Discussion Questions for Grades 8 to 12

Why are trains so efficient?

What is "standard gauge"? Why is it important for railroads to be the same gauge?

Explain the trackbed.

Explain how railroads manage traffic on a line.

What are the common tank cars? What do they carry?

Describe travel conveniences on Amtrak.

How do railroad air brakes work?

What is the difference between a flat yard and a hump yard?

What are some railroad careers?

What do students have to do to prepare to work on the railroad?

What was the Industrial Revolution? What did the railroads have to do with it?

How did the railroads stimulate immigration?

What were some of the railroad industry's contributions to the labor movement?

How did railroads cause the growth of American stock markets?

Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission started?

What was the railroads' influence on the Civil War?

What was the importance of railroads during World War I and World War II?

How did the railroads create our modern sense of time?