Western Railroad Discussion > Happy 133 year Anniversary....

....to the driving of the golden spike.

L.G.

We're planning a big party in Omaha today to celebrate the construction of our new headquarters building across the street from our exisiting office. Dick Davidson, along with the governor, the mayor, a congressmen and a state senator will make remarks and drive a replica 3-foot high golden spike with chrome plated spike mauls. The two parade "trains" used at the Olympic opening ceremonies in Salt Lake will come down the ramp into the excavation site and be part of the ceremonies. All that, complete with a high school band from Council Bluffs and free pop and hot dogs for our employees.

As a kid, I celebrated the 100th year of the golden spike by buying a ticket to ride the Union Pacific "City of Hinkle" mixed train from Spokane, Wa to Cheney, WA. My mother then drove me back.

I still have quite a few of the special calendars the UP put out to celibrate the 100th year. There wasn't a UP employee in Spokane that didn't get hit by me for their calendar at the end of the year!

Dan

And to celebrate, I'm gonna surf as many Southern Pacific/Union Pacific sites as possible.

Wish I could have been there 133 years ago...well, maybe not.

Dave

of Calif. RR Comm. approval of U.P. Anaheim Branch(per John Signor's L.A.&S.L.RR book, I've never seen the actual Decision).

NYC#999 also made its historic record breaking 100mph+ run on this date in 1893.
"Oregon Pony", 4-wheeled inside cylinder, 5 ton steam loco(1st built in western U.S. and 1st used north of Calif. made first run on 4.5 mile squared timber track Oregon Portage RR on this date in 1862(now on display at Cascade Locks)
...................AND.......................
Illinois Central General Superintendent issued prelimionary report on this date in 1900 of Casey Jones legendary fatal accident at Vaughan Missiissippi.
In a non RR veighn(but still transport related),
the USS Triton(submarine) completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth on this date in1960(following Magellan's 41,000 mile royte in 84 days).

May 10, 1969 -
CPRR JUPITER portrayed by RLHS V&T Locomotive #12 GENOA

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May 10, 1969 -
UPRR Locomotive #119 portrayed by MGM Studios V&T Locomotive #11, RENO

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May 10, 1969 -
Overview of the site during ceremony renactment. Temperature was about 100 deg F. Crowd approx 13,000. A memorable time was had by all.

Stan Garner

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Thanks for the May 10, 1969 photos Stan. I was there. UP ran 8444 (as I recall the number then) on a special from Salt Lake City to Ogden.

Hot and dusty at the Golden Spike site, out in the boonies. It was a fun trip.

Though I feel that the failure of Union Pacific to host an "all you can eat and drink" banquet for its shareholders was a major social gaffe, I did feel I should quote a snippet from Walt Whitman's poem. A link to the poem is at http://cprr.org/Museum/Links.html, where you will find a host of great stuff.

http://www.bartleby.com/142/183.html
Walt Whitman (1819–1892), "Leaves of Grass," 1900
183. "Passage to India"

>>
....
In one, again, different, (yet thine, all thine, O soul, the same,)
I see over my own continent the Pacific Railroad, surmounting every barrier;
I see continual trains of cars winding along the Platte, carrying freight and passengers;
I hear the locomotives rushing and roaring, and the shrill steam-whistle,
I hear the echoes reverberate through the grandest scenery in the world;
I cross the Laramie plains—I note the rocks in grotesque shapes—the buttes;
I see the plentiful larkspur and wild onions—the barren, colorless, sage-deserts;
I see in glimpses afar, or towering immediately above me, the great mountains—I see the Wind River and the Wahsatch mountains;
I see the Monument mountain and the Eagle’s Nest—I pass the Promontory—I ascend the Nevadas;
I scan the noble Elk mountain, and wind around its base;
I see the Humboldt range—I thread the valley and cross the river,
I see the clear waters of Lake Tahoe—I see forests of majestic pines,
Or, crossing the great desert, the alkaline plains, I behold enchanting mirages of waters and meadows;
Marking through these, and after all, in duplicate slender lines,
Bridging the three or four thousand miles of land travel,
Tying the Eastern to the Western sea,
The road between Europe and Asia.

....

After the seas are all cross’d, (as they seem already cross’d,)
After the great captains and engineers have accomplish’d their work,
After the noble inventors—after the scientists, the chemist, the geologist, ethnologist,
Finally shall come the Poet, worthy that name;
The true Son of God shall come, singing his songs.
....
<<

Excuse me; I'm one of those sensitive types. I need a tissue.

This poem by Bret Harte is better known.

http://www.bartleby.com/102/204.html

>>
What the Engines Said

Opening of the Pacific Railroad

WHAT was it the Engines said,
Pilots touching,&#8212;head to head
Facing on the single track,
Half a world behind each back?
This is what the Engines said,
Unreported and unread.

....

Said the Union: "Don't reflect, or
I 'll run over some Director."
Said the Central: "I 'm Pacific;
But, when riled, I 'm quite terrific.
Yet to-day we shall not quarrel,
Just to show these folks this moral,
How two Engines&#8212;in their vision&#8212;
Once have met without collision."

That is what the Engines said,
Unreported and unread;
Spoken slightly through the nose,
With a whistle at the close.
<<

Stash -

Do you mean this trip? 8444 passing Roy at a lot more than 70 mph.

Stan

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In my list of other May 10 anniversaries above, I included the 100+mph record breaking run of NYC 4-4-0 #999. Although several books in my library assert said date, certain websites claim it was later that year(see thread on Eastern Board).
However, in addition to the events listed above, I found one more, the authorization by USRA for resumption of construction of the SD&A RR on that date in 1918, the only such authorization after the Fed. Gov't. seized control of all U.S. RRs in 1917, per Bob Hanft's book about the line.

Good post, especially the third photo shows the huge turnout.

133 years? Uh?? More like 148 years, it was May 10, 1869 that the golden spike was driven.

overland28 Wrote:
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> 133 years? Uh?? More like 148 years, it was May
> 10, 1869 that the golden spike was driven.


Note that the original post was in 2002, i.e. 15 years ago!

I just noticed that. Why post an old report?

The 1969 event was most memorable.

Something never to forget.

I was seeing 10 May on the post and a little confused, because today is 9 May. Being retired sometimes I am a day off anyway. LOL

Victor Baird



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/25 21:33 by wabash2800.