Planning

Theodore Judah realized the cost and challenges would be immense. He knew dozens of others wanted to get into the field, but all were afraid of such a massive commitment.

The year was 1854, and a new nation was pushing across the continent. The great American gold rush five years earlier had dramatically expanded the population west of the Rockies. The steam locomotive had created the means of transporting goods throughout the eastern states, but there was no such connection across the vast American expanse. Everyone knew a Transcontinental Railroad was needed, but nobody could agree on who would build it, where it would go or how it would be funded. Still, Judah knew the amazing opportunity granted to men of daring at this particular point in history.

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