Editing First transcontinental railroad (section)

===Construction begun===
[[File:3c Transcontinental Railroad 75th Anniversary single, 1944.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp in 1944 commemorating the 75th anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad in America. The engraving depicts the driving of the 'Golden Spike' at Promontory, Utah, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads came together in 1869.]]

The Central Pacific broke ground on January 8, 1863.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Great Race to Promontory |url=https://www.up.com/goldenspike/omaha-promontory.html |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=The Great Race to Promontory}}</ref> Because of insufficient transportation alternatives from the manufacturing centers on the east coast, virtually all of their tools and machinery including rails, [[railroad switch]]es, [[railroad turntable]]s, [[railroad car|freight]] and passenger cars, and [[steam locomotive]]s were transported first by train to east coast ports. They were then loaded on ships which either sailed around South America's [[Cape Horn]], or offloaded the cargo at the [[Isthmus of Panama]], where it was sent across via [[paddle steamer]] and the [[Panama Railroad]]. The Panama Railroad gauge was {{convert|5|ft|mm|0}}, which was incompatible with the {{convert|4|ft|8+1/2|in|mm|adj=on}} gauge used by the CPRR equipment. The latter route was about twice as expensive per pound.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} Once the machinery and tools reached the [[San Francisco Bay]] area, they were put aboard river paddle steamers which transported them up the final {{convert|130|mi|km}} of the [[Sacramento River]] to the new state capital in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]. Many of these steam engines, railroad cars, and other machinery were shipped dismantled and had to be reassembled.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} Wooden timbers for railroad ties, trestles, bridges, firewood, and telegraph poles were harvested in California and transported to the project site.

The Union Pacific Railroad did not start construction for another 18 months until July 1865. They were delayed by difficulties obtaining financial backing and the unavailability of workers and materials due to the Civil War. Their start point in the new city of [[Omaha, Nebraska]], was not yet connected via railroad to [[Council Bluffs, Iowa]]. Equipment needed to begin work was initially delivered to Omaha and Council Bluffs by paddle steamers on the [[Missouri River]]. The Union Pacific was so slow in beginning construction during 1865 that they sold two of the four steam locomotives they had purchased.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

After the [[American Civil War]] ended in 1865, the Union Pacific still competed for railroad supplies with companies who were building or repairing railroads in the south, and prices rose.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}