The rail spanning the continent in the 1860's
weighed 56 pounds to the yard, and was of
wrought iron in a "pear-shaped" configuration.
Congressional acts required the Pacific
Railway to be built with materials of
American manufacture, and steel rail,
available only from Europe at that time,
could not be used. Such light iron could not
stand the abuse of increasingly heavy
locomotives, and it was replaced in just a few
years with more durable steel. The piece
before you is one of the few complete sections
of Transcontinental Iron left today.
Don't miss the rest of our virtual tour of Golden Spike National Historical Site in 660 images.