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Transcontinental Railroad
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Special Features


  • General Article: Nitroglycerin
  • Biography: Grenville Dodge (1831-1916)
  • General Article: Workers of the Union Pacific Railroad
  • Biography: Leland Stanford (1824-1893)
  • Biography: Theodore Judah (1826-1863)
  • Biography: Jack Casement (1829-1909) and Francis Jennings Casement (1840-1928)
Film Details

Transcontinental Railroad


The remarkable story of greed, innovation and gritty determination to build a railroad connecting California to the East. Peopled by the ingenious entrepreneurs whose unscrupulous financing got the line laid, the brilliant engineers who charted the railroad's course and hurdled the geological obstacles in its way, the armies of workers who labored relentlessly on the enterprise, and the Native Americans whose lives were destroyed in its wake, The Transcontinental Railroad reveals both why the railroad was built and how it would shape the nation, while shedding light on the politics and culture of mid-19th century America.

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  • Introduction
  • Cast & Crew
  • Transcript

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The Railroad revolutionized American travel. Many people ride trains today not just for transportation, but also as a way to see the country. What trains have you been on? Have you been in a Pullman car? Share your most memorable train ride.

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