The expansion of the railroads caused the prices of products to drop because it provides cheap and fast transportation for raw materials and products.
Along with new business practices and new technology, the expansion of the railroad was a factor that transformed the industry on the Gilded Age. With the trains getting more and more to further distances and with the improvement of the safety on them, by the replacement of the hand-operated brakes with air brakes, it began to provide a highly efficient network for shipping freight and passengers across the nation. The result was a transforming impact on most sectors of the economy, the nation now had an integrated national market with almost the size of Europe but with no restraint within. It was also supported by a common language, financial system, and the legal system.
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