How did railroads change American economy and society after the civil war?

Following the Civil War, there were three very significant changes that took place 1. The first Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. Northern money also paid for the expansion of the railway system in the south during Reconstruction. 2. The Panic of 1873 ended railway expansion, and caused many to go bankrupt. 3. The Great Railway Strike of 1877 pitted the railroads against workers who called a strike due to reduced earnings.