Hell on Wheels

There are only three others like it on this planet.

Imagine how valuable it is.

That, sir, is no trinket, oh, no.

That is a piece of history,

forged from the golden spike.

- Golden what? - Spike!

The great transcontinental railroad?

Didn't you learn anything in school?

I didn't go to school.

The marriage of the mighty Union Pacific

and the significantly less mighty

Central Pacific Railroad Companies

connecting at last the east and west of this great nation.

Let that be a history lesson...

Free of charge.

I can give you the going rate.

$37.27.

But I'll give you $37.30 even...

For the history lesson.

Fine.

On the ride down,

people were behaving like they'd never seen strawberries in winter before.

Please!

Even Quail a la Chasseur loses its charm.

- I needn't tell you. - Oh, I love a good quail!

A la whatever you please.

We served quail at our wedding.

Yes, we did, and we were very sorry you couldn't be in attendance, Thomas.

Yes, yes. Well, I was on The Continent.

Uh, business in London waits for no man these days.

What we did, sir, let no man put asunder.

And I must say, though I am positively rhapsodic to see you looking so well.

I feared the crash of '73 would've shaken your foundations.

Oh, heavens, no, no, no, no.

Only a fool doesn't diversify.

Bella here is the very ambassadress of diversification.

Aren't you, mon petit chou?

Guilty, mon coeur!

Pretend you have some manners, for the lady's sake.

Don't insult me.

Were we not in the company of said lady,

I would call you what you are.

What's that?

A jackass, my dear.

All right, you win.

And we thank you very kindly, sir.

Mr. Durant, thank you. The food was divine.

Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all.

Thomas?

Miss Palmer? Maggie? Did you hear what I said?

$250,000 or Thomas Durant dies.

The note says to contact the Union Pacific Board. That's just what we'll do.

No, we should contact the fort.

A government official was murdered.

Martin Delaney was a railroad employee

and Thomas Durant is its president.

That makes this a railroad matter

to be dealt with by railroad personnel.

Now, I'm the only stockholder in this town with the authority to handle it.

We'll do just what they say. We'll contact the board.

The board will pay. They have to.

You give him the note, he telegraphs the board of the railroad,

they pay, we all go home rich.

It was a simple plan, John.

Yeah, a simple plan that turned to shit. I adapted.

By killing the Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific in front of a newspaper reporter?

The railroad will pay twice as fast now blood's been spilled.

Blood brings guns, not money.

They'll have our heads in the noose!

My head, not yours!

I was the one on the train. Not you!

It's me at risk here, all right?

Delaney's death was a tragic, unforeseen consequence.

But it's in the past, it's out of our hands.

We need to control and I mean control...

What happens next.

From the inside.

You think it was ranchers behind this?

No, no. Thomas paid them off.

There was no way any of us could have predicted what happened, Miss Palmer.

Durant burned this whole town with his land scheme and I helped...

I helped him create more enemies than you can count.

The board will pay, Maggie.

Once these men get what they want,

Durant will walk free.

It'll be over soon.

It's from the Union Pacific in New York...

The Union Pacific board is refusing to pay the ransom.

They've referred the matter to the federal government.

Laramie's welcome wagon, led by a criminal...

No surprise there.

I'm a Union Pacific shareholder now, Governor.

I hope you have bags of money following you off that train, for Durant's sake.

I didn't get elected by caving to demands of thugs and ransomers.

When we find the men responsible,

the only payment they'll receive is swift justice.

They're not gonna pay, Eva. And when they don't...

- Campbell's gonna get him killed. - Oh, hell with Campbell.

We'll start a collection.

I got $1,000.

Spends just as good as any government money.

Plus I got a horse. I could sell him.

Keep your horse, honey.

There ain't enough assets in this whole damn town to raise the ransom.

Who could've done this?

From his accent, the leader was Irish.

What did he say to you?

"Up. Move."

Short words. He was...

He was trying not to speak.

After Marty tried to stop him...

He didn't have to shoot him.

And after the leader murdered Mr. Delaney?

There were two riders who held up the railroad crew.

They put Durant on a horse and rode off.

Look, Durant always owes people money.

If we can look at the Railroad's books...

The books? Yes.

We follow Durant's debts, then we can find out who did this.

Right then, I'll release the books.

Anything to help.

I just need consent from the board members first.

We don't have time to waste on the damn board!

You've had a difficult day, Miss Ellison.

Don't patronize me.

You're lucky to be alive.

In which direction did they ride? I'm sorry?

Even a starting direction would help, madam.

North.

They rode north.

- That's enough. - Get to it, Major.

- We have to call it off. - No chance.

I ain't risking the rope to walk away with empty pockets.

There's no money, John. Campbell won't pay.

John Campbell cannot afford the political fallout of my death.

- He will pay. -He's brought the cavalry onto us.

And they have Indian trackers, who are going to find us.

- And when they do... - If they do.

We'll just have to get rid of the witness, Michael.

Oh, you're going to kill me, Mr. Shea?

Yeah. You think you can stop me, old man?

Nobody's killing nobody.

Now, you brought me into this because I know how to run a job.

You gotta trust me, Doc.

You say Campbell will pay.

We just have to make that his only option.

You all right?

Marty was a good man.

A friend.

And now he's dead, for what?

Just a little bit of money, that's it.

Oh, I'll be fine. No need to worry about me.

- Miss Ellison. - Governor.

Shouldn't leave a scar.

Thank you.

Railroad's account books. Government audit.

Oh.

Thank you.

- Louise. - John.

I regret our last conversation.

The way things ended...

Before the railroad moved on from Cheyenne.

I've put Cheyenne behind me.

Where it belongs.

I hope you find something.

Inside! Go! Now!

What is this?

If they don't get their money, the next body we see will be Thomas Durant's.

Message Secretary McCulloch.

Tell him we need $250,000

wired to the Laramie Central forthwith.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

The son of a bitch needs to finish what he started.

Grant needs this damned road done and so do I.

I don't care about your reasons. Thank you, John.

They knew we were coming, Major.

And the "Irish accent," the lady reported.

Trail McGinnes.

The Major is awful interested in you.

I know it.

Where's Shea?

What'd you do?

Mickey.

What the hell did you do?

I'm in trouble, Eva.

Durant, he hired us.

Nobody was supposed to get hurt...

But Shea...

He killed Delaney.

We killed that soldier today.

Listen here, Mickey.

Shea won't blink at killing Durant.

And he's been trouble ever since he showed up in Cheyenne.

You know what you've got to do.

And what, pray tell, is that?

You've got to kill that mad dog.

Look at my face.

What is it you see here that makes you think I'd murder my own kin?

You know I'm right.