TEXT№ 3 DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Several horse-powered railroads began operating in the Eastern United States in the early 1800's. In 1815, American engineer John Stevens obtained a charter from the state of New Jersey to build a steam railroad across the state. He constructed a circular track near his estate in Hoboken, New Jersey, and built a small steam-powered vehicle to run on it. In 1825, this vehicle made a successful run.

In the late 1820's, the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company of Pennsylvania decided to build a railroad. In 1829, the company ran a locomotive built in England along a section of wooden track. This locomotive, called the Stourbridge Lion, became the first full-sized vehicle to run on a track in North America.

In 1830, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began service over 13 miles (21 km) of track between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills (now Ellicott City). The first cars of this railroad were powered by horses. The Baltimore and Ohio also experimented with a car equipped with sails. In the summer of 1830, New York businessman Peter Cooper built a steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, but it was not a success. In 1831, the railroad began regular passenger service with a locomotive called the York.

Meanwhile, the West Point Foundry of New York had built a steam locomotive for the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. In 1830, this vehicle, called the Best Friend of Charleston, pulled a train along 6 miles (10 km) of track between Charleston and Hamburg, South Carolina. This event marked the beginning of regular steam-powered passenger and freight service in the USA.

The number of locomotives and railroads multiplied rapidly in the United States after 1830. The most famous historic locomotives included: the De Witt Clinton on the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad in New York in 1831; the John Bull on the Camden and Amboy Railroad in New Jersey in 1831; the Old Ironsides on the Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Line in Pennsylvania in 1832; the Pontchartrain on the Pontchartrain Railway in Louisiana in 1832. By 1835, more than 200 railroad charters had been granted in 11 states, and over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of track had been opened for traffic.

Meanwhile, engineers and inventors were developing locomotives especially for the Eastern United States, where roadbeds had many curves. These locomotives had an independent wheeled undercarriage called a leading truck, attached to the vehicle by a center pin, which allowed the truck to swivel. The truck gave the locomotive more flexibility on curves. Most of the new locomotives had a four-wheeled truck and four driving wheels. They became the most common type of US locomotives during the last half of the 1800's.

Railroads were under construction in all states east of the Mississippi River by 1850. Most of these lines were concentrated in the Northeast, and ran only short distances. A network of lines radiated from Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Railroads also linked the major cities in the Southeast.

Competition for trade promoted railroad construction in the East. By the early 1850's, four railroads had built rail lines that enabled them to carry freight between the Great Lakes region and the East Coast. In 1853, ten small lines along the Erie Canal joined to form the New York Central Railroad, which provided service between Albany and Buffalo. By 1852, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio had opened lines to the Ohio River, one of the most important trade routes in the country. Large railroad companies took over many smaller lines and so expanded rapidly.

During 1850's, railroad lines connected Chicago with the Mississippi River, which was a major trade route. The Baltimore and Ohio reached St. Louis on the Mississippi in 1857. Both Chicago and St. Louis became large transportation centers.

In 1850, Congress began granting federal land to develop railroads. Some Government leaders thought that railroads would help to attract settlers to the undeveloped regions of the Midwest and the South. The first grant helped to build a railroad from Chicago at the Great Lakes to Mobile, Alabama, at the Gulf of Mexico. Settlers rushed into the area along the route after the railroad's completion in 1856. The success of the experiment convinced Congress to continue granting federal lands for railroad development. In return, all United States railroads agreed to carry government troops and property at half the standard rates and the mail at 4/5 the standard rates. These rates remained in effect until the mid-1940's.

Railroads continued to expand during the 1860's. They played a major role in the Civil War (1861 – 1865) by moving army and supplies to battle. The South was at disadvantage because it had far fewer railroad tracks and locomotives than the North. After the War, iron and steel bridges were built across such major rivers as the Ohio, the Mississippi, and the Missouri.

In the early 1860's, the US government decided to extend rail lines across the country. The proposed route followed the 42d parallel from Omaha, Nebraska, to Sacramento, California. The Eastern rail lines were to be extended westward from Chicago to meet the new railroad at Omaha. Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862. The Act gave two of the companies responsibility for building the railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad (UP) was to start laying the track westward from a point near Omaha. The Central Pacific Railroad (CP) was to lay the track eastward from Sacramento. The US Congress granted both railroads large pieces of land and millions of dollars in government loans.

Work began on the Central Pacific in 1863, and on the Union Pacific in 1865. The railroads faced the gigantic task of crossing the rugged Rockies and the huge towering Sierra Nevada. To obtain the necessary labour, the Central Pacific hired thousands of Chinese immigrants. European immigrants worked on the Union Pacific. On May 10, 1869, the tracks of the two historic railroads finally met at Promontory, Utah. One of the finest UP passenger trains was the Overland Limited. That luxury train, inaugurated in 1890, made its run between Omaha and San Francisco in just 70 hours.

 North America became the first continent to have a rail line from coast to coast. But it was just a start: by the end of the 1800's, the United States had already built 5 transcontinental railroad lines.

 

Слова и словосочетания:

1. charter                                       – привилегия, разрешение

         to grant a ~                          – выдать, даровать ~

         to obtain a ~                        – получить ~

 

2. to grant                                      – передать во владение,

         ~ federal lands                    – ~ федеральные земли

         ~ government loans            – ~ денежный заем

 

3. to carry                                      – перевозить

         ~ government troops           – ~ правительственные войска

         ~ property                            – ~ собственность, имущество

         ~ army and supplies            – ~ армию и продовольствие

         ~ mail                                  – ~ почту

 

4. rates                                          – тарифы

         standard ~                           – стандартные, установленные ~

 

5. to remain in effect                     – оставаться в силе, действовать

 

6. disadvantage                             – недостаток

         to be at ~                             – находиться в невыгодном положении

 

7. to face                                       – встретиться, столкнуться 

         ~ the gigantic task               – ~ с огромной, сложной проблемой

 

8. transportation center                  – транспортный центр, узел

 

9. competition                               – соревнование, конкуренция

 

10. to take over                             – брать на себя управление,

                                                         поглощать мелкие компании

11. a successful run                      – успешный пробег (поезда)           

 

12. to experiment with                   – экспериментировать с

 

13. to mark                                    – отмечать, знаменовать

 

14. regions                                    – регионы, территории

         highly developed ~              – высокоразвитые ~  

         developing ~                       – развивающиеся ~

         undeveloped ~                    – неосвоенные ~

 

15. curve                                       – железнодорожная кривая

 

16. roadbed                                   – дорожное полотно

 

17. undercarriage                            – шасси

         independent ~                     – ~ с независимой подвеской

 

18. a leading truck                         – передняя бегунковая тележка

                                                        локомотива

 

19. flexibility                                  – маневренность

 

20. wheels                                     – колеса

         driving ~                               – ведущие ~

 

21. luxury train                               – роскошный поезд-салон

 

22. ward                                         – направление движения

         west ~                                  – западное ~

         east ~                                   – восточное ~

         north ~                                 – северное ~

         south ~                                 – южное ~

 

States                                          Cities, Towns    

         Alabama                                        Albany

         California                                       Baltimore

         Louisiana                                       Boston

         Nebraska                                       Charleston

         New Jersey                                    Chicago

         Ohio                                               Hamburg

         Pennsylvania                                 New York

         South Carolina                               Philadelphia

         Utah                                     

Rivers                                            Mountains

         Delaware                                       Rockies

         Hudson                                          Sierra Nevada

 

         Mississippi

         Missouri   

 

 

 

ЗАДАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ № 3:

 

Упр.I. Замените подчеркнутые слова синонимами из текста:

 

1. Some horse-powered railroads started working in the USA in the beginning of the 1800’s.

2. Several engineers had got permission from the government for building railroads.

3. After 1830, the quantity of railroads grew very quickly.

4. By 1835, the number of charters given in 11 states had exceeded 200.

5. All engines built for the Eastern states were supplied with leading trucks.

6. Such trucks made locomotives extremely mobile on curves.

7. That type of car had become the most typical one by the end of the 1800’s.

8. Railroads were being built in all states east of the Mississippi River.

9. The greater part of them spread out from Boston, New York city and Philadelphia.

10. In 1853, 10 minor railroads along the Erie Canal united to form the New York Central Railroad.

11. Big railroad companies swallowed a lot of smaller lines and grew quickly.

12. The most significant trade route linked Chicago and the Mississippi River.

13. The US railroads transported army, property and post for the state at much cheaper costs than the standard ones.        

14. In the 1940’s, those costs were still in use.

 

 Упр. II. Соотнесите синонимы:

 

1. flexible

2. to operate

3. to propose

4. to connect

5. common

6. to allow

7. area

8. to obtain

9. to concentrate

10. rail line from coast to coast

11. to remain in effect

12. fewer

13. independent wheeled

                   undercarriage

14. to convince

15. to expand

16. rapidly

17. to carry

18. to multiply

19. major

20. roadbed

a. to suggest, to offer

b. to get

c. transcontinental line

d. to be in use

e. to grow in number

f. to grow

g. to work

h. main

i. to join, to link

j. mobile

k. to transport

l. quickly, fast

m. less in number 

 

n. track

o. to assure

p. typical

q. territory

r. leading truck

s. to come in one place

t. to enable

 

Упр. III. Найдите в тексте английский эквиваленты:

 

- получить разрешение на строительство железной дороги

- поезд, имеющий паруса

- пассажирское и грузовое сообщение на паровой тяге

- колесное шасси с независимой подвеской

- локомотивы особенно маневренные на кривых

- быть сконцентрированным на Северо-востоке

- быстро расти

- главный торговый маршрут

- крупные транспортные центры 

- передавать во владение федеральную землю

- привлечь переселенцев на неосвоенные территории

- убедить Конгресс

- оставаться в силе, действовать

- стальные мосты через главные реки

- предложенный маршрут

- привилегия (право) на строительство железной дороги

- правительственный заем

- неприступные Скалистые Горы

- вздымающиеся ввысь горные хребты Сьерра Невады

- железная дорога от восточного до западного побережья

 

Упр. IV. Заполните таблицу информацией из текста:  

 

YEAR

ENGINEER

INVENTION

RAILROAD LINE

1815

 

 

 

1829

 

 

 

1830

 

 

 

1831

 

 

 

1835

 

 

 

1850

 

 

 

1853

 

 

 

1862

 

 

 

1863

 

 

 

1865

 

 

 

1869