The Modern Marvels: The Railroads That Tamed the West

The American West offered everything to the frontier family: gold, silver, land, a new life. In 1869, four years after the War Between the States and 43 years after the locomotive engine was invented, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed -- one of the greatest engineering feats of its time -- and the colonization of the West was underway on two parallel steel beams that connected the American coasts. In this 50-minute documentary, learn about the men and women who risked their lives against bandits and hostile terrain to "go West." This tape features rare photographs, re-creations, and interviews with experts and historians.