Book by Francis Colton c. 1869

From: "Marvin Jensen" marvjens@cruzio.com

I have been searching for quite awhile for a book or booklet written by Francis Colton about 1869 +/-. He is a cousin to David Douty Colton. Colton was born in Galesburg, Illinois.

He worked for the U.P. and CPRR in England to promote the use of ships to New York and then the train to San Francisco. Then passage by ship to the Orient.

The title of his work is A New Way Around the World. It is supposed to have some nice pictures. I just found your site and thought I would ask. I have asked at all the major railroad museums and libraries including England.

I do not want to give up. I am writing a small book about him and his brother John.

I would appreciate any information or advice.

Marvin Jensen
Santa Cruz, California

Here to L.A. in 2 Hours? Not so Fast

"Here to L.A. in 2 Hours? Not so Fast" by Marty Cheek, © Gilroy Dispatch, Gilroy, CA, April 7, 2006. (News Article)

"Maybe two decades from now, passengers heading to Los Angeles on sleek bullet trains traveling at 200 mph will enjoy the rural panorama of Pacheco Pass. ... spanning the nation, a transcontinental railroad needed to ... pass somewhere over the Diablo range. ... Several routes were proposed and surveyed. These included Pacheco Pass and a direct line over the Altamont Pass to Oakland. In July 1853, a survey crew from the Benicia Arsenal explored Niles Canyon as a potential route. (The canyon was named after Addison C. Niles, a former railroad attorney who became a prominent state judge.) Engineers believed the narrow and relatively flat ravine would make a more efficient crossing than the arduous grades of Pacheco Pass and the Altamont Pass. Steam locomotives would use less fuel through Niles Canyon. And with brake technology still evolving back then, Niles was also considered a safer route. ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]