 Even in untouched areas, the lack of maintenance and repair, the absence of new equipment, the heavy over-use, and the deliberate relocation of equipment by the Confederates from remote areas to the war zone ensured the system would be ruined at war's end.Restoring the infrastructure—especially the railroad system—became a high priority for Reconstruction state governments.The enormous cost of the Confederate war effort took a high toll on the South's economic infrastructure.