In the 1860s, thousands of Chinese laborers built America’s first transcontinental railroad in the mountains and deserts of the Wild West, and many of them lost their lives.

The Train Dreams series digitally reconstructs pivotal moments from the lives of the unnamed Chinese laborers who were often forgotten in history. Each scene is completely modeled in 3D, then rendered and inkjet-printed on canvas. The series depicts the construction scenes in the mountains of California, the exploding on the cliffs in Nevada, and daily activities of Chinese workers based on historical research.

The final scene, titled “Before Connection,” depicts a few days before the “Golden Spike” moment in Promontory, Utah: the Chinese workers were laying the last tracks before the completion of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States. Yet no Chinese workers appeared in the historical “Golden Spike” photo.

The heights of the Chinese laborers, their clothing, their tents retired from the Civil War, and the first telecom system built along the way are all referenced from historical documents from libraries and museums, offering an almost forensic way to re-visit moments that are overlooked in history.