The First Transcontinental Railroad was a landmark transportation project that connected the Eastern and Western halves of the United States with a single rail line in 1869. Spanning over 1,700 miles between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Oakland, California, its completion was a major achievement in engineering and unified the country after the Civil War.
In this article, we will explore 31 riddles about this iconic railroad and provide answers to test your knowledge. From the challenging terrain the tracks crossed to the powerful locomotives that pulled the trains, learning about this history through fun riddles is an engaging way to discover more.
When Was The First Transcontinental Railroad Completed?
Riddle: I connected East to West in eighteen sixty-_________, unifying country from sea to sea. A golden spike marked my completeness for all posterity.
Answer: 1869
The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific rail lines connected at Promontory Summit, Utah. A golden spike was ceremonially hammered in to mark the linkage of the Eastern and Western rails.
Where Did The Central Pacific Railroad Start Building?
Riddle: I broke ground in Sacramento, beginning my Westward track. Through mountains and deserts I refused to turn back. Fighting nature’s obstacles, what was my starting point upon the map?
Answer: Sacramento, California
The Central Pacific Railroad started laying tracks heading eastward from Sacramento, California in 1863. They progressed through the Sierra Nevada mountains and harsh desert terrain before linking up with the Union Pacific Railroad coming from the Midwest.
Where Did Union Pacific Begin Construction?
Riddle: I started my eastward track in eighteen sixty-three, departing from the city beside the Missouri. Heading through plains towards an unknown meeting place, I began my journey from this Midwestern base.
Answer: Omaha, Nebraska
The Union Pacific Railroad kicked off construction in Omaha, Nebraska in 1863. They pushed westward, eventually connecting with the Central Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah in 1869.
Who Was The Main Engineer On The Central Pacific Railroad?
Riddle: Working for the railroad was my true calling and passion. Through the Sierra Nevadas I led the mission. We carved routes through seemingly impassable land. Now tell me, who was this civil engineering man?
Answer: Theodore Judah
Theodore Judah was the chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad tasked with finding a route through the treacherous Sierra Nevada mountains. His surveys enabled the line to be built crossing high mountain passes.
What Was The Name Of The Steam Locomotive That Met At Promontory Summit?
Riddle: On May 10, 1869, two locomotives met nose to nose. Golden spikes were readied as the country watched in repose. What were the sister engines that touched cowcatchers on this day?
Answer: Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (Jupiter)
At the Golden Spike ceremony completing the transcontinental railroad, UP 119 arrived from Omaha and met CP 60 (Jupiter) that came from Sacramento. Photographs documented the two locomotives ceremonially touching nose to nose.
What Difficult Mountain Range Did The Railroads Have To Cross?
Riddle: My snowy, unforgiving peaks touch the clouds, A rugged zone many miles across. Cutting rail beds here took guts and toil For passage through this rocky range the engineers did moil.
Answer: Sierra Nevada Mountains
The Central Pacific Railroad had to tunnel and blast through the extremely challenging Sierra Nevada mountain range spanning California and Nevada. Conditions posed threats like avalanches and landslides.
How Long Did It Take To Build The Transcontinental Railroad?
Riddle: I’ll tell you plainly without any pause, From 1863 to 1869 – just six years time Across plains and peaks, that railroad climb Comparing days between my start and finish line.
Answer: 6 years
It took six years from 1863 when construction began until 1869 when rails connected Omaha with Sacramento spanning 1,700+ miles. The timeline is impressive considering the limits of nineteenth century construction methods and equipment.
Why Were Chinese Laborers Recruited To Work On The Railroad?
Riddle: Backbreaking work laying miles of track We carved the rail beds with shovel and pick. When labor grew scarce, ten thousand were hired — We sailed from China when the railroad required.
Answer: Difficult mountain construction demanded more workers.
The extreme challenge of laying track across the Sierra Nevada mountains motivated Central Pacific foremen to recruit thousands of Chinese migrant laborers. Their prior experience mining and digging tunnels transferred to digging rail beds.
What Was Used To Blast Tunnels Through The Mountains?
Riddle: Inside mountain tunnels we were drilling holes, Filling them with me for giant explosions. Mixing sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, I’m an early blasting agent used by crews freight.
Answer: Black powder/gunpowder
Black powder consisting of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate was utilized by Central Pacific rail crews to blast through solid granite mountains. The explosive mixture helped carve a path but also caused some fatal accidents.
Why Did The Railroads Meet At Promontory Summit In Utah?
Riddle: I offered relatively flat lands between the ranges, A practical place for the rails to rearrange. With no dominant town here to satisfy, I was a logical spot for the tracks to ally.
Answer: It was a convenient midpoint location between Omaha and Sacramento.
Promontory Summit in Utah Territory was an unoccupied area halfway between the Central Pacific starting point and the Union Pacific’s. This open stretch allowed the railroads to join without favoring one associated town or city over another.
How Long Was The Completed Transcontinental Route?
Riddle: Omaha and Sacramento — cities at my ends, I’ll tally the miles if you pay attention, my friend. Add up my Union Pacific and Central parts… 1,776 miles long between those departure starts!
Answer: 1,776 miles
The total length of continuous track connecting Omaha to Sacramento was approximately 1,776 miles. Union Pacific laid 1,087 miles of track and Central Pacific covered 690 miles through the mountains.
What Was Significant About The Golden Spike?
Riddle: Crafted from precious California metal I may be small but I’m historic, you bet! Final spike driven home joined the rail, And later on tours did I regale! What tiny object bears this weighty honor?
Answer: The golden spike
The ceremonial final golden spike made of precious metal connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific tracks at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869. The spike itself later traveled on tours to commemorate the transcontinental railroad milestone.
Who Drove The Last Spike Signifying The Railroad’s Completion?
Riddle: Neither Stanford nor Durant by name, Instead representatives in their stead came. Who struck that spike of gold, completing the track And joined the rails without looking back?
Answer: No one – the honor missed and spike bent.
In fumbling the simultaneous spike strike moment, neither Central Pacific’s Grenville Dodge nor Union Pacific’s Thomas Durant hit the mark solid. The bent golden spike had to be replaced with an iron one to connect the lines.
How Did Passengers Get Between The Original Western Termini?
Riddle: Trains departed Sacramento full of travelers heading east over Donner Pass they rolled. But how did passengers cover ground getting west To Oakland’s ferries after their rail rest?
Answer: Stagecoaches and buses brought them from Sacramento.
Since Sacramento and Oakland were both designated as end points for the “First Transcontinental Railroad” route travelers finished their journey via stagecoaches and buses if California bound from the east.
What Was Significant About The Journey Of UP 119 And CP 60?
Riddle: Never before had we traveled these tracks so new – Rolling thousands of miles across the land we once flew. We celebrated driving those thin ribbons of steel Connecting people that freedom someday would seal.
Answer: They were the first locomotives to cross the country by rail.
UP 119 and CP 60 (Jupiter) were the first steam locomotives that traveled coast to coast laying their own tracks. This milestone symbolized how railroads could unite America and preceded even greater freedoms.
How Much Did It Cost To Build The Transcontinental Railroad?
Riddle: Imagine twin silver strands spanning the land From Pacific to Atlantic joined by rail and hand. Add up dollars and injuries – blood and currency, How much did I cost to connect sea to shining sea?
Answer: $79 million dollars total
The First Transcontinental Railroad came with the heavy price tag of $79 million dollars when accounting for labor, resources and the many lives lost. But it integrated East and West trade and travel like never achievable before.
How Did Rail Workers Alter The Wyoming Landscape?
Riddle: I’ll admit, to grade my elevated route We moved a heap of earth about! In Wyoming alone we relocated soil Twenty million cubic yards piled high as royal boil!
Answer: They relocated 20 million cubic yards of land.
To create a gradual, steady ascent of the railroad grade up the Wyoming landscape alone, the Union Pacific cut through and moved twenty million cubic yards of earth – one of the biggest such engineering projects ever undertaken.
What Was The Name Of The Chinese Railroad Foreman?
Riddle: A thousand men looked to me each day as we toiled, blasting and digging that Pacific way. An immigrant who’d crossed an ocean so wide, I led my Chinese fellows with authority and pride.
Answer: Hung Wah
Hung Wah was the Chinese labor boss who managed teams up to 1,000 Chinese workers laying Central Pacific Railroad track. He supervised grading slopes through the Sierra Nevada Mountains at rates of a mile per day.
How Did The Government Support The Railroad’s Construction?
Riddle: Washington backed this project with land and loans. Bonds to build the bed, property to own. How many acres was each mile laid worth? Federal assistance from the President on down!
Answer: 10 square miles of land for each mile of track
The government granted the Central Pacific and Union Pacific companies 10 square miles of public land adjacent to each mile of track laid as an incentive for construction. Bonds helped fund the work too.
Where Could Passengers Disembark When Arriving At Train Stations?
Riddle: No platform could you walk straight from my cars. Look under rolling stock to end your travels. A pit beneath held precious cargo ’til towns erected sheds for disembark and embark.
Answer: Passengers climbed down into a pit to exit trains before platforms were built.
In early railroad stations, passengers exited trains by climbing down into a pit dug under the tracks once Pullman cars stopped. This allowed clearance to exit since no platforms were yet constructed for convenient boarding and alighting.
Who Captured One Of The Most Famous Photographs At Promontory Summit?
Riddle: Train spotters East and West awaited my glimpse Of enginemeeting to begin their linkage. But which shutterbug snapped that most iconic shot Witnessing railroad history forever be got?
Answer: Andrew J. Russell
Famed photographer Andrew J. Russell captured the famous image of UP 119 and CP 60 locomotives touching cowcatchers upon completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, freezing the moment in time.
Why Didn’t They Celebrate By Actually Driving The Golden Spike?
Riddle: You’d think after all that work we would have done it right — Connecting those symbolic rails at golden spike site. But in missing those swings, what silly reason explains Not hammering that final pin once locomotive trains?
Answer: Photographers preparing to capture the moment said they weren’t ready yet!
In the anticipation leading up to the driving of the ceremonial final golden spike, the photographers documenting the event shouted for the railroad owners to wait as they were still adjusting and preparing to capture the climactic moment.
How Much Track Was Laid By Union Pacific In A Single Year?
Riddle: We worked at breakneck, record-setting pace Each mile down meant a new landscape to embrace. Hills and rivers could not impede progress North Platte bridge built, progress we blessed. How many miles laid in eighteen sixty-eight?
Answer: Over 560 miles of track built by Union Pacific in 1868
At their peak pace, Union Pacific track layers and graders laid over 560 miles of continuous rail line heading west in 1868 alone – that’s more than 1.5 miles of track laid every calendar day on average! Their speed was the fastest yet achieved up to that date around the world.
How Did Central Pacific Laborers Alter Their Diets To Work More Efficiently?
Riddle: To fuel our strength carving rail through the heights We doubled our rice rations over other appetite bites — Meat made men too stiff and sluggish to work Sunrise to sunset non-stop no shirk. What starch sustained our crews hacking at Sierras?
Answer: Chinese laborers ate more rice for energy instead of meat.
The Chinese workers relied on increased proportions of rice in their meals instead of meat. This provided plentiful strength and stamina to put in long hours swinging hammers and shovels through solid rock as they worked laying track.
What Was The Name Of The Very First Train To Cross The Country On Transcontinental Tracks?
Riddle: Before regular trips from Atlantic to Pacific ran, A special train made the trip as historic first trans-American. It left New York one rainy morn and rode those ribbons west – In fame and anticipation what was this trains name bequest?
Answer: The Pacific Express
Even before regular passenger trains operated coast to coast on the newly completed First Transcontinental Railroad, a special locomotive and two cars dubbed the “Pacific Express” made the monumental inaugural trip from New York to San Francisco.
Who First Conceived Of A Coast-To-Coast Railroad 15 Years Before It Was Built?
Riddle: Before rail to road connected East to West, An idea in my papers did indubitably suggest A track could span from shore to teething shore I sketched the vision though thought mad and bore Fifteen years ere Golden Spike what pamphleteer force saw potential?
Answer: Asa Whitney
Visionary pioneer Asa Whitney published conceptual proposals in 1844 describing how constructing a transcontinental railroad could revolutionize commerce and unify America between its Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The idea finally became reality just 15 years later.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed testing your knowledge about the iconic First Transcontinental Railroad with this selection of 31 riddles and answers! From learning about the challenging terrain traversed to the workers who braved harsh conditions and remarkable construction achievements, appreciating this history through puzzles makes it come alive. Let me know if you have any other railroad brain teasers or would like more details on this country-connecting engineering marvel!
