History of Railroads

America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive U.S. land grants. Building was financed by both state and U.S. government subsidy bonds as well as by company-issued mortgage bonds. The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 miles (212 km) of track from the road's western terminus at Alameda/Oakland to Sacramento, California. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) constructed 690 miles (1,110 km) east from Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) built 1,085 miles (1,746 km) from the road's eastern terminus at the Missouri River settlements of Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska, westward to Promontory Summit.

The railroad opened for through traffic between Sacramento and Omaha on May 10, 1869, when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially tapped the gold "Last Spike" (later often referred to as the "Golden Spike") with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit. In the following six months, the last leg from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay was completed. The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West. It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer and less expensive.

The first transcontinental rail passengers arrived at the Pacific Railroad's original western terminus at the Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, where they transferred to the steamer Alameda for transport across the Bay to San Francisco. The road's rail terminus was moved two months later to the Oakland Long Wharf, about a mile to the north, when its expansion was completed and opened for passengers on November 8, 1869. Service between San Francisco and Oakland Pier continued to be provided by ferry.

The CPRR eventually purchased 53 miles (85 km) of UPRR-built grade from Promontory Summit (MP 828) to Ogden, Utah Territory (MP 881), which became the interchange point between trains of the two roads. The transcontinental line became popularly known as the Overland Route after the name of the principal passenger rail service to Chicago that operated over the length of the line until 1962.

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Across America on an Emigrant Train RUC
by Jim Murphy
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
Antique Locomotives - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tre Tryckare Company
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Big Four
by Oscar Lewis
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad
Landmark #9
by Adele Nathan, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad
Spencer Press Landmark #9 (RH#9)
by Adele Nathan
from Spencer Press
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in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Central Pacific Railroad
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Clark J. Evans
from Children's Press
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Coolies
by Yin, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
from Puffin Books
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$8.99
Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
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Famous Trains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
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Footprints of the Dragon
Land of the Free Series
by Vanya Oakes, illustrated by Tyrus Wong
1st edition from John C. Winston
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in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Full Steam Ahead
by Rhoda Blumberg
1997 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in History of Railroads (Location: HISA-19TRR)
Golden Age of Railroads
Landmark #93
by Stewart H. Holbrook
from Random House
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in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
Great Railroad Race
Dear America
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
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Great Trains of All Time
by Freeman Hubbard; illustrated by Herb Mott
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Hear that Train Whistle Blow!
by Milton Meltzer
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Iron Horses Across America
Perspectives on History Series
by Jeanne Munn Bracken
from History Compass
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in History of Railroads (Location: HISA-19TRR)
Journal of Sean Sullivan
by William Durbin
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Nothing Like It in the World
by Stephen E. Ambrose
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Oregon's Iron Dream
by Mary Goodall
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Race to the Golden Spike
North Star Books #27
by Paul I. Wellman
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Railroad
Inventions That Shaped the World
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Railroad Engines from Around the World - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$5.99
Railroads in the Days of Steam
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Steam, Smoke, and Steel
by Patrick O'Brien
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Story of American Railroads
by Stewart H. Holbrook
from Crown Publishers
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Story of Buffalo Bill
Signature Books #1
by Edmund Collier, illustrated by Nicholas Eggenhofer
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Story of the Golden Spike
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Golden Spike
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Ten Mile Day
by Mary Ann Fraser
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Trains
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We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike
We Were There #31
by David Shepherd, illustrated by William K. Plummer
from Grosset & Dunlap
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We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike
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