150 years ago today, history was recorded. A nation was United from Sea to Shining Sea through iron rails. The Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad had completed the Transcontinental Railroad, a project 6 years in the making. 1,912 miles of rail, all 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in apart, were constructed from Oakland Long Wharf in San Francisco to the existing US railroad lines at Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa.
To celebrate the completion of this mechanical marvel, a "Golden Spike" was laid at Promontory, Utah on May 10th, 1869. Two locomotives attended the celebration, the Central Pacific's 4-4-0 #60 "Jupiter" and the Union Pacific's 4-4-0 #119. The spike was laid, and the telegraph operator sent out the message "DONE."
The line served as a blood vein for the then-growing United States. Traveling west prior to the Transcontinental Railroad meant taking a wagon train or sailing around South America. Both routes were very time consuming and posed a lot of risks. Wagon trains were prone to bandit or Native Indian attacks while the naval trip 'round Cape Horn was met with very dangerous waters. It would take upwards of 5 months to travel to the state of California. The railroads basically cut the travel time into a week. Passengers, and more importantly goods and supplies, helped many western cities grow into what they are today.
Today, the Union Pacific still travels much of the original Transcontinental Route and the Promontory Site still exists and is designated a National Historic Park. Two replicas of the Jupiter and 119 were built for the site and remain to this day as the original engines were sadly scrapped in the early 1900's. Those same railroad tracks, still 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in from 150 years ago, still carry vital supplies to and from various points along the US.
Happy National Train Day everyone!
Credits to Nictrain123 of Deviantart.com for the track, Jupiter and 119 sprites.
