The growth of the railroads was HUUUUUGGGGEEEEEEEE!!!! This can't be expressed enough! Railroads gave an enormous boost in transportation, and demand for natural resources not only increased because of the easily shipped goods - but also because trains themselves needed coal. =)
Before the railroad, the canal companies, stagecoach and those who drove wagons were the only way to transport goods, by coming of the railroads the supply and the demand for natural resources in the United States were high because of the rapidly growing industrialization. Industries needed raw material to run their factories and railways were able to provide materials in larger quantity. The railroad assisted the growth of the industry by connecting the eastern and western parts of the U.S.
