Two factors that helped the US shift to an industrial economy during the Gilded Age included the Transcontinental Railroad and the Bessemer process.
The Transcontinental Railroad allowed businesses to ship their goods at a very cheap rate to cities all over the US. This helped these industries to grow. Along with this, the Bessemer process helped to make steel cheaply and more efficiently than ever before. The readily available supply of steel allowed for the creation of buildings for corporations.
