Workin' on the Railroad
Did you know?
- One railroad car can hold as much as four semi trucks.
- Shipping goods on the railroad costs a fourth as much as it does by truck.
- One railroad car can carry as many as twenty-two minivans.
- Railroads run all day and all night and go almost everywhere.
- The only method of shipping that is cheaper, more fuel-efficient and can carry larger loads is a river barge.
Railroads have been a powerful force in the development of Oklahoma since 1870. After the KATY laid the first tracks in Indian Territory, white settlement and the expansion of business and commerce advanced rapidly. Farm and ranch products could get to buyers in other states. Oklahoma’s wealth of oil and coal could be shipped to consumers anywhere in the U.S.
Families that lived on isolated farms far from stores could buy whatever they wanted because railroads brought those goods from distant cities. Before the railroad, someone who wanted to travel had to endure the grueling experience of stagecoach transportation. With the railroad, passengers can travel in comfort to anyplace in the United States.
While passengers travel more by airplane or car today, the railroad continues to be an essential tool for commerce. Rails today do what they have always done; goods are shipped efficiently and cheaply. The high quality of life that we have today is due partly to the railroads.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education