Trains brought "the world to the West and the West to the world." With the invention of the steam engine, America was united through commerce and technology. Eastern manufacturers sold consumer products in the West and in return, brought Western raw materials to the East. Once unleashed, technological progress could not be checked. With the invention of the automobile, the West was transformed again.

Even so, the railroad era did not end in the West. Railroads focused on what they did best - hauling freight from port cities across the country. With this change in primary use, the transformer had become the transformed.