Which does not describe an impact of railroads on business and industry in the 1800s? a. finished goods could be transported to markets quickly. b. manufacturers could get raw materials more easily. c. small towns along railroad lines grew into major industrial centers. d. the cost of manufactured goods went up.

The answer is D. The cost of manufactured goods went up. The effects of the American railways on rapid industrial growth were many, including the opening of hundreds of millions of acres of very good farm land ready for mechanization, lower costs for food and all goods, a huge national sales market, the creation of a culture of engineering excellence, and the creation of the modern system of management.