Hell on Wheels

Between the pounding of that first spike in Council Bluffs,

and the last,

yet to be struck, here in North-Eastern Utah...

Thomas Durant, Collis Huntington and their mighty railroads

have bamboozled and brow-beat Congress

into paying for their splendid blue-ribbon franchise...

Over-budget and behind schedule,

progress at every turn on the great Transcontinental Railroad

has been bedeviled by labor unrest,

calamity of nature, God, and man.

Having followed the loose and turbulent population

that over the last four years has built this monument to folly...

I can report no happier visage

than the two railroads laying down of iron

within striking distance of one another.

The line of workers stretches like an army between Promontory and Weber Canyon,

- the Central Pacific to the west, -

the Union Pacific to the east...

Each company racing toward the prize that lies between Ogden...

Its rich mineral deposits promised by President Grant

to whomever lays track there first.

I shall be glad after the last spike is driven,

to contemplate the bond of iron

which is to hold our beloved nation in one eternal union.

For it is, at last,

no longer a question of "If the road will be built?",

but of who will cross the finish line first...

Will it be Doc Durant,

the financial rascal with a burning desire for wealth and fame?

Or Collis P. Huntington and his Chinese workforce,

led now by America's great railroad man, Cullen Bohannon?

The answer, dear reader, will be decided in the coming days

on the plains of Utah,

"at or near Ogden"

as prescribed by Congress,

and blessed by the Almighty above.

As you can see, Governor, our depot is under construction,

and we have already drawn up plans to turn this flyspeck

into a functioning railroad junction.

- It's just a matter of 14 miles which... - Our track is 12 miles from

Ogden, that is two days' work and two miles closer

than the Central Pacific's

and that is having laid 300 miles more track

since the railroads broke ground...

Without contending

with the California Sierras or the Great Nevada desert, sir.

The Union Pacific's grade arrived here first...

- Ogden belongs to me! - Gentlemen!

The President's decision in Salt Lake was clear.

Ogden belongs to no one

until someone lays track through it.

Grant made you Deputy Secretary of the Interior

to make judgment calls, not to...

You'll get your judgment, Mr. Durant,

but not today.

This is the mark!

The first one who lays rail to it...

Ogden is yours.

Seven-mile day ahead and you're burning my daylight, Mr. Ming.

White man offer, China man go.

Half kutu, half work.

Mmm-hmm.

Figured somebody might have killed you by now.

Handsome animal.

He ain't for sale, if that's what you're thinking.

Somebody nearly did kill you, didn't they?

I ain't surprised.

What was it over, love or hate?

I hear Mickey's working for Durant.

He ain't out on the cut,

try the saloon.

Obliged.

Durant tell you to poach my men?

Jesus Christ Almighty.

I heard you made it out the desert.

My workers. Right now.

I got no use for rat-eaters, Mr. Bohannon.

My workers got poached same as yours.

- Dutch. - He speaks true.

Rail crew's down 200 men just this morning.

Lured away by a man who works for the Six Mile Canyon Mine.

They call him "The Pirate".

"The Pirate." In Utah.

No match for us, sure.

This mine within riding distance?

Get out the way, Chinaman!

Oi, out of my way boy.

Missed you on the cut this morning, Mr. Lee.

Railroad almost done,

men need job.

Pirate offer long job.

We're looking for the one who calls himself "The Pirate"!

You found him!

God damn, Jim.

Good to see you too, Bohannon. You looking for work?

Looking for the man who poached my workers.

Hired, you mean.

You know this gobshite?

He used to be my friend.

A railroad that cannot safely convey goods and souls

is no railroad at all, Governor.

And when you build a track with lies and bribes

and every shortcut a devious mind can machinate,

what you leave behind is a dangerous and a bumpy ride.

Were we riding on Union Pacific track,

our laps would be drenched right now, for a fact.

God himself would break his back

trying to build 14 miles in two days.

And while Bohannon is a formidable railroad man,

I... I need assurances

that you'll see to it that the Central Pacific wins Ogden

and the two and a half million dollar

left in government railroad bonds.

Mr. Huntington, if you want Ogden,

you will make it your business to be there first.

I might think your time better spent swinging a hammer

than trying to hoodwink me with a glass of water.

Look, you give me Ogden,

and I will reroute the five southern railroad lines I own

from Promontory to Cheyenne.

Your majestic city will sit as the most important railroad junction in the country.

Can Thomas Durant give you that?

I see...

I thought you would!

You're every bit the snake he is.

This is a new day, Mr. Huntington.

Unlike his predecessor, President Grant has vowed to keep his administration

free from corruption.

He cannot be bought, sir.

And neither can I.

Thanks for the water.

I'm surprised to find you here, Jim.

Everybody got to be somewhere, Bohannon.

No, I mean down in the hole.

Thought you was afraid of the dark.

The only reason I stayed away from the tunnel

was Hannah didn't want me tracking dirt into the house.

She's in Vermont with the kids.

You here, family back East,

that don't seem like you, Jim.

Mining has helped me figure things out, Bohannon.

Life is simple down here.

Cut a vein, bleed it dry,

scrape away until there's nothing left.

That's a real shame about Hannah and the kids.

Don't cry for me.

I need my workers, Jim.

What you need is work.

The railroad's done.

Those men know it, that's why they're here!

All I'm asking for is two days. That's it.

As far as the railroad figures go,

I'm skint, Mr. Bohannon.

Mr. Strobridge.

I know you need long term work.

And I have plans for it.

What do you say to San Francisco, boys?

There's demand for skilled workers

and I have it already arranged.

I'm saying we've jobs here.

You had a job on the railroad, Paddy.

You had a warm bed when you were cold,

a full whiskey when you were thirsty

and even fuller woman when you were lonely.

I provided the same to every loyal man

with an understanding...

We ain't scared of you, Mick.

Not now Johnny Shea's gone.

I'm trying to help you.

Anyone else prefer mining to railroad work?

Mr. Lee,

I need these workers.

Just until we get to Ogden.

Whatever the mine's paying you, I'll match it.

Plus a bonus if you get us there before the U.P.

Bring these two.

I'll see to it they get home.

Anyone who wants to leave here is free to go.

You are not indentured to me like you were to Chang.

But know this, if anyone leaves here, even for an hour,

you ain't got a job when you get back. Is that clear?

Mr. Lee, you been with the Central Pacific since Sacramento,

you got us through the desert. You're gonna want to see it finished.

Chinaman need long work, Bossman.

Railroad done.

Mine is good. We stay.

All right.

Load these bodies up on the wagon.

But we stay.

My offer stands either way, Mr. Lee.

We'll get him home.

Thank you, Bossman.

When you get to Ogden, look me up, Bohannon,

I'll buy you a drink.

Come on. Like that.

Offer a hand?

Ain't you got a race to win?

Come on.

Can't win with no workers.

Oh, oh.