomotive affectionately named Tom Thumb, due to its compact size. Tom Thumb went an astonishing 18 miles per hour over a curvy, hilly railway. Fun fact: Peter Cooper is actually best known for inventing Jell-O!
It was not long after Tom Thumb’s ride that entrepreneurs saw the potential to make lots of money by expanding railroads to every major city in the United States. Finding a better way to transport goods, mail, and people west became a huge priority, especially for a railroad that connected the Atlantic coast with the Pacific coast. The Railroad Act of 1862 paved the way for joining east and west by railroad, and on May 10, 1869, at Promontory, Utah, the two railroad companies—Union Pacific Railroad from the East and Central Pacific Railroad from the West—hammered the final spikes into the East-West rail lines.
All of this railroad building was great economically for many industries. For example, thousands of construction workers were needed to clear land and lay rail tracks. Steel companies also employed thousands to make the steel for the rails and parts for the trains. Lumber was also needed, and supplies were required to feed the workers, leading to the growth of towns wherever a railway was being built.
Innovations like the air brake, the Pullman car (which was the first passenger car to have windows), and the addition of springs all helped make rail travel safer and more comfortable. Some refer to the time before World War I as the Golden Age of trains.
Today, modern trains, called bullet trains, can move at 250 miles per hour and are friendly to the environment and passengers. These types of trains are mostly used in Europe and Asia. In the United States, air travel and car travel are the most popular, but the future of rail travel is promising as technology continues to advance and more people look for environmentally friendly travel options.
Now that we are pulling back into the station, let’s review what we have learned!
True or false: The first rail cars were pulled by cows? False! They were pulled by horses.
Fill in the blank: A steam locomotive called the Tom ____ traveled at 18 miles per hour. Thumb!
What were early train tracks made out of? Steel, wood, and sometimes stone.
Great work, radical railroaders! Trains and railroads are an important part of the history of the United States as well as its future. The next time you are driving alongside a train or using public transportation like the subway, you can remember all about trains and how much they have changed over time.
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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