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The Transcontinental Railroad Animation features images reproduced courtesy of Union Pacific.
Consultant to the animation: Don Snoddy, Archivist, Douglas County Historical Society
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Marvel at the speed with which two railroad tracks were built - racing towards each other across America.
The two companies involved were each desperate to build more track than their rival, in the shortest possible time - driving their men incredibly hard, in their desire to get rich quick.
Both had to face many obstacles as they tried to bring America together. The eastbound Central Pacific railroad had to be built through the imposing grandeur of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, before facing the waterless scrubland of Nevada.
For the westbound Union Pacific railroad there was the ever-present danger from the Sioux and the Cheyenne tribes, who were angry that the railroad was cutting through their traditional hunting grounds.
Here's your chance to discover more about the 'hell on wheels' towns, changed beyond recognition as an army of gamblers and prostitutes followed the Union Pacific workers across the prairie, eager to separate them from their cash. Or to find out why the Central Pacific Railroad has to thank the tireless courage of its Chinese workforce, who created the wonders of Cape Horn and Summit Tunnel.
This is a story of incredible toughness, amazing engineering and matchless determination. A story that tells how America, after the agony of the Civil War, finally succeeded in forging itself together as one nation.
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