The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, changed the face of America. It offered better economic circumstances, faster travel, and to some it seemed, unlimited opportunity. Many people were responsible for its eventual success, but one of its biggest supporters and believers in its potential was a young engineer named Theodore Judah. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Judah wasnt in it for the money. In many ways, he dedicated his life to the railroad.Growing up With the RailroadTheodore Judah Elementary School is the oldest continuously operated school in Sacramento and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Source: JinCA / Wikimedia CommonsTheodore Dehone Judah was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1826. At the time of his birth, only about three miles of railroad track were functioning in the United States. Judah and the railroad industry matured together and became increasingly intertwined as the young man grew. Judah studied civil engineering and, by the age of 18, was a railroad surveyor for the New Haven, Hartford, & Springfield Line. At 21, he married a young woman named Anna Pierce, who supported her husbands dreams as the pair traveled throughout the northeast for Judahs work.The rail industry was growing rapidly, and by this time, quality engineers were in high demand. In 1854, Judah was hired to become an engineer in California. He acquired the job on the recommendation of the governor of New York, who was asked to suggest a qualified engineer who might be up for the task of building the first railroad in the West. California was teeming with gold money at the time, and investors were looking to turn the western frontier into a respectable business environment. A railroad connecting business interests in the west and east could help meet this goal, and Judah was the one to make it happen.Moving West: A New ObsessionAn undated portrait of Judah. Source: Donner Summit Historical SocietyTheodore and Anna traveled to California from the east coast to accept his new job. There were two modes of travel available to make this triptraveling in a covered wagon, as thousands did during this era, or steamship travel, which is how the Judahs made the journey. This required sailing south through the Caribbean, crossing the Isthmus of Panama, a narrow strip of land connecting the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and then boarding another ship to sail up the Central American coast to California. Traveling down around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America was another option, but it added significant time. The downside of the Panamanian route was the land crossing, which took three to four days on foot, horseback, or on mules.Pack mules were one option for travel across the Isthmus of Panama. Source: University of British Columbia Library / Wikimedia CommonsThe Judahs arrived in Sacramento, California, in May of 1854. At the time, Sacramento echoed many other wild west towns. Despite its status as Californias capital, it was a town filled with saloons, gambling houses, and brothels. Theodore Judah went right to work in this new, rough environment and, over the next two years, played a key role in creating the Sacramento Valley Line, the first railroad west of the Missouri River. By this time, Judahs enthusiasm for his craft had earned him the nickname Crazy Judah, but despite the odd nickname, Judah was a well-respected member of the industry. His work in California had ignited a spark in Theodore, and though he wasnt the only one thinking about a transcontinental railroad and its potential for America, it occupied his thoughts frequently. He spent most of his free time thinking about such a project and the route it might take.Mapping a RouteJudah needed to decide which route was the best, taking into account feasibility, finances, and safety. Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia CommonsWhile the idea of a transcontinental railroad was one that many people supported, it wasnt something that could magically happen overnight. There were several challenges. One of the most significant ones was how to conquer certain landforms in the way, especially mountain ranges. In 1859, Judah was nominated by the California Pacific Railroad Convention to travel to Washington to lobby for funding for a transcontinental railroad. After spending time getting many congressmen thinking about the potential for such a project, Judah realized that more detailed planning was required before this project could succeed. Heading back to the drawing board, he focused more intently on finding a feasible route.Finding a path through the Sierra Nevada Mountains was a significant challenge for the transcontinental railroad. Source: Jared Ray Coleman via Wikimedia CommonsDetermining the best way through, around, or over the Sierra Nevada mountain range was a major concern for the surveyor. In July 1860, he received a letter from a man named Daniel Doc Strong, a storekeeper from Dutch Flat, California. Strong was also interested in seeing the transcontinental railroad come to fruition and invited Judah to visit Donner Pass, suggesting that it might be a suitable place for the future railroad to crest the Sierra Nevadas. Judah accepted and, upon surveying it himself, found that the pass had a gradual, continuous rise and fall that made it perfectly suitable for locomotives to travel over. Strong and Judah joined forces and eventually became the driving force behind the founding of the Central Pacific Railroad Company.Finding InvestorsLeland Stanford, the first Republican governor of California, was one of the Big Four who invested in Judahs ideas. Source: Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University / Wikimedia CommonsNow that he had a route, Judah required financing. He and Strong managed to drum up about 46,000 dollars from private investors in the gold fields but were still in need of cash to put the project into motion. They considered selling subscriptions, which would bring in smaller amounts and require many sales. However, Judah met with Collis P. Huntington, a ruthless California businessman, who offered to come up with the remaining funds and bring in only three other investors, tossing aside the need to sell dozens of subscriptions.Huntington, along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker, would become known as The Big Four or the Associates. They financed the founding of the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Judah was named Secretary of the Railroad Committees in both the House and Senate, allowing him direct access to further lobby for federal support for the project. The Railroad Act of 1862 checked all the boxes, securing additional federal funding for the project. The Transcontinental Railroad project was underway.Trouble in ParadiseAn 1867 gold bond from the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Source: Julie Ceccaldi / Wikimedia CommonsJudah soon discovered that he had very different goals than other members of the Central Pacific. The Big Four were in the project solely to make money and soon began scheming to maximize their profits, sometimes at the expense of the railroad. For example, the Big Four wanted to fudge measurements regarding where slopes began since the company would be paid more per mile of mountain construction as opposed to building on flat land. Judah disagreed, and the Big Four went over his head and hired another surveyor.Judah grew increasingly frustrated at his lack of control over the proceedings and the amount of influence that the Big Four held over the project. He explored his options and decided that buying the businessmen out of their stakes in the Central Pacific Railroad Company was the best course of action. Unable to do so himself, he would need to look elsewhere for support. He headed back east, hoping to meet with Cornelius Vanderbilt and similar wealthy counterparts.Premature PassingJudah would not live to see his dreams of a Transcontinental Railroad come to life. Source: Yale University Libraries / Wikimedia CommonsJudah set sail for New York in October of 1863, determined to save his dream. However, he became gravely ill while making the crossing in Panama. He became progressively sicker as the second half of the trip continued and was diagnosed with Yellow Fever. Upon reaching New York, he took refuge in the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City with Anna, but he was too sick to commence the meetings for which he made the trip. Theodore Judah passed away as a result of his bout of Yellow Fever one week after reaching New York. He was buried in Greenfield, Massachusetts.Replicas of Central Pacific (left) and Union Pacific locomotives at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah. Source: James St. John / Wikimedia CommonsJudah did not live to see the completion of the railroad he had worked so hard to build. Construction concluded when crews from the Central Pacific Railroad Company met those from the Union Pacific Company in Utah in May of 1869, where a golden spike was driven to mark its completion. Leland Stanford of the Big Four was on hand to drive the celebratory nail.While Judah may not have been able to see his vision completed, it is doubtless that his personal investments of labor and dedication, the ones that earned him his crazy nickname, were critical to its success.