Railroad Team 1

The Central Pacific Railroad Company built track from Sacramento, California to Promontory Point, Utah. There was intense competition between the Central Pacific (heading Eastward) and the Union Pacific (heading Westward).  To prove which team was the best, the owners would challenge each other to see how many tracks they could lay in a day. The official record is still held by the workers of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, many of whom were Chinese.  Your team will be highlighting the work of these men in laying 10 miles of track in one day, as well as the work done on the last day of building the railroad. Round all your answers to the nearest WHOLE NUMBER. 

 

10 Mile Day

1. Calculate the number of kilometers the workers laid in their “10-mile day".

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Last day!

1. On the last day of building the railroad, four workers (two Chinese and two Irish) laid the last four ties. Based on the diagram below, how many feet of track did they lay?

   1. How many meters is that?

2. Each tie weighs approximately 200 lbs. How many pounds of ties did the workers lay on the last day?

   1. How many kilograms is that?

3. Each spike weighs about ½ lb. If the workers used eight total spikes to drive in the four ties (see the diagram), how many pounds of spikes did they use?

   1. How many kilograms is that?

4. Present the above information in a creative way, like an infographic or poster.