Curated OER
Establish the Design Criteria
Pupils are introduced to the concept of design criteria; specifically what functionality must the trains on the west corridor meet to satisfy the needs of customers and of the owner. Students groups utilize a worksheet imbedded in this...
Curated OER
Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
Students examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the...
Curated OER
Exploring Gear Trains
Students work together to build a simple gear train. They record their observations as it gains speed and how the gears rotate. They develop rules about gears based on these observations.
Curated OER
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Students use drawings, maps, readings, paintings and photos to consider how the topography of Pennsylvania led to the construction of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. They also investigate their own community's transportation history.
Curated OER
Conducting Research
Students research trains and train travel and write a report based on their findings.
Curated OER
Heavy Duty
Students examine various items in order to realize the weight difference between train, vehicles and humans. They realize that trains are heavy and cannot stop quickly.
Curated OER
CASEY JONES
Students participate in a discussion about trains an listen to the story Casey Jones.
US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Railroad Occupations
Careers in the field of railway transport engineering are profiled. Included: nature of the work, training, advancement, employment, job outlook. projections data, earnings, related occupations. A detailed examination of this career is...
Other
Railroad Avenue: Glossary of Railroad Lingo
A glossary of railroad lingo. Gives a multitude of words and their definitions as related to railraods and trains.
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Background Information for Trains
Get answers to frequently asked questions about trains. For example, what is a steam train and what parts of a train make it move?
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Locomotives
Get a glimpse into the history of Canada's railways and explore how the locomotive influenced transportation in the country. See some of the important advancements in locomotive technology in Canada from 1900 to 1960.
Library of Congress
Loc: About George Westinghouse
This is a detailed biography about George Westinghouse with a link to an article about Westinghouse from the Wilmerding News, 1904. Read about his many inventions that improved railroad safety.
Other
Transports: Le Voyage en Train
At this website you will find practical information on traveling by train in France.
Other
Texas Department of Transportation
This resource has information on various types of transportation and issues in Texas, and general facts.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Community Dreams: Santa Cruz, California 1876
Discover how connecting Santa Cruz, California to the national railroad network in the late 1800s helped the town prosper and change.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Lives on the Railroad: Salisbury, North Carolina 1927
Replica of the Salisbury, North Carolina railway station teaches about riding and working on the railroad in the 1920s when railroads were a central part of American life. Railroad lines crisscrossed the country. They carried people,...
Other
The Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center: Overview
Excellent overview of Amish communities and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Includes Churches, Farmers Markets, Food and Wine, Shopping, Antiques, Quilts, Covered Bridges, Locations and Towns, a Video Tour, Weather & Climate,...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Transcontinental Railroad: Ride the Rails on a Button Train [Pdf]
Students will learn how the Transcontinental Railroad enhanced travel across the country. They will compare how quickly people travel today as then. Students will create "button trains" and discuss what trains carried in 1869 and now.
Library of Congress
Loc: Rise of Industrial America: Railroads in the Late 19th Century
A compilation of primary source documents addressing building and running the railroad system in the late 19th century.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Elijah Mc Coy
According to this article, Elijah McCoy (1844-1929 CE) is one of the most prolific inventors in American history. Read about his parents who escaped slavery by traveling on the Underground Railroad and about his invention, the automatic...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Westinghouse World
This has detailed information about the various historical Westinghouse plants and their working conditions. Also includes information about George Westinghouse and "Life in Wilmerding, home of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company."
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: George Westinghouse
Find information about George Westinghouse's contributions to both railroad safety and the adoption of alternating current for motors and the transmission of electricity.
Black Past
Black Past: Woods, Granville T.
A fascinating encyclopedia article about Granville Woods, a black inventor,often referred to as the "black Edison."
Starfall
Starfall: Things That Can Go
This interactive nonfiction ebook focuses on things that can go. Children can choose to read independently or listen to each sentence read to them.