Matchitecture is the ultimate building challenge! Built from a single construction element, the microbeam (match stick), this provides the builders greatest challenge. Use the templates provided to cut the microbeams to the correct length, and glue them together. It was in 1849 that the American Gold Rush began. During the next few years, this movement resulted in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1861, the first TransContinental railroad. Hundreds of thousands of new immigrants poured into California inches a long and arduous journey by train across the desert and the Rocky Mountains. 1500 matchsticks are required to assemble this model.