American history

Central Pacific Railroad

The Central Pacific Railroad, (later to become the Southern Pacific Railroad), was planned by Theodore Judah and financed mostly through the efforts of "The Big Four" (who also called themselves "The Associates"), who were Sacramento, California businessmen Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins. It was created to build the First Transcontinental Railroad. Alfred A. Hart was the official photographer of the CPRR construction.

A replica of the Sacramento, California Central Pacific Railroad passenger station is part of the California State Railroad Museum, located in the Old Sacramento State Historic Park. The company's first two locomotives, the "Governor Stanford," and "C.P. Huntington", are also both housed at the same museum.

Nearly all of the company's early correspondence is preserved at Syracuse University as part of the Huntington papers collection, released on microfilm (133 reels). The following libraries have this microfilm: University of Arizona at Tucson; Virginia Commonwealth University at Richmond.

Additional collections of manuscript letters are held at Stanford University and the Mariner's Museum at Newport News, Virginia.

The railroad originally terminated with a connection to the Union Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah. Shortly after completion of the line the Central Pacific purchased the track from Promontory to Ogden from the Union Pacific so that the railroads could have a terminal in a city.

Timeline

• June 21, 1861: "Central Pacific Rail Road of California" incorporated; name changed to "Central Pacific Railroad of California" October 8, 1864, after the Pacific Railway Act amendment passes that summer.
  
  
• July 1, 1862: President Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific to build a railroad to the Pacific Ocean.
  
  
• January 8, 1863: Ground breaking ceremonies take place at Sacramento, CA, at the foot of "K" Street at the waterfront of the Sacramento River.
  
  
• October 26, 1863: First rail laid, at Sacramento.
  
  
• April 26, 1864: Central Pacific opened to Roseville, 18 miles, where it makes a junction with the California Central Rail Road, operating from Folsom north to Lincoln.
  
  
• June 3, 1864: The first revenue train on the Central Pacific operates between Sacramento, CA and Newcastle, CA
  
  
• October 8, 1864: Following passage of the amendment to the Pacific Railroad Act, the company's name is changed to "Central Pacific Railroad of California," a new corporation.
  
  
• May 13, 1865: Central Pacific opened 36 miles to Auburn, CA.
  
  
• September 1, 1865: Central Pacific opened 54 miles to Colfax, CA (formerly known as "Illinoistown.")
  
  
• December 3, 1866: Central Pacific opened 92 miles to Cisco, CA.
  
  
• December 1, 1868: Central Pacific opened to Summit of Sierra Nevadas, 105 miles.
  
  
• April 28, 1869: Track crews on the Central Pacific lay 10 miles of track in one day. This is the longest stretch of track that has been built in one day to date.
  
  
• May 10, 1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific tracks meet in Promontory, UT.
  
  
• May 15, 1869: The first transcontinental trains are run over the new line to Sacramento, CA.
  
  
• November 8, 1869: The Central Pacific completes the final leg of the route, connecting Sacramento to San Francisco.
  
  
• June 23, 1870: Central Pacific is consolidated with the Western Pacific and San Francisco Bay Railroad Co. to form the "Central Pacific Railroad Co." (of June, 1870).
  
  
• August 22, 1870: Central Pacific Railroad Co. is consolidated with the California & Oregon; San Francisco, Oakland & Alameda; and San Joaquin Valley Railroad; to form the "Central Pacific Railroad Co.", a new corporation.
  
  
• April 30, 1876: Operates the California Pacific Railroad between South Vallejo and Sacramento, Calistoga and Marysville until 4/1/1885.
  
  
• April 1, 1885: Central Pacific is leased to Southern Pacific.
  
  
• June 30, 1888: Listed by ICC as a "non-operating" subsidiary of Southern Pacific.
  
  
• July 29, 1899: Central Pacific is reorganized as the "Central Pacific Railway".
  
  
• June 30, 1959: Central Pacific is formally merged into the Southern Pacific.