A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.
隨著定居點(diǎn)向西部擴(kuò)張，快速的長(zhǎng)途運(yùn)輸成為美國(guó)的必需品。早期的火車是不切實(shí)際的珍品，很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間以來(lái)，鐵路公司都遇到了麻煩的機(jī)械問(wèn)題。最嚴(yán)重的問(wèn)題是建造能夠承受載荷的軌道，以及開(kāi)發(fā)安全、有效的停車系統(tǒng)。一旦這些問(wèn)題得到解決，鐵路就被確立為陸地運(yùn)輸?shù)淖罴逊绞?。?860年，有數(shù)千英里的鐵路穿過(guò)東部山脈，向西到達(dá)密西西比河。還有區(qū)域性的南線和西線。

The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental system. In 1862 Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking the Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific. The Government helped the railroads generously with money and land. Actual work on this project began four years later. The Central Pacific Company, starting from California, used Chinese labor, while the Union Pacific employed crews of Irish laborers. The two groups worked at remarkable speed, each trying to cover a greater distance than the other. In 1869 they met at a place called Promontory in what is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the great occasion. There were joyous celebrations all over the country, with parades and the ringing of church bells to honor the great achievement.
隨著第一個(gè)橫貫大陸的鐵路系統(tǒng)的建設(shè)，鐵路建設(shè)達(dá)到了頂峰。1862年，國(guó)會(huì)授權(quán)兩家西部鐵路公司修建從內(nèi)布拉斯加州向西和從加利福尼亞州向東，雙向連接的線路，以完成連接大西洋海岸和太平洋的洲際穿越。政府為了鐵路慷慨地投入金錢和土地。該項(xiàng)目的實(shí)際工作在四年后開(kāi)始。從加利福尼亞州開(kāi)始的中央太平洋公司使用中國(guó)勞動(dòng)力，而聯(lián)合太平洋公司則雇傭了愛(ài)爾蘭勞動(dòng)力。這兩組人以驚人的速度工作，每一組都試圖比另一組走得更遠(yuǎn)。1869年，他們?cè)讵q他州一個(gè)叫海角的地方回合。許多游客來(lái)這里是為了慶祝這一盛事。全國(guó)各地都舉行了歡樂(lè)的慶?；顒?dòng)，游行和教堂鐘聲響起，以紀(jì)念這一偉大成就。

The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement. It also helped build up industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing products rapidly to distant markets. In linking towns and people to one another it helped unify the United States.
鐵路在鼓勵(lì)西進(jìn)方面非常重要。它還通過(guò)轉(zhuǎn)移原材料和將產(chǎn)品快速分銷到遙遠(yuǎn)的市場(chǎng)來(lái)幫助建立工業(yè)和農(nóng)業(yè)。通過(guò)連接城鎮(zhèn)和人民，促進(jìn)了美國(guó)統(tǒng)一。