VANISHING ICONS

摘要

JUPITER AND NO. 119 are among the most famous steam locomotives in history. This famed yet accidental pair played center stage at the Gold Spike ceremonies marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. One of the most ambitious undertakings of the modern age, it transformed world markets and shifted the balance of trade and travel. With such a history, the iconic duo might have been saved for generations to come. Yet both engines were eventually scrapped, and in the case of the Jupiter, despite efforts to preserve it. How could this happen? Why did it happen? Who is to blame? The simple answer is that neither engine was particularly unique, nor, in the eyes of their contemporaries, especially historic. The ceremonial roles of both engines at Promontory Summit on May 10,1869, was largely luck.