Name of the first railroad built entirely across the United States from PA to CA (I think)?

Question

Does anyone remember the name of the train/railroad they built that went completely across the United States... in the days of the coal mining stuff? I remember doing a whole chapter on it in US History 2 when I was a senior in high school about 5 years ago... and my papers are at my mothers house. So any history buff know what it's called?

Answer 1

transcontinental railroad. The Union pacific and Central Pacific railroads.

Answer 2

The way you asked the question the answer would be no one railroad ever built completely across the United States.  Even the misnamed Transcontinental was built by two railroads. All of the Transcontinental railroad was west of the Mississippi  river.  Even in the heyday of passenger railroading you would have had to at least use two railroads to go from New York to California.  Maybe the Pennsylvania  or the New York Central to Chicago and the Santa Fe to California and you used other railroad's track even with those big name trains.

Answer 3

The first transcontinental railroad in the US was completed in 1869. The Central Pacific built east from Sacramento, California. The Union Pacific built west from Omaha, Nebraska. The railroads met at Promontory Summit, Utah. Realistically, it took many years after the meeting in Utah to complete a continuous railroad from coast to coast.