USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The rail line, also called the Great Transcontinental Railroad and later the “Overland Route, ” was predominantly built by the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) and Union Pacific (with some contribution by the Western Pacific Railroad Company) over public lands provided by extensive US land grants.

Detailed explanation-2: -The building of the transcontinental railroad opened up the American West to more rapid development. With the completion of the track, the travel time for making the 3, 000-mile journey across the United States was cut from a matter of months to under a week.

Detailed explanation-3: -In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast, the railroad also facilitated international trade. The first freight train to travel eastward from California carried a load of Japanese tea.

Detailed explanation-4: -Eight Irish tracklayers put down 3, 520 rails, while other workers laid 25, 800 ties and drove 28, 160 spikes in a single day. On May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a golden spike was hammered into the final tie. The transcontinental railroad was built in six years almost entirely by hand.