Introduction
The railway line in America has been of major impact to the country’s economy and development. This nation has had a substantial evolution of the railway line system to the highly advanced railroads present today. It is important to take a trip down the memory lane and analyze the railway system of the country back just after the Civil War. The focus of this paper will be on the railway line which was present in the South post civil-war. The fundamental point in this paper is that development of the railway system in the South after the Civil-War marked a major change and brought about meaningful reconstruction in this part of the United States of America. It greatly impacted on the economic growth and development of the Southern States, which had born the whole bitter brunt of the Civil War.
History of the South Railroad, 1865-1900
Understandably, the railroad development which started in the course of the Civil War within the South was strategic for the Union government. The Union used it effectively in its activities and missions. 1 Notably, virtually all the requisite mills and factories that supplied rails and the related equipment like spare parts were located in the North. The Union always placed a blockade which denied the South these railroad equipment and spare parts. In worst cases, since the war was fought in the South, the Union fighters and also sometimes Confederates destroyed rails by bending them in order to hinder the easy movement of the enemy.
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In the time after 1865, most of the railroads in the South were local affairs and were meant to connect cotton farms with close waterways. During this period, most transport was done using boats on waterways. People in the South were not used to railway transport. However, the Union fighters were able to later seize a significant number of rives in the South where they put blockades on ports. 2 This particular development made long-distance travelling difficult for people in the South. The Civil War had significantly depressed the South economy since railroad companies could not transact business and cotton product stayed hoarded in farms. Therefore, many railway companies could not sustain operations and started laying off workers with some shutting down.
The bad situation in the railway industry within the South forced the Confederate Government to take active and full control of railroads. The railroads became controlled by the Confederate government military team, after the passage of the impressment’s legislation. Despite the active involvement of the Confederate government in management of the railroads, lack of spare parts and railway system equipment worsened things and the network collapsed. At the turn of 1865, there was no traffic moving along the railroad system of the South.
The railroads in the south started picking up activity in 1869 with the development of the first transcontinental railroad. This succeeded after the enactment of the Pacific Railway Acts done in 1862. The development enabled a six-day trip from New York to San Francisco. There were other transcontinental railroads built in the south around the same time including Southern Pacific and Santa Fe. There was also other railroads done near the Canada-U.S. border. By the year 1890, the southern railroads had gained much more activity in terms of size of freight carried than ever before.
Notably, the immediate period after the Civil War is normally referred to as the Reconstruction Era. It is the time when major focus was paid to development of the economy of regions in the United States of America. 3 During this Reconstruction Era, money from the north was used to finance the redevelopment and dramatic expansion of railroads in whole of the south U.S. The railroads started to be modernized in terms of their track gauge, service quality and equipment. Specifically, the south railroads were expanded from the level of 17,700 km in the year 1870 to 46,700 km in 1890. However, these railway systems in the south were largely owned and controlled by the northerners. The high pace at which the south railroads grew was only interrupted by the 1873 economic crisis.
The difficult in the use of railroads within the south emanated from the fact that there was no standardization. It took so long for the south to achieve this standardization. Importantly, rains cannot use different standards of railroads hence the significance of standardization. The delay in standardization of schedules and track gauges was as a result of diverse reasons. Firstly, the Civil War was the prime cause of this delay. The Civil War was a prolonged event which really dissuaded railway companies from focusing on developing and advancing the railroad system in the south. It is important to note that the railway system in the south served as the battle point where both parties used to destroy the rail lines by bending them and breaking bridges to ensure the enemy could not conveniently travel. A lot of blockades were raised on the railroads by the Union government hence making it difficult for private companies to concentrate on developing the system.
It is also important to note that the development of standard track gauges and travel schedules may have taken long time to happen because of the lack of activity on the rails during and after the Civil War. There were minimal passengers on the railroads. Moreover, the size of freight used on the railroads was quite small. The society in the south was just not used to travelling using rail transport. 4 Most people had the habit of travelling using boats. Therefore, the railroads were only used as means for reaching the rivers. This scenario denied the private companies in the business of railway transport meaningful returns on their investments. Most of them had to close shop and leave the industry. Therefore, the fact that the railway industry in the south was not quite lucrative made the standardization of track gauges and schedules to take long.
It is also vital to note the fact that the Confederate government did not initially have active involvement in the railroad development within the south. The Confederate government decided to take full control of the railway system in the south belatedly at a time when the industry was going onto its knees. In fact, the Confederate government also failed to rebuild the railroads in the south until the 1869 when transcontinental lines started to be built. It is also important to note that the north, especially union government had a big role in ensuring the railroads in south region did not develop fast. In fact, most of the equipment and spare part firms were located in the north and they denied the south such raw materials for development of the railroad system. The south Confederate government did not have sufficient funds to implement the standardization of railway track gauges and schedules. Any development had to originate from the north where the financiers were domiciled.
Moreover, when the Confederate government took control of the railroad development, challenges related to government public projects combined to delay the standardization of the railway system. Considering the fact that the Confederate government had a lot of things to perform using the limited money in its coffers, strict monetary policies such as budgeting had to be followed while releasing the small cash to finance the railroads reconstruction projects partly. Therefore, the share given to the planners of the railroad projects in the south was minimal and not able to help in achieving the high standards required like track gauges and schedules. Moreover, it is important to note that even the emerging challenges which affected the ones constructing the railroads could not be addressed because of lack of the emergency funds on immediate basis.
There was also huge bureaucracy involved in the release of funds used to rebuild railroads in the southern part of U.S.A. This factor contributed largely to the delay in the establishment of standard gauges and schedules. Decisions over the type of developments to include in the construction process were sluggishly made because of the consultations which had to be made right from the south up to the northern America where finances originated. The development of the railroads is a function that entailed many emergent suggestions such as the need for the standardized track gauges and schedules. Such ideas would have been fast implemented in the constructions were there no bureaucracies involved. Since the rebuilding of railways took place at a time when the world was experiencing industrialization, many ideas came up in the course of the reconstruction but could not be implemented without the sanctions of those in power and the influential businessmen in the north.
The issue of politics and public goodwill also played a big part in delaying the establishment of the standard track gauges and schedules in the south. The constructors of the southern railroads experienced vehement resistance from the members of the public who opposed lines crossing their farms, cotton and tobacco. Most locals resorted to violent means in a bid to ensu5re they had their way in blocking the railroads from crossing their lands. The whole animosity accorded to the constructors did not give them the ample time to fix the issue of standard track gauges and schedules. Additionally, the whole issue of rebuilding railroads was heavily politicized by leaders and opponents used tactics to oppose. The political atmosphere in the south did contribute to the delays in the establishment of the standards required.
Since money had to come from the north, there were delays in the disbursement of funds to the constructors on the ground. It is something that largely contributed to delays in the implementation of schedule and track gauge standards. The situation would have been different if the project of rebuilding railway lines were to be owned and controlled by the private companies in the south. For the amount of money which reached the south, the people on the ground also got involved in corruption and misappropriation of it. This corruption and misappropriation of funds made it difficult to implement standard measures of developing schedules and track gauges.
In most countries, the transport agencies are owned by governments. Interpretively, the transport agency boards are normally funded by the government. The reliance on government finance has always made public projects to always flop. These challenges are quite immense and deteriorative on the ability of a nation to grow its performance in railway system development.
The northern businessmen had a huge influence over the railroad system development in the south. The northern businessmen had the control since they were the ultimate financiers of the rebuilding exercise which started after the Civil War. 5 They invested heavily in the southern railroad system. Therefore, because of their immense money and being sole financiers of the railway reconstruction projects within the south, these businessmen in the north had big influence. 6 The many miles of railway tracks, locomotives and equipment built in the period after the Civil War were done by private companies in the United States of America. The companies owned by individual businessmen developed the railroads in south to suit their needs and specifications. As a result, tracks were normally built in different gauges. The track gauges ranged from two to six feet.
The lack standard railroads was never a problem as long as people wanted to travel and transport goods over short distances. The need for standard railroads came up when demand for long distance travelling emerged in the south and north. It is noted that the track gauges were the first standardization to be done successfully. In the south, the standard gauge was maintained at five feet. However, the north and other parts of the United States had a standard gauge of four feet. The following area of standardization was locomotives and railway cars. There was also the standardization of the railroad couplings. The greatest achievement was the standardization of the schedules on railroads.
Economic Impact of the Railroad in the South
The railway system in the south after the Civil War had big economic impact. Firstly, the railroads came in as a beacon of hope to the residents of the south who had resorted to long-distance walking when the Union fighters seized major rivers hence blocking boat transport which was then the most popular means of travelling. With the rebuilding of the railroads in the south, residents started to enjoy quick means of transport hence business was boosted. People have timely transactions in various places. 7 Moreover, freight could be easily transported to the urban areas. Specifically, railroads in the south made it easy for the cotton farmers to transport their produces to markets that were long distances away. The railroad system in the south improvised the quality of agriculture in the region since farmers could have their produces delivered to different urban areas in good time. Really, the cotton business significantly boomed as a result of this development.
The railway system in the south did provide many employment opportunities to the locals. Through the employment opportunities secured, the standards of living in households improved significantly. 8 Additionally, towns and urban centres started to be developed along the railroads. These urban centres where people met to carry out trading activities developed into major towns making the south region to have improved gross domestic product. The tobacco industry benefited greatly from the rebuilding of the railroads in the south. It offered a quick and safe means of delivering the tobacco products to the market centres. Moreover, tourists interested in touring the south found it easier and adventurous to use the railroads since the trains offered clear and interesting views of nature as well as wild features like animals. The railroads criss-crossed natural forest areas where tourists could enjoy nice sceneries of the wild animals as the trains passed.
Therefore, the railway system in the south region significantly marketed it to tourists in various ways. Target group marketing is now a source of a sharp competitive edge within the tourism industry. Target group marketing has an important role in tourism since it helps a country concentrate on attracting a selected category of tourists whose likes are in tandem with the many offerings present. This approach to marketing is based on the principle that consumers normally have varied needs, resources, means, wants, demands and preferences. 9 This principle led many sectors of the world economy to shift from the practice of mass marketing to target groups. Target group marketing is normally driven by the customer needs and expectations. The main goal of this marketing strategy is always to create high value for the identified group of clients. Therefore, target group marketing offers the necessary knowledge and tools aimed at developing good and lasting relationships with the identified customers.
There are various phases in the tourism marketing process using group targeting. Positioning, segmentation and targeting are the three approaches used. The segmentation approach entails a distinct group of clients being chosen and their tastes as well as preferences noted. The development of tourism products is then done based on the identified tastes and preferences. Some of the key factors that guide the categorization of tourists into segments include needs, behaviors, social preferences and price sensitivity. There are tourists who may choose to always use the railroads while touring region so that they can experience the natural environment while covering a large area. Such people are traveler tourists. It is quite crucial to get this information because it goes a long way in helping the government to come up with things that attract the tourists.
Travel and tourism companies have adopted the practice of market segmentation. They carry out international market segmentation to group countries that can be attracted by the available sceneries and services. A particular tourism destination may target people from specific countries or region. In other cases, a tourist destination may target a particular group of customers from various nations across the earth, but with similar needs and likes for adventure.
In the second stage of targeting, the market segments identified are evaluated so that those with preferred characteristics are selected. Managers consider various factors when targeting particular groups for marketing activities. The structural attractiveness of the groups is considered. Some of the determinants of attractiveness include the level of competition over the customers, the power of buyers and the expected profitability level. Furthermore, the available resources in a country and goals are compared with the different segments developed to choose the most suitable and viable categories.
The main role of the targeting process is to ensure that the company puts its resources and marketing attention where there is a high chance of good returns. By targeting, a company is able to implement rational marketing actions. 10 Moreover, targeting is the only way managers achieve cost minimization while performing efficient marketing functions.
The last step in this process is positioning. Positioning is the function of designing the image of a brand so that it can be loved by targeted consumers. The role of positioning is enabling a company to achieve competitiveness and recognition among the targeted consumers in the market. Through positioning, firms are able to perform things differently from other competitors in the market.
Conclusion
The railroad system in the south almost died completely during the Civil War. The south region was the battle ground and fighters from the north thronged the region where they caused damages to the existing railroads by bending gauges and breaking bridges. Moreover, the Union government used to put blockades on equipment and spare parts so that they could not reach the south. This scenario made railroads in the south to slug and remain without any business for a long time. However, after the Civil War, there was meaningful development on the railroads in the south albeit with money coming from the north. The developed railroads in the south significantly improved the economic status of the region by increasing tourism, simplifying transport of tobacco and cotton products to factories and providing employment opportunities to the locals.
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1 Hook Andrew, American literature in context: 1865-1900 (Routledge, 2016), p. 23.
2 Fite Gilbert C., Cotton fields no more: Southern agriculture, 1865-1980 , (University Press of Kentucky, 2015), p. 32.
3 Wallenstein Peter, "Reconstruction, Segregation, and Miscegenation: Interracial Marriage and the Law in the Lower South, 1865–1900," American Nineteenth Century History 6, no. 1 (2005): 59.
4 Silber Nina, The romance of reunion: Northerners and the South, 1865-1900 (Univ of North Carolina Press, 1997), p. 13.
5 Cobb James C., "Beyond planters and industrialists: a new perspective on the New South," The Journal of Southern History 54, no. 1 (1988): 47.
6 Hackney Sheldon, "Origins of the New South in Retrospect," The Journal of Southern History 38, no. 2 (1972): 197.
7 Stover John F., American railroads (University of Chicago Press, 2008), p. 21.
8 Fite Gilbert C., Cotton fields no more: Southern agriculture, 1865-1980 (University Press of Kentucky, 2015), p. 67.
9 Taylor George Rogers and Irene D. Neu, The American railroad network, 1861-1890 (University of Illinois Press, 2003), p. 43.
10 Schiffman Daniel A., Political-Legal Institutions and the Railroad Financing Mix, 1885-1929 . Bar-Ilan Univ., 2001, p. 1.
