Answer:
some towns to the east started to lose population as more people took the railroads out west to create new towns. These new towns tended to stay all the way to the modern era, because they could be supplied directly from the tracks.
Answer:
New towns were built about every 20 miles, which was the distance a train could travel without taking on water to power the steam engines. Albuquerque became a railhead and Las Vegas became the center of commerce in New Mexico. Post offices were developed at the train stops and some towns moved to be closer to the railstops. Large ranches were created to help move cattle by the rails. More coal and copper mines opened. Post office roads also became public roads.
