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(The following editorial appeared on the Stockton Record website on March 27.)

STOCKTON, Calif. — Railroads are a throwback to an earlier, more-colorful era in American history.

It turns out they also represent a lost standard of ingenuity, efficiency and determination.

We marvel at what Union Pacific is doing in Sacramento.

A March 15 fire destroyed 1,400 feet of wooden trestle on the American River Parkway near Cal Expo.

Because time is money, Union Pacific officials have responded quickly – replacing the trestle’s supports as 500 trucks of material arrive from four western states and dozens of work crews labor 24 hours a day to reopen the tracks by Sunday.

Imagine if this was a government job.

It takes a 19th-century invention to reinforce how things should be getting done in the 21st century.