The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsHappy 144th Birthday, Transcontinental Railroad!!!
The "Golden Spike" (also known as "The Last Spike"[1]) is the ceremonial final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The term "Last Spike" has been used to refer to one driven at the usually ceremonial completion of any new railroad construction projects, particularly those in which construction is undertaken from two disparate origins towards a meeting point. The "Last Spike" now lies in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.[2]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pardon the Trivia, Lounge, but I worked regulating railroads for 20+ years, and one of my close colleagues doing the same work happens to have his birthday May 10, so its remained a special date!!!
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)With the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah in May of 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, completed the transcontinental railroad between Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California. However there was still one point in the system where passengers and freight still has to use riverboats to cross the San Joaquin River at Mossdale. On September 8, 1869 the bridge over the San Joaquin river (see trestle in photographs) was completed and the first train crossed the bridge over the San Joaquin River. This was really the last link in the transcontinental railroad system.
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=11380
elleng
(131,292 posts)Nothing like trivia upon trivia!!!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,381 posts)That is to say, if you have a container you want shipped from LA to New York, it will be handled by at least 2 railroad companies.
Neither Union Pacific or BNSF, the only two railroads operating from the west coast, offer service to the northeast.
elleng
(131,292 posts)No railroad company has ever offered coast to coast service.
The tracks have been contiguous for many years, and 'handoffs,' as you put it, are done smoothly at yards throughout the country. Carriers create 'blocks' of cars which are handled together to and through yards toward their destinations.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)A separate matter from when tracks connected left to right coasts.
I misunderstood in grade school what was going on; I thought it was the coast to coast thing that happened at promontory.
They left out the part about it being a race between two companies, a very clever way to get it done quickly, but not the true coast to coast set of tracks that I thought was completed there.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,381 posts)The terminus in the middle of the country for the major railroads has always been either Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, or New Orleans - essentially the Mississippi River.
Here's the UP system;
Here's the BNSF system;
(FWIW, the BNSF trackage from the California line to the NM/TX line is among the busiest freight rail corridors in the country, with a train passing through Clovis, NM on average every 7 minutes.)
Here's the Norfolk Southern system;
And here is the CSX system map;
?184
Locut0s
(6,154 posts)Air travel may have largely killed off passenger rail for longer distances but it's still key for moving freight. And maybe they really will fulfill the promise of high speed rail, maglev etc.., one day which will move the pendulum back to rail for medium distance passenger travel.
elleng
(131,292 posts)Last edited Fri May 10, 2013, 03:05 AM - Edit history (2)
Class I freight railroads report revenues greater than $346.8 million. There are seven U.S. freight railroads, and they haul more than 67 percent of the nation's freight. They operate 3,200 to 32,000 miles (5,150 to 51,499 kilometers) of track and typically engage in long hauls.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/train3.htm
EDIT: Rail carriers decided they couldn't handle passenger transportation well, their use deteriorated during the 1960s, and in 1970, the Rail Passenger Service Act was passed, creating Amtrak, splitting U.S. freight from passenger service.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)Who later came to San Francisco and made the city as diverse as it is.
elleng
(131,292 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)I live east of the Bay Area on a house on a levee on a river in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta.
Much of the land is below sea level, 25 feet and more below sea level!
And the work of reclaiming all of this land, of building levees with wheelbarrows, was done mostly by Chinese.
The town of Locke makes an interesting day trip destination for folks within an hour or two:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locke,_California
Brother Buzz
(36,490 posts)It's an exquisitely fitted dry granite stone (well, bolder) wall supporting the original roadbed just spitting distance east of the Sierra summit.
CrazyOrangeCat
(6,112 posts)Do you ever read Classic Trains magazine?
Only mag subscription I've ever maintained for thirteen-some years. Fascinating photos and articles . . .
elleng
(131,292 posts)as a relative newbie to railroads until I began regulating them around 1980, but good friends of mine at ICC could have WRITTEN about them, knew EVERYTHING, as they were in 'operations' and economics of the business. One of those guys loved to take vacations in Las Vegas SIMPLY to WATCH the big trains passing!
CrazyOrangeCat
(6,112 posts)As for me, I grew up a hundred feet from the MoPac . . . It was my playground! ;~)
elleng
(131,292 posts)after I learned a bit. Was involved with evaluating mergers, including MoPa;c UP/MP/WP. Took a fabulous trip, with colleagues, BY RAIL, through the territory. Would have waived to you, had I known!!!
CrazyOrangeCat
(6,112 posts)So that was Ellen, riding in style, in the blue business car at the tail-end of the Amtrak. Far out!
elleng
(131,292 posts)then evaluating the big merger. And most of the lines over which we rode were probably not in the Amtrak system, tho can't be sure of that; was a long time ago!
Were standing up and my 'operating' colleagues were actually evaluating the system vis a vis ability to sustain expected traffic due to merger.
CrazyOrangeCat
(6,112 posts)Bucky
(54,087 posts)elleng
(131,292 posts)more closely related to T. Jefferson's sponsored exploration of the West.
Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)this weekend, after a mere 3 years of pestering the SO about it. Thanks for the bit of trivia!
elleng
(131,292 posts)LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)What a beautiful day for a ride! Sunny and in the 80s.
Worker memorials
The spike spot is between the two trains:
There were supposed to be some pictures of the Spiral Jetty as well, which is only 16 miles up the road from Promontory, but we failed to realize that getting gas at Corrine, right as you get off the freeway, wasn't optional. We didn't have enough fuel to make the extra 32-mile round trip and had to turn back. But, it was a beautiful ride on a perfect day, and we're looking forward to making another trip to go out to the jetty.
I am sunburned and tired. This was an awesome first ride of the season!