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All aboard
for this trip on the Transcontinental Railroad. It is the
summer of 1869 and you'll start your journey in Omaha, Nebraska.
You'll be in a coach pulled by a vintage steam engine and
along the way you'll see how the engineer and the rest of
the train crew handle their jobs.
After
crossing the vast prairie where buffalo and Indians live,
you'll pass through communities like Grand Island, Cheyenne,
Fort Bridger and Ogden.
Then
after passing Promontory Summit where the golden spike connected
the western and eastern divisions of the line, you'll chug
out onto the flat and desolate Great Basin.
Awaiting
you on the other side is the last great obstacle in your path,
the Sierra Nevada mountain range. An extra engine or two will
be needed to get over Donner Pass and you'll find snow sheds
in the higher elevations to protect the train from the winter
snow.
When
you reach Sacramento you'll see the other passengers leave
the train and take other transportation to the cities in California
that they are traveling to.
Beautifully
illustrated with end covers that feature a large map and a
diagram of how a steam engine works, this well-designed picture
book captures the trip west by train. Combining western history
with early steam engine travel, "Locomotive" operates
on a number of levels and is an excellent read.
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