Final answer:
The federal government provided cash, loans, bonds, and land grants to subsidize the construction of the transcontinental railroad but did not provide workers as a subsidy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal government subsidized two railroad companies building the transcontinental railroad in several ways, but not by providing workers directly. The government support took forms like cash payments, loans, issuance of bonds, and land grants, but they did not provide workers as a subsidy. The Pacific Railway Act provided significant lands to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads. These government resources greatly assisted in the creation of the First Transcontinental Railroad and accelerated the westward expansion of the United States.