There was a strong relationship between the railroad and the Robber Barons. The Barons basically got involved with the government to the point that some of the railroads were owned by them. This involvement was a significant role in their industrial success. "The American Industrial Revolution depended on the ability to move raw materials, agricultural produce, and manufactured articles quickly from site to city" Sean P.23. That was why railroad was an essential element in the Robber Barons business.
However, what does Robber Barons mean? The term Robber Barons was called for those businessmen who used "sharp business practices", as the author called. They managed to gain an amazingly huge wealth during the industrial revolution.
Some people may know that railroads collapsed in 1873, but not all of them know the reasons behind the collapse. Sean Cashman mentioned in P 29, that the reason behind the collapse was due to the extreme expansion of the railroads where two thirds of the railroads were expanded toward the West which did not have much population. Therefore, these lines did not have a good business and were unprofitable.
Some of the major Robber Barons were involved with the government and therefore, they gained a monopoly power. Some Robber Barons got their railroads business from the Union Pacific as a payoff of their financial support during the war. While others such as Morgan started acquiring shares in the railroads in secret. Others used monopoly to kick other competing companies out of business.
The Financial relationship was obviously based on political relationship with the government. Therefore, Robber Barons managed to get an advantage and helped themselves gain a monopoly power over other competitors.