150 Years of Great American Trains

150 years ago, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln made an attempt to bind a fractured nation by signing the Pacific Railroad Act. Two companies — the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad — were tasked with building a rail line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, linking both coasts of the United States. Between 1862 and 1869, the two companies would take full advantage of government financing, cheap labor and a nation distracted by war. Though corners were cut and scandals were numerous, the achievement was tremendous: What once was a harrowing journey of six months now took just one week.

While passenger rail travel in the U.S. now lags behind the high-speed railways of Europe and Asia, the train was king for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Pacific Railway Act, we take a look back at 10 great American passenger trains, from steam engines to streamliners.

Union Pacific 119

On May 10, 1869, Central Pacific Railroad chief Leland Stanford used a golden hammer to pound a single golden spike into the ground, joining the tracks of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in Promontory Summit, Utah. Beside Stanford were two trains — the Central Pacific’s Jupiter, and the Union Pacific’s 119. It was pressed into service by accident: Another locomotive was planned for the ceremony, but it couldn’t make it to Promontory Summit after some bridge supports washed away in Colorado. No. 119 just happened to be the closest nearby train, and became part of history. That’s a replica shown above: 119 was scrapped unceremoniously after pulling freight for more than 40 years.

Photo: jshyun/Flickr