Chicago Tribune

December 12, 1999

TAKING READERS ON NOSTALGIC TRIPS THROUGH RAILROADING'S PAST

by Diane Struzzi

EMPIRE EXPRESS: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad

By David Haward Bain

Viking, 797 pages, $34.95

David Haward Bain highlights the bold spirit that built the mammoth transcontinental railroad. His book is an epic voyage westward, creating a story that interweaves American history with the railroad's progress. The effort to build the railroad doesn't stop for war or Lincoln's assassination and finds opportunity in events such as the Gold Rush, which provided a ready workforce of Chinese immigrants. Bain goes beyond the fundamental story of a fledgling railroad and recounts the unrelenting pursuit of a brash, young country and the desire of the eager men who built the railroad.

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Diane Struzzi is a Chicago-based freelance writer.