The book isn't bad, comparatively speaking. My most recent read was a 1952 treatise on the impact of the railroads on the outcome of the Civil War. Very academic, and generally pretty dull, but ultimately informative about how the industry "grew up" in a hurry during our Great National Crisis. It also provided some pretty good renderings of some of the personalities that went on to work on the transcon, such as Grenville Dodge.
This is much more entertaining than that work, and it's almost like a sequel to that. But, while Stephen Ambrose is more engaging than the first author (who made such an impression on me as to be immediately forgotten), he is no David McCulloch. With Ambrose, you know you're being treated to a scholarly work, chockablock with references and research. McCulloch makes you feel like your sitting in a dank tavern drinking beer while he's telling you this amazing story. (Read the Johnstown Flood, or 1776, and you'll see what I mean.) Maybe the fact that so many historic documentaries bear his voice and cadence that it's easier to read his work by imagining he's reading it to you.
Anyway, I'm up to the bit where they're constructing both lines, the UP racing across the plains, and the CP crawling over the Sierras.
Another thing that's cool to see in the maps is in the vicinity of Promontory, both roads built grades to and through the area, in places well within sight of each other. I've seen some of the contemporary photos showing this, but to see it on the aerials today paints a more vivid picture.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=41.566985~-112.61791&style=h&lvl=16&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1It's possible that this particular location may just be a re-alignment that occurred some time afterward, but if you follow the ROW to the east or the west, you'll see there's a lot of parallel work. As I've always said, anything worth doing is worth doing twice!
Lee
