CPRR Leviathan Locomotive, No. 63, replica

"The Leviathan, No. 63, is an exact duplicate of the original locomotive type built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works in 1868, one of four originally commissioned by the Central Pacific Railroad. History will be relived as Leviathan #63 chugs from Corinth to North Creek, stopping at five of the stations on the Saratoga & North Creek Railway line."

Gilliss - "Tunnels of the Pacific Railroad"

From: "Kyle Wyatt" kylekwyatt@gmail.com

You may know that the original article by John Gilliss - Tunnels of the Pacific Railroad - was published in the Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Volume 1, pgs 153-171. This is available from Google Books as a free download – although of course Google neglects to unfold the diagrams and maps.

The version on the CPRR Museum web site, John R. Gilliss, "TUNNELS OF THE PACIFIC RAILROAD." Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Magazine, January 5 (actually April, no day, see pg 337), 1870, p. 418-423, is a slightly abridged version - and certainly lacks the diagrams and maps. I note Google Books also has this issue on line.

It would be great if you could put up a copy of the ASCE version – preferably with the fold-out diagrams.

—Kyle

"Photography and the transcontinental railroad" - NEW CSRM EXHIBIT AND BOOK

"Photography and the transcontinental railroad" by Nancy Flagg, © Sacramento Press, September 16, 2013. (News Article)

" ... The story of the emerging art of photography and how it was used to publicize the massive technological achievement of connecting the country’s East and West coasts by railroad is the subject of the new exhibit, “Double Exposure” at the California State Railroad Museum. ... Glenn Willumson, guest curator of the exhibit and author of Iron Muse: Photographing the Transcontinental Railroad, explained that photos of the railroad construction “created a westward view” for the public, which was accustomed to primarily thinking of the country as east of the Missouri River. ..." [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

Telegraph wire

From: "Chris Graves" caliron@att.net

Does anyone know the gauge of iron wire first used when putting in the telegraph line?

I continue to find iron wire, the most common is 4 gauge, measuring 0.204 in diameter using a caliper. This wire, no matter where it is found, displays a Western Union splice. ...

—Chris

CPRR 1883 letter

From: "Anne Marie Ross" daringtosucceed@mac.com

I have found an old letter written on Central Pacific Railroad letterhead, dated June 20, 1883. The letter was in my great grandfathers papers.

The letterhead reads:

Central Pacific Railroad
Freight and Ticket Office

Before the date is written: Wadsworth, Nev

It is signed by 4 people. The names are tough to read, but looks like:

D. H. Seaver ?
D. C. Rumb ?
A. J. Willis
James Tomfalton ?

The letter references a W. S. Raitt.

I am trying to determine why my grandfather had the letter. If someone was a relative? Do you know if there is anyway to find names of employees from that time frame (1883). ...

—Anne Marie Ross