May 10th 1869 – First Transcontinental Railroad – 155th Anniversary

Very nice Mel.

Nice Jupiter, Mel!

That is a sharp looking unit Mel!

Gene

Great post Mel'.. Nothing like remembering history'.. in America!!  Thanks for reminding us of the significant day in railroad history...👍

A great day in our Nation's history.  For the 150th we worked with MTH to create a tinplate 400e/Comet set honoring this event.

@MELGAR posted:

Today, May 10^th 2024 is the 155^th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad and pounding of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory on this date in 1869.

As Americans, railroaders, and model railroaders we should not forget this date.

An important date, indeed. Thanks for the reminder. A picture of the Golden Spike ceremony:

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/...-spike-ceremony-1869

I am quite aware that Canada's last spike was not driven until 1885, many years after the US accomplishment. Interestingly, one of the important drivers of the Canadian cross continental railroad was the fear that the US might lay claim to British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province. And the Canadian builders, along with the many Chinese migrant workers, had the important advantage of dynamite to blast through the Rockies. Dynamite was invented in Europe in 1867, barely 2 years before the US completion and would not likely have been available for the US track laying - I wonder how they managed to get through the mountains? All they had was gun powder, which I am guessing was not very effective.

Bob

Be sure to click on the image in the link above for a higher resolution photo. You can see a glimpse of the locomotives that Melgar mentioned. And despite the momentous occasion, not one of the many men is smiling and no women present.

For you history fans, there is a fabulous book by Stephen E. Ambrose ,the renowned historian, on the construction (and politics) of the Transcontinental Railway titled:  " Nothing Like it in the World: The Men who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869"  Perhaps one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 19th century, not really eclipsed until the creation of the Panama Canal in the early 20th century.  This was the last of the "pick and shovel" creations, little to no power equipment was available, black powder was the explosive used to break up rocks for tunnels,it was pounded into holes drilled in the rock by sledge hammer and exploded by hand lit fuse.  The residual after a blast carried away by men with wheel barrows.

If you have any interest at all I heartily recommend this book it is fascinating.

Best Wishes

Don

@Bob "O" posted:

An important date, indeed. Thanks for the reminder. A picture of the Golden Spike ceremony:

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/...-spike-ceremony-1869

I am quite aware that Canada's last spike was not driven until 1885, many years after the US accomplishment. Interestingly, one of the important drivers of the Canadian cross continental railroad was the fear that the US might lay claim to British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province. And the Canadian builders, along with the many Chinese migrant workers, had the important advantage of dynamite to blast through the Rockies. Dynamite was invented in Europe in 1867, barely 2 years before the US completion and would not likely have been available for the US track laying - I wonder how they managed to get through the mountains? All they had was gun powder, which I am guessing was not very effective.

Bob

It seems the Canadian Transcontinental RR was completed 4 years before the U.S. Transcontinental RR.

@trumpettrain posted:

It seems the Canadian Transcontinental RR was completed 4 years before the U.S. Transcontinental RR.

How did you figure that? The U.S. Union Pacific joined the Central Pacific on May 10, 1869. The Canadian venture was not completed until 1885. Mathematically that was 16 years AFTER the U.S. railroad.

While Ambrose's book is good, the definitive book on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad is a book by David Haward Bain titled "Empire Express" written in 1999. The Chinese laborers were the key to drilling the tunnels through the Sierra Nevada. They used black powder as nitroglycerin was too unstable. The Chinese were reliable, they didn't drink alcohol and they boiled their water for tea thus avoiding dysentery. At the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento there is a large display paying homage to the Chinese railroad workers.

@Hot Water posted:

How did you figure that? The U.S. Union Pacific joined the Central Pacific on May 10, 1869. The Canadian venture was not completed until 1885. Mathematically that was 16 years AFTER the U.S. railroad.

Thanks Hot Water. Whoops!  I certainly stand corrected.  I should have had that second cup of coffee today