The correct answer is A. The railroad industry used coal to power steam engines, allowing businesses to build more factories for the production of goods.
In the 1800s, coal played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution. The railroad industry relied heavily on coal to fuel steam engines, which facilitated the rapid transportation of goods and resources. This made it easier for businesses to transport raw materials to factories and deliver finished products to markets, thereby promoting industrial growth and urbanization. While coal was used in various ways during this period, the specific context of its impact on the railroad industry and its contribution to the establishment of factories and production is most relevant to the prompt.
Options B, C, and D are not accurate in the same historical context: coal was not primarily used to generate electricity for widespread use until later, it was not directly used to make plastics at that time, and automobiles, which became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were typically fueled by gasoline rather than coal.