On Wednesday, May 22, 150th anniversary celebrations for the first transcontinental railroad continue with the Union Pacific Railroad Museum hosting an exclusive screening of the TRAINS magazine special documentary Journey to Promontory.
The documentary delves into the “immense task” that led up to the completion of the first transcontinental railroad and the celebrations across the country that followed.
Guests of the screening will have the opportunity to meet some of the film’s contributors, including Rich Luckin, producer of the film. Luckin was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the film in advance of the screening.
Q & A
What inspired you to produce this documentary?
I was asked to do it by TRAINS magazine but I welcomed the challenge to tell a [multi-faceted> story [and> produce a program that the PBS viewer would appreciate how important the railroad was to the country.
How long did it take to complete?
I worked on the film for about 18 months—almost every day.
How did you go about finding the facts and information you needed for the film?
I spent hundreds of hours online [researching>, talking to experts, and reading everything I could get my hands on. The Library of Congress was a wonderful resource.
What was the most memorable part of working on the film?
Meeting and interviewing 25 people who all had a great love of the subject.
Was there anything new you learned about the railroad while filming?
[I learned of> the dedication of everyone involved in building the railroad and their will to make it succeed under some very harsh conditions, [and> how the Irish and Chinese were different from each other in lifestyle.
Why should people want to view this documentary?
Railroads built America, and the transcontinental railroad is the most important event in rail history.
If interested, but someone can’t attend the screening, where can they see the film?
Watch your local PBS station or one can purchase the DVD (with bonus footage) from TRAINS magazine.
What is one thing you want people to walk away from the film understanding?
How so many people came together to build the railroad and how many steps it took to accomplish the task even during the Civil War.
Anything else you’d like to share about the experience?
I had a number of challenges, first with a cut in the budget, [traveling> to 19 locations to conduct interviews, and just selecting from 300 pages of transcriptions [from> clips to help pick the best comments that told the story well. I also wanted to pay respect to Chinese and Native Americans on how the building of the railroad affected their lives.
Admission to the exclusive screening is free and begins at 5 p.m. on May 22. The meet and greet will also feature Margaret Yee from the Descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers Association, National Park Service Regional Tribal Liason Officer Reed Robinson, Railroad Historian John Hankey, and President of CAMERAIL Club David Seidel.
