Russell photographed the construction of the UP Railroad in Wyoming and Utah Territories during 1868. During the winter he published "The Great West Illustrated", an album of 50 photographs. In 1869 he returned to Utah Territory to photograph the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, or "golden spike" on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. for this work, Russell used his single-view camera. Russell took five group portraits that day, at least two were "...sent to New York as news pictures and arrived in time to be copied by engravers for the front page of the June 5 issue of Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper." These photographs and others have value today "... principally as sources for the identification of persons." One photograph shows a rank of sixteen men under the title "Engineers of U.P.R.R. at the Laying of Last Rail Promentory (sic)."