Unleashing the Thunder: Transcontinental Railroad at Golden Spike Utah 

As a retired operating employee of the Union Pacific Railroad, which built the line from Omaha westward, I was present at the park in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of driving the Golden Spike that united the country from ocean to ocean. A very proud moment.

Hey, Hey It's RVerTV Russ, Thanks for letting us Ride along to Utah with you my Friend. 👍

Another great video, Russ! You are making it possible for people to see things they otherwise never would! This was a great stop. Its like seeing "Hell On Wheels" come to life. Who doesn't like trains? Especially old trains! This is history tight in front of your eyes. Thanks!

G'day from NSW Australia. Once again Russ produces a top notch travel video by the master of quality road trip videos. !

Great piece of history, the railway network was the backbone of the country in those days.

Those trains are works of art! Thanks for taking us along on the ride!

Thank you so much for this historic presentation! All my life I've wanted to see something like this now you made it possible! It's been a 76 1/2 year wait but it was worth it.

Trains look amazing for being over 150 years. Its interesting history, Russ. FYI, the Sturgis Rally had over 502,000 vehicles this year.

Just amazed at the park system. That’s a real gem of history! Thanks Russ! Looking forward to seeing camping up there!

Very nicely done as usual. Thanks from all us home bound viewers who'll never get a chance to get there in person..

Have been there many times over the years, would take relatives who were vacationing, always marveled at the mechanical beauty of these engines. Often spoke to the dedicated people involved. These are absolutely perfect replicas in every detail.

Again Russ, thanks for sharing the wonderful history that I may never have seen without your video. Looking forward to your next stop. Be well

Russ your just top notch ,excellent video ,you just can’t wait for the next venture 👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Thanks for taking us along to see the Golden Spike site. I was out there years ago -- I remember thinking "this place is really out in the middle of nowhere!" There's also a interesting spot just down the road with a bunch of rockets on display, I think it's off in the distance at about 3:15. Really nice restoration on the trains, they look fantastic. If you're going to be camping "on" the Great Salt Lake, I guess you're headed for Antelope Island? (Not an island anymore due to dropping water levels ☹)

Extremely cool stop. The meeting of the two trains, their restoration and the location where the Golden Spike was driven. I think there were a lot of Chinese builders of the railroads. A lot of the workers lost their lives boring through those mountains. Great history lesson! Russ, you need a train whistle for your van, that would be Too Cool for School!

So amazing that they lay on all that show for just a few people. Very interesting and must be amazing for the young children to see those fire breathing monsters. Just Incredible. Thanks

I would love to take my little nephews to this park they would love to see a train up close. Thanks Russ for taking us along.

Thanks Russ. In the Sacramento railroad museum they have one of the golden spikes on display I believe it was the one that Stanford had. If I remember right they found it on eBay one of the founders nephews or whoever was trying to sell it. It’s cool to look at for sure.

I have relatives that are participants in the annual celebration at the Golden Spike park.

Thanks Russ! 🙋‍♀️Trains are beautifully restored. Very colorful. Wonder how far that locomotive would get on that tiny pile of wood. Beautiful scenery.

We visited there in the 80's, returning to Calif from a visit to Idaho.but I think I learned more from your visit than mine. I've been under the impression the trains are replicas of the originals, and not restorations.

Gosh, you do such a terrific job of evoking the sense and feeling of the places you visit. It makes me feel as if I have been on the road trip with you. So realistic. No fluff. Thanks!

Hi Russ,great video again. Those two locomotives looked superb. Really glad you took the opportunity to film them. Looking forward to your next video. Stay safe.

Must admit, Russ, the park is more developed than I thought it was; very nicely done. Thanks for stopping in. The Central Pacific, which build its portion of the transcontinental route eastward from California, agreed to compensation from the federal government for something like x-amount of dollars per mile of rail laid in the flatlands (as seen in the video) and 2x-amount of dollars per mile in the mountains. This led to a big court battle when the CP crossed a stream some 40 miles distant from what sensible people would deem the start of the Sierras. The railroad argued that the geological strata on the east side of the stream was identical to that of the mountains, while being completely different from that on the west side. The CP thus wanted compensation at the 2x rate despite the fact the topography was still flat as a pancake. Naturally, the federal government said phooey to that, so off to court the railroad went. After many experts testified for both sides, the court found in favor of the CP. Only in America!

Excellent park that I never knew about. Thanks Russ😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌🤩

Wow that Golden Spike Railroad and trains was cool! And the Chinese Arch was too! Thank you Russ!❤️😀🇺🇸🚙

We visited there in 2009, really enjoyed our visit,the lady that worked there then was from Mobile Al,we are from North Al and we had a nice visit. Her teenage son was helping with the restoration that they do to maintain the trains. I would encourage anyone traveling close to the area to stop and see the history there. Thanks for sharing!

We were there a couple of years ago and they have made some nice improvements to the viewing area. We were kept quite a ways away from the engines. Nice to see the improvements.

Just a quick note, golden Spike National Park is Brigham City, Utah is just south of there and that used to be the US Indian Police Academy where I went to back in 1978. It has now moved to Artesia, New Mexico.Added information: The Academy one of three law enforcement academies located on the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, New Mexico. The Academy designs and delivers training specific to Indian Country Justice Services needs for police officers, criminal investigators, correctional officers, dispatchers, and command staff. It has upgraded training now then when it was in Brigham City. In 1973, the Academy was relocated to the Inter-mountain Inter-tribal School campus, Brigham City, Utah, as an operation of BIA’s Central Office, Okay, well thanks for the video, just thought the above information was worth posting.

I never knew this existed. I knew about the history of the railroads. But You find the best places and someday soon I'll hop in my car and head out!

Those locos are simply beautiful. Great job in showing us them. 👍❤️😊

Thanks for taking us along in this beautiful place.

Lovely video 👍👍🎵😎🎶🤗The vintage engines are gorgeous.

Thanks 🙏 great program 👍God bless USA 🇺🇸🥰

Fantastic .nice to see children enjoying the history

So interesting Russ! No one talks about this and it’s so historical! Thank you!🎉

You are the next best thing to being there my self. Thanks for such great videos.

Thank you for your efforts to bring this to use on you tube. You do a wonderful job with your knowledge and interest. 🙏

Pretty cool Park Mr. Russ. Really neat that you can drive on part of the old railbed to see some sites.

😄 Gotta say that your cheerful bumper music always makes me smile!

My son volunteered on weekends so we had a chance to visit.

Russ, You never stop amazing us! Thank you

Promontory is a rather "kick in the butt" for this life long railbuff. I spent 5-years stationed at Hill AFB and lived just off downtown Ogden (78-83). For those 5 years, I wanted to visit Promontory, but generally told myself "maybe next weekend". Well, advance forward to New Year's Day, 1988. Was in Ogden to pick-up a kid from her Xmas visitation with her Mama. I have a beloved photo, on my wall, of new wife standing on that Laurel tie. A word about the track and the locomotives. In 1902, the Southern Pacific completed the Lucin Cutoff across the Salt Lake. This 102 mile line eliminated 146 miles of track over the Promontory Mountains, resulting in a great amount of time and fuel savings. The SP kept the original line intact in case it was needed as a detour. After the start of WWII, the line was dismantled and turned in for wartime scrap. In preparation of the 1969 Golden Spike Bicentennial, the Park Service had two miles of track rebuilt on the original grade, replicating 1869 practices as much as possible. For the 1969 bicentennial, the Park Service borrowed two locomotives to play the part of the original locomotives, with the Jupiter and 119 having been scrapped in 1902 and 1904 respectively. After several years of trucking in stand in locomotives, the Park Service, in 1974, contracted with O'Connor Engineering Laboratories out of Costa Mesa, to build replicas of the two locomotives. Because there were no existing drawings or blueprints, the company had to create their own. With the assistance of railroad author Gerald Best and Disney Imagineering, they not only produced exact replicas, but the paint schemes as well. In the early 2000's, someone discovered a newspaper article written about the ceremony wherein the author gave a detailed description of the Jupiter. The Park Service decided that a repaint was required, so the replica now looks like the description in the paper. As built, according to an article in TRAINS Magazine (at the time), the replicas were powered by propane, but (according to a current website) were powered by waste motor oil provided by Hill AFB. In 1990, the Park Service decided to burn the fuel the original locomotives burn, wood or coal. Thanks for the memories, on so MANY levels!

Wow this place is awesome! We love trains as you can tell by our channel. This is a MUST do for us! Thank you Russ! Keep that channel growing.....100K is coming soon!

Great video and US history lesson and engineering ability of our men back then. I was just in Utah not far from that I would have differently visited it if I had heard of it. Those trains were beautiful and so well maintained. Keep the videos coming and stay safe out there.

God Bless , United States America , Russ , RVerTV Fans. Happy Trails - U.S.A. - Russ - RVerTV Fans , Russ Too 4 School. Thank you Russ.

Steel wheels on steel track. Maybe some icing here and there. You want something flat. lol Love that you hit these places that don't shined on much.

The engines are just beautiful. The rail gauge looks much wider than todays.

Lol, you certainly are a traveler. I've watched several of your videos and have enjoyed them all. Thanks for doing them.

That is one beauty.

Great video! Who knew this park existed and with the show?

Thanks for another fine tour. Enjoyed myself just like I was a kid again! Never thought I would see that moment in history. Thanks for sharing.

Neat video. I think that had I been alive during the construction I would have been a surveyor. The went ahead of the construction and, in part, lived off the land. Anyone who is interested in the building of the transcontinental railroad should read Nothing Like It In The World by Stephen Ambrose.

Thank you for taking me to a destination that in my golden years I will never get to see in person. I enjoy all your videos and always look forward to your new ones.

Very cool! Thanks for the tour. Definitely on my bucket list!! 😊

Was out there on may 10th! They have a show every yr on the day the spike was hammered

This was a great video! Thanks Russ!

Really enjoyed this video. Trains are in my blood ( grandfather engineer for Western Pacfic). Thanks. Dennis in Oregon.

Awesome Russ 👍

🚂 I was there back in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s. Wonderful displays and historic train show; aren’t they both such beauties. Somewhere along the way out yonder in my travels through Utah there was another remote dinosaur site, not the one in southwestern Utah. Also an area to dig up I think it was opals. 💎

Somewhere in internet land there’s a documentary film / movie about this , I watched it years ago via my computer , yes very educational and interesting !

Been there, done that. A very interesting place to visit and it is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere.

Great stop, good to see the restored engines, beautiful.😉🚂

When you get home you should dig up the 1939 movie ‘Union Pacific’ with Barbara Stanwick and Joel MacRae. A Cecil B. deMille classic. Tells the story of building the railroad west from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City. A few Hollywood stretches but still a good movie.

That was an interesting and fun video. It's truly amazing history. I love the rock they used to build that visitor center. Thanks for the video Russ and safe travels.

Thank you for uploading this. I didn’t even know it was there. I have to go see it.

So great! In my 2015 trip for Utah, I didn´t opportunity to see these railroad park, where U.P. met C.P. result in the first Transcontinental railroad in America more than 150 years ago. If you travel westbound near Interestate 80 in Utah and Nevada, you will show us many wonderful places. Thanks a lot from Brazil!

Russ we were there in april,was amazed at coming over the hill to see the solid rocket booster refueling site near the golden spike site

Nice Road trip, GOOD JOB

Amazing! Well done I can’t wait to see this Thanks for all your dedication and time and making this YT Outstanding!

Years ago I watched that "Hell on Wheels" series based on this (mostly fiction though). It was a very long and hard project for sure. Great video, Russ! Glad to see you having such a good time.

Nice job again Russ those Engines were very cool so neat to see. I remember reading about the TCR in school never thought I would see it. Thanks for another great video. Keep on trucking and I will check you out again.

Pardon me, boy - Is that the Chattanooga choo-choo ??? No, I guess not 😄 But what a cool video ! Thanks for sharing the adventure, Russ. Like you always say: "Too cool for school !!"

I came through here myself a couple years ago. When I saw the sign I debated whether it would be worth going 30 mi. out of my way. It definitely was! When I was there the two steam locos were parked. I didn't know they ran! I think they look much newer and cleaner than they would have in those days. The Jupiter was Leland Stanford's personal locomotive. It's SUPPOSED to be wood-burning, but I didn't see any smoke! Only steam, not smoke. I saw the actual Golden Spike at the Cantor Museum on the campus of Stanford University.

Thanks Russ for another interesting video! We were there in June and enjoyed it.

🙋‍Hello Russ! Well worth the drive to see The Golden Spike National Park. I thought the museum was really nice. I liked that wall was neat with the long brown wood like picture with houses on it. I could spend the whole day there looking at all those books. All about books. I liked the presentation by the Ranger. Loved seeing these old trains. One powered by wood, I thought was neat, I didn't realize a train could run on wood. Before my time I guess. The Chinese Arch was neat. It's far away from everything, but well worth the drive. Thank you Russ. Have a wonderful weekend.👍

Great video! Thanks! It’s great to see what color the engines were after seeing only the black and white photos! You are close to Burning Man which starts Sunday. Maybe you can see it from the road.

Who doesn’t love an old steam train, great stuff Russ. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🚂🚂🚂

Trains right at beginning.Yay.

I love your video on the golden spike I just got back from vacation in Salt Lake utah I didn't know the golden spike was in Salt Lake utah thanks again marty

Thanks Russ that was cool.

That was terrific, learned more new information! Gotta pass this one to others, thanks…..

Top notch stabilization on that front mounted GoPro. Super smooth even on dirt roads.

love your travels .

The 150th anniversary celebration was like the Woodstock of Railfanning events.

Been there. Loved it.

YAY IT'S RUSS!!!!

Thanks for your videos. They are great

Great video! As a history buff and railfan, please post more like this!

Good video of History on the Railroad, I’ll have to look into that thanks.

Thanks so much for taking us here! Very interesting. Your videos are as good as being there!! Keep up the good work 😎

Really an amazing video also very very well restored iron God is beautiful and I know a lot about the stories behind it because I've watched different shows and did a lot of reading get a Love Trains anyway but anyway thanks for taking us along you have a great day and be safe for us as always great job keep it up brother

I haven't seen the trains yet! And I live here! Lol.

Back from my 12 state road trip so am catching up on your videos. I went through Utah but didn't see where this was , maybe see it in the future. Take care

PBS had a documentary on the building of the continental railroad a while back but enjoyed seeing your video on it. Cool stuff. Thank you, Russ.

thank you, very cool

Amazing!

Looks so nice and green there. I love the name "Golden Spike". Great video Russ.

Nice vid Russ! Very best always, Len

Great video!