Railroads played their role in mining the gold of early California, but
with the coming in 1869 of the transcontinental railroad the lives of
westerners were transformed by the quick link to the east ("across the
continent in 85 hours").
New Express Galop. Cover lithography by Britton & Rey of the Pacific
Union Express Co. in a steep canyon in the Sierras. 1869.
Pacific Railroad Polka. 1860. Illustrated cover.
Snowed-in Galop. 1872. Cover lithograph of snowbound passenger train,
Union Pacific Railroad.
Lightning Pleasure Train. 1877. Cover woodcut of a train in a
station (see above). Union Pacific Railroad. "A Descriptive Piece" with musical
sections depicting leaving the depot, galop, whistle, down brakes, through
a wood, over a bridge, homeward bound, entering depot.
Knight Templars Grand Entree March. 1883. Back cover lithograph of
a train passing through a tunnel under another train at "The Loop, Tehachapi
Pass." Southern Pacific Railroad.
Anti-Railroad A less enthusiastic song is the anonymous "Anti-Monopoly War Song" for the Anti-Monopoly Party of California in 1882, dedicated to R. J. Harrison.