Trains and Associated Developments Flashcards
What important social factor influenced the adoption of the railroad?
The railway’s unprecedented speed created an enthusiasm supporting railways’ further adoption.
How did railroads improve on Canals?
Faster,
Not constrained by elevation of available water systems,
not constrained by freezing water,
When did the Quebec City Bridge Collapse?
1907
When did the first railway to run a steam locomotive on a regular basis open? In what country?
1825; Stockton and Darlington railway, UK
What city was the initial “slaughter capital” of the United States?
Cincinnati
Why did Chicago become the new “slaughter capital” of the United States?
Chicago occupied a central location in the United States’ rail network. A huge number of animals could be centralized then shipped out across the country.
What was the early means of making profit with livestock before meatpacking?
Midwestern ranchers would ship live animals to the eastern seaboard to be slaughtered locally.
What was new about Chicago Union Stockyards.
Disassembly lines, where parts of the animal were systematically removed and processed.
How did the “Chicago Method” of slaughtering affect profit?
Where butchers would normally waste parts of a single carcass, Chicago could accumulate animal parts in sufficient quantities that they could be sold as products. This initially provided a key margin of profit
How was ice supplied to slaughterhouses before the development of ice-making machines?
Ice was cut from rivers and lakes in the winter, brought by rail to Chicago and stored in insulated ice-houses,
Why didn’t Metis hunters initially impact bison herds?
Too few in numbers
Means of transportation too slow or small to reach markets
Preservation into pemmican was laborous and difficult for large numbers of animals
Why were settlers able to nearly eliminate North America’s bison population
-Greater numbers, brought about by railways and canals.
-Settlers converted bison habitat to farmland
-Settlers had improved firearms, which were readily available
-Rapid and available transportation fuelled a market for hides and meat
-Government support to hinder Metis/indigenous bands, who depended on the bison
What are the top three causes of species extinction in the modern United State according to biologist Edward O. Wilson?
Habitat destruction, biological pollution, and chemical pollution
What two things did railways accelerate relative to the natural environment?
1) Settlement on the frontier
2) the spread of invasive species
What three innovations increased the firepower of European settlers by the mid 19th century?
Rifling
Breech loading
Magazines
What type of gun was the colt revolver?
Repeater
What is rifling?
a corkscrew groove on the inside of the barrel of a gun to give the bullet more spin and accuracy
What is breech loading?
Loading the gun through the rear of the barrel rather than through the front/
What is a repeater?
A gun provided with a magazine which eliminated the need for reloading after every shot
What event increased the availability of new guns in the second half of the 19th century?
American Civil War
How did the railway system impact the movement of invasive species?
Trains could transport species far away and quickly
Tunnels, bridges, embankments could sometimes connect habitats
How do canals impact the movement of invasive species?
They make connections allowing species to reach previously inaccessible bodies of water
Which Engineer built the suspension bridge across the Niagara in 1851, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge?
John A. Roebling
Which engineer designed the Victoria Tubular Bridge (1860) in Montreal?
Robert Stephenson
Why were tube bridges used?
It could better withstand twisting forces than an open bridge
Why did trains need wood?
Building tracks
Fuel
Building railway cars[?}
What role did trains play in the wood-based Canadian economy?
1) Moving raw materials and equipment
2) Moving workers and settlers
What were Canada’s primary exports in the 19th century;
Wheat, wood, potash exports
How did wood impact wheat cultivation in Ontario
1) Forests cleared to make agricultural land
2) Potash from wood ash used as fertilizer
3) Tools partially made of wood along with Ironworks in Montreal
What were three special-purpose trains in the 19th and 20th c.
1) School trains
2) Armoured trains
3) Luxury/private trains
Name three countries in which armoured trains were used
China, South Africa, Mexico
By which means of transportation did the German Army command part of the WW1 war effort?
By train.
How many continents were advertised as possible destinations from London in 1902
3; Europe, Asia, Africa
How many means of transportation depicted in the 1902 London travel advertisement
Rail
Horse Carriage
Steamship
What was the average income of a Canadian labourer in 1905?
$375
What destinations on the 1893 CPR advertisement were more expensive than the annual income of a Canadian worker?
Trip around the world China, Australia, Japan,