Bring the story of American railroading to life in the classroom through our growing collection of educational resources. Appropriate for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, our online materials include lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, maps, games, an original readers theater play, and more. Each lesson includes a bibliography of supporting books and related websites.

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• Trunks Through Time explores the societal challenges and contributions of several under-represented groups of railroad travelers between 1880 and 1960.   Students will be inspired by stories of perseverance and triumph in the lives of a Pullman Porter, a Chinese Laborer on the Central Pacific, a Harvey Girl, and a Mexican boy in the Santa Fe boxcar camps.

 

• The Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad chronicles the vision, ingenuity, and raw courage of the people who designed and built the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.  Learn how the Transcontinental Railroad transformed daily life in the United States and how it continues to form the backbone of our economy, delivering the goods and commodities Americans rely on every day.

 

• Whistlestop Campaigning:  Rallies Along the Rails.  In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt’s whistlestop campaign fundamentally changed the way candidates interact with the electorate.   In 1948, Harry S. Truman’s extensive whistlestop campaign saved his presidency, and the practice has continued to entice candidates as recently as George W. Bush and Barack Obama.  Click here to learn about the origins of the whistlestop; explore an interactive map of Truman’s 1948 Midwestern rail tour, including photographs and speech recordings; and view a photo gallery of presidential whistlestop campaigns.