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Caption continues: "Note the small horse-drawn cars used to haul dirt"

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Caption continues: "…meets Governor Leland Stanford's special train at Monument Point, near Promontory, Utah, where the governor was to participate in the 'Last Spike' ceremonies on May 10, 1869. Please credit: Southern Pacific Railroad. From: Association of American Railroads, Transportation Building, Washington, D.C. Note 'Jupiter' engine"

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Credit: Union Pacific Railroad, From: Association of American Railroads, Transportation Building, Washington, D.C.

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Caption: "The tremendous difficulties encountered by the Central Pacific Railroad in constructing the western end of a road to connect with the Union Pacific from the east are shown in this sketch by Joseph Becker. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Chinese coolies employed by the Central Pacific fought winter snows that drifted as high as 50 to 100 feet above the roadbed. From: Association of American Railroads, Transportation Building, Washington, D.C."

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Caption: "The locomotive C.P. Huntington, CP engine No. 3 and one of the two smallest locomotives owned by the railroad, on Cape Horn high above the American River Canyon in 1867. This locomotive was donated to the State of California and is now at the California Exposition grounds in Sacramento. Southern Pacific Photo X281."

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Credit: Union Pacific Railroad, From: Association of American Railroads, Transportation Building, Washington, D.C.

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Caption: "Unexpectedly heavy snows forced Central Pacific's pioneer builders to build snow sheds over the railroad in the High Sierra where 30-foot packs handicapped construction forces. This photo was taken in 1867. Eventually, about 40 miles of sheds covered an almost continuous stretch at high elevations. Today only about three miles remain due to powerful new snow plows and other improved machinery and methods for snow fighting. Southern Pacific Photo X 157"

Scope and Contents Caption continues: "…and a pioneer link in the Central Pacific, had been moved by early 1860 from Third and R Streets to larger quarters alongside the river docks at Front and K Streets. This provided a better connection not only with the heavy shipping that plied the river to and from San Francisco, but also with the Central Pacific, whose station is pictured in the background. Taken in 1869, this photo shows a CP freight train that has moved past the CP station to a point in front of the...

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Caption continues: "Known as a 'bucker' plow, it took as many as eight pioneer woodburning locomotives to ram a plow through the drifts in a heavy snowstorm. SP Photo X 399"

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Caption reads: "Photograph taken at Promontory Point, Utah, at the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. The Pacific and Central Pacific lines were joined on May 10, 1869. Please credit: Union Pacific Railroad. From: Association of American Railroads, Washington, D.C.