The Railroads could often be very controversial. Here are a few articles about that controversy.


Sleeping Public
circa 1870: A cartoon showing people sleeping under railway lines while a farmer tries to warn them of an approaching train whose coaches are labelled, Consolidation-Train, extortion, bribery. The cartoon is 'The Grange Awakening the Sleepers'. The Grange or 'Patrons of Husbandry' was an organisation formed to help and educate the farming community. They were against railroads because of their anti-farmer practices.

Another article.

https://sophia.smith.edu/~maldrich/introduction.html

RAILROADS BUILD THE
RED RIVER VALLEY

http://web.mnstate.edu/shoptaug/railroa ... ilroad.htm

For tech giants, a cautionary tale from 19th century railroads on the limits of competition

https://theconversation.com/for-tech-gi ... tion-91616