USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Contents. In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, tasking them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west.

Detailed explanation-2: -By connecting the existing eastern U.S. rail networks to the west coast, the Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad") became the first continuous railroad line across the United States. It was constructed between 1863 and 1869.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Railroad Act of 1862 put government support behind the transcontinental railroad and helped create the Union Pacific Railroad, which subsequently joined with the Central Pacific at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, and signaled the linking of the continent.

Detailed explanation-4: -On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history.