The First Transontinental Railroad was a significant achievement in the building of a still young America and was significant milestone in world history as well being the first time a continent was joined by one continuous railroad line linking two oceans. The Central Pacific (CP) worked East-to-West, while the Union Pacific (UP) worked West-to-East. The two met at Promontary Summit, Utah Territory where on May 10, 1869 the Golden Spike Ceremony was held. The CPs Jupiter was nose-to-nose with the UPs No. 119 while the CPs President Leland Stanford drove the ceremonial last spike made of 17.6-karat gold and weighin 14.03 troy ounces. While the original Golden Spike survives and is a part of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University in Stanford, California, the Jupiter had been sold to another railroad and ultimately scrapped in 1909. Enjoy!
