Rating: 
Summary: Good stuff for a train and history buff
Review: This was an easy read, since I skimmed over the financial data and repeated statistics. That said, I found the historical detail on the workers and how they worked fascinating. The Chinese were truly amazing in what they accomplished, and I developed a new respect for their culture. The men who built the railroad knew how to work hard. Ambrose's view that the railroad truly was the greatest change in man's history is a valid one, and made me consider how amazingly fast our world has changed since then. I was left wanting to drive I-80 and see the original transcon route and visit Promentory Point. The bibliography is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn more. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Chugs Like An Old Train
Review: This book is interesting but it doesn't have the "movement" like "Undaunted Courage." The slow but progressing movement of the CP and UP railroads and their quest to span the Nation with iron rails bogs down in detail as you read this book. The facts are interesting but bouncing back and forth between the railroad companies can be challenge for the reader. Having some knowledge of the tran-continental railroad and the westward movement is a big help in reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Idea, Poor Execution
Review: I generally enjoyed this book until I read that McClellan found Lee's orders before Antietam. The reverse is true. Then I found alisting of the numerous errors. For example: Page 69, paragraph 1: “[Theodore D.] Judah, the man who built the suspension bridge at Niagara Falls” Theodore D. Judah was the Chief Engineer of the Niagara Gorge railroad which ran from Niagara Falls to Lewiston. The Niagara falls suspension bridge was designed and built in 1853 by John A. Roebling, who later built the Brooklyn Bridge. ----------- In the book Empire Express : Building the First Transcontinental Railroad by David Haward Bain, it is stated that Judah left the area without even meeting the designer of the bridge, much less building it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Fast Reading for a History Book
Review: I have read several of the reviews for this book. Most of them must be serious history buffs or Proffesors. I was looking for a book on the construction of the Transcontinental Railway that did NOT put me to sleep before I could turn a page. I have not read other "Ambrose" books, this is my first. I thought the book told the story and kept me turning pages. THAT IS WHAT I WANTED! This book could have gone into depth on many facets of the construction but it would have been 1500 pages and I would have tossed it aside. Good work Stephen, Thanks!
Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Thin for My Taste
Review: Ambrose disappoints me in this work. I expected a great deal more and I have read better books on the topic. All in all---it's a wash.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not Ambrose's best.
Review: I enjoyed the book and the repititions did not bother me. In fact, they seemed to add to it as mile after mile of problems for the builders rolled by. While I did develop a certain sympathy for the founders and the financial risks they assumed, I felt they had a little too much of the "kid-glove" treatment." I would like to have seen a little more even-handed approach. As other reviewers have mentioned, a time line would have been helpful. And just where in blue blazes is Humboldt Wells? It is reffered to many times but is not on any map. Wells is on the map of Nevada but not Humboldt Wells. Also just who lost "Order No. 191? As far as I know, Corporal Barton Mitchell who found it was a Union soldier. thus it must have been a Confederate trooper that lost it. Were there other orders? This is a big time error that should have been caught. It was a good read but not as good as "Undaunted Courage"
Rating:
Summary: I agree somewhat with the others, but I still enjoyed it.
Review: This is somewhat lightweight fare, but it's hardly the first book about the building of the transcontinental railroad, and I don't envy Ambrose having to come up with a new look at some very well covered material. All-in-all, I enjoyed it and felt it was well worth the money. I hadn't read anything about the building of the transcontinental railroad before, so perhaps that was a factor.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but somewhat dull
Review: After reading this book I think the thing that impressed me the most is that they were able to build the railroad using virtually nothing more than black powder and human muscle. When you read about Chinese laborers hand-drilling holes in solid granite to construct a tunnel and only making six inches of progress a day it does leave you in awe. In those days men truly were men. The big picture revolves around money, of course. It took enormous (for the times) sums of money to keep the laborers laboring and the lines moving. The behind-the-scenes financial moves can be hard to follow and by today's standards most of these men would be considered crooks. Yet the message here is that despite the petty dealings the railroad transformed the American landscape. Prior to its completion it could take six months to a year for someone to travel from New York to San Francisco. After completion it took seven days for the same journey. If you can get beyond the dullness of the financial dealings in this book I don't think you can help but be impressed by what the faceless mass of Chinese and Irish laborers were able to accomplish. I'd recommend this book even with its flaws.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Story - a little dull in the telling though
Review: This book will make you appreciate what an amazing feat it was to build the transcontinental railroad. It will also make you appreciate how it changed the country. We think the world has changed so much in the last half of this century, but in 1800 nothing, including news, traveled faster than a horse. But through the railroad and the telegraph, the world was transformed. Ambrose tells the story in a purely linear chronological way. I find that a little dull at times. He also fills us with a lot of detail about how much track was layed on a monthly basis. But overall a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the history of our country.
Rating:
Summary: More than everything you want to know
Review: A disappointment, especially when compared to other books by this usually excellent author. Mr. Ambrose has taken material that should fit into a 50- to 75-page pamphlet and expanded it to book length. He does this by repeating similar information ad nauseam: for example, on page 345 of the normal print edition he states, ". . . that day laid 4.2 miles of track. The next day, it set down 3.1 miles, and the day after that, 4.6." Time after time we read similar statistics. Who cares? Because of the extensive annotations, this book might be useful for someone as a bibliography for further research on the subject. But one wonders if Ambrose has left anything unsaid. I note that another reviewer has questioned the accuracy of some of his assertions. Frankly, a bore.
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