In what year did North American railroads officially adopt standard
Chapter 1

The great race begins

Chapter 2

The muscle behind the mountain

Chapter 3

Engineering the impossible

Chapter 4

The golden spike and its aftermath

YOUR GOAL

Master of How iron rails and steam engines united America

Ch 3 · Engineering the impossible
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olivia_learns Model builders construct miniature bridges using ordinary wooden toothpicks

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olivia_learns Engineering the Impossible

We drilled into the granite, we blasted through the stone, now the trains can roll!

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Wyoming's Dale Creek Trestle was so flexible, wind blew train cars off the tracks.

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olivia_learns Central Pacific Railroad workers used deadly nitroglycerin to blast Summit Tunnel.

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The snow sheds that saved the trains

olivia_learns Massive wooden sheds cover the railroad tracks, acting as tunnels through the snow.

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Bridges made of toothpicks

olivia_learns A precise vector diagram shows the Dale Creek Trestle modeled with wooden toothpicks.

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Stitch the Map
BETA

olivia_learns Stitch the tracks across the map to discover how the transcontinental railroad united America.

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Fun Fact

Wyoming's wind hazard: The Dale Creek Trestle was so flexible that strong winds could actually blow empty train cars off the tracks.

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Gossip

Would you feel safe crossing the Dale Creek Trestle?

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Quiz

How many standard time zones did the railroads create in North America in 1883?

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olivia_learns The invention of standard time

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Quiz

What material was used to build the original, highly flexible Dale Creek Trestle?

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Quiz

What was the name of the notoriously high and shaky wooden bridge built in Wyoming?

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Quiz

Which highly volatile explosive was manufactured on-site to blast the Central Pacific's Summit Tunnel?

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Quiz

Why did the Central Pacific build nearly forty miles of wooden snow sheds?

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Quiz

In what year did North American railroads officially adopt standard time zones?

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Quiz

How fast were trains allowed to travel when crossing the wooden Dale Creek Trestle?

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Quiz

How did communities keep time before the railroads introduced standardized time zones?

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