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A Transcontinental Railroad is a railroad that crosses a continent typically from "coast-to-coast". A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Terminals are at or connected to different oceans. |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains Because Europe is criss-crossed by railways, railroads within Europe are usually not considered transcontinental, the Orient Express perhaps being an exception. The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance Passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits.

The ceremony for the driving of the golden spike, signifying the completion of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, United States, May 10, 1869. Photograph by Andrew J. Russell.
The ceremony for the driving of the golden spike, signifying the completion of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, United States, May 10, 1869. A " golden spike " was the last ceremonial spike driven specifically to mark the completion of a railroad line This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869 Promontory is a location in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, centered approximately at, at an Elevation of 1494 meters (4902 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Photograph by Andrew J. Russell. Andrew J Russell (1830-1902 was a 19th Century American Photographer of the Civil War and Union Pacific Railroad.

Contents

The Americas

Lord Strathcona driving the last spike of Canada's first transcontinental railroad, the Canadian Pacific Railway, in 1885
Lord Strathcona driving the last spike of Canada's first transcontinental railroad, the Canadian Pacific Railway, in 1885

Panama

The world's first transcontinental railroad was the Panama Railway, completed in 1855. Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, of Mount Royal in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada and of Glencoe in the County of Argyll is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Canadian Pacific Railway ( The Panama Railway or Panama Rail Road is a Railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama in Built near the narrowest point of the Central American isthmus in modern-day Panama (then part of Colombia), the railroad was 48 miles / 77. The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. 25 km long, and it was the first railroad to cross the Americas to connect the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. Given the tropical rain forest environment, the terrain, and diseases such as malaria and cholera, its completion was a considerable engineering challenge. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium The construction took 5 years, 8 million dollars and thousands of workers from the United States, Europe, China and Africa. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

This railroad was built to satisfy the need for a shorter and more secure path between the United States' East and West Coasts, a need triggered mainly by California Gold Rush. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States The California Gold Rush (1848&ndash1855 began on January 24 1848 when Gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California However, the railroad continued its activity over the years, and it played a key role in the construction and the subsequent operation of the Panama Canal, due to its proximity with the water way. The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the Currently, the railway operates under the private administration of the Panama Canal Railroad Company, and its upgraded capacity allows it to complement the cargo traffic through the Panama Canal.

United States

In the United States, the area of the Mississippi River has always been a transfer point between systems in the East and West. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The Eastern Half of The United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost No company has controlled a route all the way from one coast to the other (though several had lines between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico). The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The reason for this is fairly simple: if an eastern company were to ally itself with a western company, it would no longer have the choice to send traffic over the other western lines. This is still true—two of the major Class I railroads have systems east of the Mississippi, while the other two major ones are mainly west of the Mississippi. A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight Railroad, as classified

Thus, in the United States, the term transcontinental railroad usually refers to a line over the Rocky Mountains between the Midwest and Pacific Ocean. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. Some of the eastern trunk lines are covered in railroads connecting New York City and Chicago. In the " Official Territory " the land of the Northeast U

George J. Gould attempted to assemble a truly transcontinental system in the 1900s. George Jay Gould I ( February 6 1864 &ndash May 16 1923) was a financier and the son of Jay Gould. The line from San Francisco, California to Toledo, Ohio was completed in 1909, consisting of the Western Pacific Railway, Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Missouri Pacific Railroad and Wabash Railroad. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city This article is about the city in Ohio, USA. For Toledo Spain, see that article The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I Railroad in the United States. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, generally referred to as the Rio Grande, became the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1920 and is today a Fallen The Missouri Pacific Railroad ( MoPac; AAR Reporting mark MP) was one of the First railroads in the United States west of the The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Beyond Toledo, the planned route would have used the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway, Wabash-Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, Little Kanawha Railroad, West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway, Western Maryland Railroad and Philadelphia and Western Railway, but the Panic of 1907 stopped the plans before the Little Kanawha section could be finished. Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway is a Class II railroad which provides regional freight service The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a Railroad in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Wheeling West Virginia areas The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed third rail electric Railroad operating in the western suburbs of the U The Panic of 1907 also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic, was a Financial crisis that occurred in the United States when the Stock market fell close to The Alphabet Route was completed in 1931, providing the portion of this line east of the Mississippi River. The Alphabet Route was a coalition of Railroads connecting the Midwest United States with the Northeast, as a freight alternate to the four major systems The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to With the merging of the railroads, only the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway remain. The BNSF Railway headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the four remaining Transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in

Canada

The completion of Canada's first transcontinental railroad is an important milestone in Canadian history. Inhabited for millennia by First Nations ( aboriginal) the history of Canada has evolved from a group of European colonies into an officially Between 1881 and 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)[1] completed a line between Ontario and the Pacific coast, fulfilling a condition of British Columbia's 1871 entry into the Canadian Confederation. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the The City of Vancouver, incorporated in 1886, was designated the western terminus of the line. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal The CPR became the first transcontinental railway company in North America in 1889 after its International Railway of Maine opened, connecting CPR to the Atlantic coast. The International Railway Company of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR between Megantic, Quebec and Mattawamkeag

The construction of a transcontinental railroad had the effect of establishing a Canadian claim to the remaining parts of British North America not yet constituted as provinces and territories of Canada, acting as a bulwark against potential incursions by the United States. British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Subsequently, two other transcontinental lines were built in Canada: the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) opened another line to the Pacific in 1912, and the combined Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR)/National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) system opened in 1917 following the completion of the Quebec Bridge, although its line to the Pacific opened in 1914. The Canadian Northern Railway ( CNoR) is a historic Canadian The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR was a historical Canadian railway The National Transcontinental Railway ( NTR) was a historic Canadian railway. The Quebec Bridge ( Pont de Québec in French in Canada crosses the lower Saint Lawrence River to the west of Quebec City, and The CNoR, GTPR, and NTR were nationalized to form the Canadian National Railway, which remains Canada's "other" transcontinental railway. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government [2]

Guatemala

Main article: Rail transport in Guatemala

The second Transcontinental in Central America began in 1908 as a connection between Puerto San José and Puerto Barrios and ceased passenger service to Puerto San José in 1989. Guatemala had 200 miles (322 km of narrow gauge railroads as of 2006 Puerto San José is a city on Guatemala 's Pacific Ocean coast in the department of Escuintla. Puerto Barrios is a city in Guatemala, located within the Gulf of Honduras at. Puerto San José is a city on Guatemala 's Pacific Ocean coast in the department of Escuintla.

South America

Main article: Trans-Andean Railways

There is activity to revive the connection between Valparaíso and Santiago in Chile and Mendoza, Argentina, through the Transandino project. There are several Trans-Andean Railways which are either planned built defunct or waiting to be restored Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Valle Paraíso (Paradise Valley and also called "Valpo" locally is a major city in Chile Santiago ( (litteraly in spanish Saint James) is the Capital of Chile, and the center of its largest Conurbation ( Greater Santiago Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Mendoza (men'dōzə is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Mendoza has an active connection to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern The old Transandino began in 1910 and ceased passenger service in 1978 and freight 4 years later. Technically a complete transcontinental link exists from Arica, Chile, to La Paz, Bolivia, to Buenos Aires, but this trans-Andean crossing is for freight only. Arica is a port city in northern Chile, located only 18 km (11 miles south of the border with Peru. Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative Capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America.

Mexico - Panama

Eurasia

Other

Australia

East-West

The Trans-Australian Railway was the first route operated by the Federal Government.

In the 1930s, 1960s, and 1990s steps were taken to rationalise the gauge chaos and connect the mainland capital cities mentioned above with a streamlined 1435 mm uniform gauge system. Since 1970, when the direct line across the country was all completed as standard gauge, the passenger train on the Sydney to Perth line has been called the Indian Pacific. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Route The route leaves East Perth Station and travels first along a dual gauge section of the Midland suburban line and east to Kalgoorlie, then following

North-South

Africa

East-West

North-South

African Union of Railways

References

  1. ^ Canadian Pacific Railway. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  2. ^ Canadian National. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor

External links

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