Transcontinental
Railroad Study
Math Problems
1. When the Transcontinental Railroad was
finished, the Union Pacific Railroad had laid 1032 miles of track. The Central Pacific Railroad had laid
742 miles of track. How many miles
did they lay together?
2. In 1865, the Union Pacific railroad
laid 40 miles of track. In 1866,
they laid 260 miles of track and in 1867 they laid 240 miles of track. During 1868 they laid a whopping 500
miles of track! How many total
miles of track did the Union Pacific Railroad lay during these 4 years?
3. The US Government granted the railroad
companies 6,400 acres for every mile of track they laid. In 1867 how many acres did the UPRR
receive from the government? Use
the miles of track laid from Problem #2.
4. A section of rail is 30 feet long and
weighs 560 pounds. How much does
one foot of rail weigh?
5. In 1864, the Central Pacific thought it
needed 5,000 workers but it only had 600 workers. How many more workers did the Central Pacific need to hire?
6. The Chinese workers were paid about $30
per month in gold for working 7 days a week on the railroad. If a Chinese worker worked for the
Central Pacific for 3 years, how much did he make altogether?
|
YEAR |
Money
Earned |
|
Year 1 |
|
|
Year 2 |
|
|
Year 3 |
|
|
TOTAL |
|
7. During the winter of 1867 the Central
Pacific was building in the Sierra Nevada. The temperature got down to 5 degrees Farenheit. Months later the workers were building
the railroad through the desert and the temperatures got up to 120
degrees. What was the difference
in temperatures that they worked in?
8. When the Transcontinental Railroad was
finished, travelers could go from the Missouri to California in 4 days. A ticket in first class (they called
in
"Plush") cost $111. A ticket in
coach (the cheapest tickets) cost $40.
How much more would it cost two people to travel in first class than in
coach?
Great Railroad Race - Interactive Railroad Project