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Lincoln\us 50 Under The California Aquaduct


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In the 50's, 60's, and into the 70's California constructed aqueducts to carry water from Northern California southward through the Central Valley and into the Los Angeles area. On the eastern edge of Alameda County and the border of San Joaquin county it cut over a section of US 50 near the small roadside stop of Mountain House at 37°45'9.45"N 121°34'35.91"W.

 

Mountain House is\was between Tracy and Altamont but is not mentioned on either the first or fifth edition of the Lincoln Highway guide. Brian Butko does give it a passing mention in his book on page 269 noting its proximity to the Altamont Speedway of 1969 Rolling Stones concert fame.

 

mthouse.jpg

 

#1 is from the west side of the aqueduct, looking east.

 

SC109713.jpg

 

#2 is from the Mountain House side looking west.

 

SC109716.jpg

 

#3 is from the top of the aquaduct. You can just make out the road on the far left of the frame and the tree from picture 2 on the right side.

 

SC109715.jpg

 

The old Mountain House shouldn't be confused with the new Mountain House 5 miles to the north east which is a whole bunch of brand new homes built on what was once prime agricultural land.

 

Cheers,

 

Roadhound

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Roadhound,

 

First, thanks for the coordinates. I just cut and pasted them into Google Earth search and “bingo,” I was there. That really helps those of us who are geographically impaired.

 

Having grown up in the LA area, I suppose I am permitted to say, “Leave your hands off my water.” The place is like a black hole…no offense intended ;) .

 

That was a nice piece of old alignment. And the combination of canal, power lines and wind farm was interesting.

 

I hope an old guy can get to love wind farms that spring up on the skyline. Not long ago I was driving the old 2 lane Oregon Trail Highway in far eastern Oregon where no one goes, and a big flatbed truck passed me with what appeared to be a huge aircraft wing…then I realized it was a single blade for a wind tower.

 

Mountain Home was not exactly a lovely setting for settlement, was it? And where the dickens is the “Mountain?” What is the development there now? It doesn’t appear to be a village, at least from above.

 

And a couple of questions about the stories the street names tell. I wonder if Grantline Road ran along an old Spanish land grant boundary? I bet 50 cents it did. And what in the heck is Midway Road midway between?

 

On a different subject, your photos are always as crisp as if I were there, whereas my photos are just a touch short off sharp. I have resisted buying a SLR again because I don’t want to go back to the pack mule I was when I used my old Nikon F. I used to lug around a twin lens reflex for 2.25 X 2.25 B&W, the Nikon for slides, at least three fixed length lenses, not to mention filters, and a tripod.

 

Will one of the Canon or Nikon dSLR’s with the “kit” zooms give me anything approaching the crispness of your shots? I know I am not going to invest in really good glass, so the issue is really whether a dSLR with “kit” zoom is worth the trouble.

 

Keep the Show on the Road

 

Dave

 

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Thanks Keep,

 

I'm not sure why they called it Mountain House if anything Low Rising Foothill House would have been more appropriate.

 

The spot in the map is nothing more than a roadside stop. There is a small store with picnic tables under the trees. It has been a gathering point for bikers of both the pedal and Harley kind for as long as I can remember. Behind the trees there appears to be a few dwellings but they are not visible from the road and I didn't venture back to check what they were. What I am curious about is when did Mountain House become a roadside stop? It'a been there for a long time but I don't find it listed on any of the old maps that I had easy access to.

 

If you go scroll north-east approximately 5 miles you will see a group of new homes that have been built in the last five years. This housing development is also called Mountain House but is in San Jouquin County as opposed to Alameda County. Incidently, there are 2 other cities in California called Mountain House which makes it challenging if your on the sort isle at UPS.

 

If you follow the canal northward you will reach Bethany Reservoir which was once a popular sailboarding spot that I spent more than a few hours riding the wind at. A little further north of that is the Clifton Court Forebay which is where the Northern California waters actually start there journey southward.

 

It wouldn't suprise me if you were correct about the origin of the Grantline Rd name. All of that area was once part of a Mexican Land Grant before Fremont showed up.

 

In regards to the DSLR kits I have proof that you can take a sharp photo with a kit lens. Many proofs as a matter of fact. Up until the first part of this year all of my wide angle shots were with a kit lens. Quite a bit of an images sharpness, especially when it is viewed across the internet on a monitor, is how it is processed and resized. Ask a 100 photographers what their workflow is for sharpening an image and you will get 100 different answers. After much trial and error I believe I have found a way that works for me and until I find a better way I will stick with it.

 

I'd be happy to go into more detail on sharpening if you're interested.

 

Roadhound

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Thanks Keep,

 

I'm not sure why they called it Mountain House if anything Low Rising Foothill House would have been more appropriate.

 

The spot in the map is nothing more than a roadside stop. There is a small store with picnic tables under the trees. It has been a gathering point for bikers of both the pedal and Harley kind for as long as I can remember. Behind the trees there appears to be a few dwellings but they are not visible from the road and I didn't venture back to check what they were. What I am curious about is when did Mountain House become a roadside stop? It'a been there for a long time but I don't find it listed on any of the old maps that I had easy access to.

 

If you go scroll north-east approximately 5 miles you will see a group of new homes that have been built in the last five years. This housing development is also called Mountain House but is in San Jouquin County as opposed to Alameda County. Incidently, there are 2 other cities in California called Mountain House which makes it challenging if your on the sort isle at UPS.

 

If you follow the canal northward you will reach Bethany Reservoir which was once a popular sailboarding spot that I spent more than a few hours riding the wind at. A little further north of that is the Clifton Court Forebay which is where the Northern California waters actually start there journey southward.

 

It wouldn't suprise me if you were correct about the origin of the Grantline Rd name. All of that area was once part of a Mexican Land Grant before Fremont showed up.

 

In regards to the DSLR kits I have proof that you can take a sharp photo with a kit lens. Many proofs as a matter of fact. Up until the first part of this year all of my wide angle shots were with a kit lens. Quite a bit of an images sharpness, especially when it is viewed across the internet on a monitor, is how it is processed and resized. Ask a 100 photographers what their workflow is for sharpening an image and you will get 100 different answers. After much trial and error I believe I have found a way that works for me and until I find a better way I will stick with it.

 

I'd be happy to go into more detail on sharpening if you're interested.

 

Roadhound

 

Rick,

 

Mountain House is cited by name in the 1915-16 California Automobile Blue Book as being at a fork in the road between SF and Stockton. Eastbound, you took the right fork, and of course westbound, the left fork…at Mountain House. There is no mention of a store, but that is not unusual.

 

It also appears on my later strip maps, again with no special significance. I’ll see if either the 1911 or 1906 guides I have note Mountain House.

 

Rather than give me your sharpening process at this point, I think I will first shoot the same scene in RAW and in my standard jpg and see whether I see the difference I’m looking for.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

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Rick,

 

Mountain House is cited by name in the 1915-16 California Automobile Blue Book as being at a fork in the road between SF and Stockton. Eastbound, you took the right fork, and of course westbound, the left fork…at Mountain House. There is no mention of a store, but that is not unusual.

 

It also appears on my later strip maps, again with no special significance. I’ll see if either the 1911 or 1906 guides I have note Mountain House.

 

Rather than give me your sharpening process at this point, I think I will first shoot the same scene in RAW and in my standard jpg and see whether I see the difference I’m looking for.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

 

Thanks for the info Keep. I knew you had more information at your fingertips than I did. At first the description in the 1915-1916 Blue Book sounded backwards to me since I always travel to Stockton in roughly the same direction as Grantline Rd. I suppose back then though you would go north to Byron before heading east to Stockton. It just doesn't seem like the most direct route to me.

 

 

You are probably going to think that the RAW image looks worse than the jpg at first glance and it likely will. The difference is that you can do a lot more with a RAW image converted to TIFF than you can with a jpg. Sharpening should always be your last step after setting your black, grey, and white point, adjusting color saturation, adjusting contrast, and lastly resizing the image. What photo editing program are you using these days?

 

Roadhound

 

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Rick,

 

I looked at Gray’s 1907 auto maps and while Mountain House is not on the strip map for the route, it is cited in the text description at the fork…again. More or less interesting….. the 1911 ACSC tour book notes the fork, but not the settlement.

 

I was hoping there would be some notation, like “gas and oil,” but no such luck.

 

So Mountain House existed on the road in 1907. (To get earlier touring info you need a bicycle map!) The only other “useful” info is that it was cited as at the base of the grade in 1911 (presumably the grade to the west), and I suppose if you were traveling westward from the flat central valley, the hills may have looked like mountains.

 

I shot RAW and my typical jpg file setting, and compared the two at 100%. No discernable difference! And both are soft. No amount of post processing is going to put fine detail in either, but I’ll send a tif of the Raw if you want to test your skill!

 

BTW..is you next intended trip “secret” or can I post on the forum a pre trip map “discovery” for you to check out?

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

 

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Rick,

 

I looked at Gray’s 1907 auto maps and while Mountain House is not on the strip map for the route, it is cited in the text description at the fork…again. More or less interesting….. the 1911 ACSC tour book notes the fork, but not the settlement.

 

I was hoping there would be some notation, like “gas and oil,” but no such luck.

 

So Mountain House existed on the road in 1907. (To get earlier touring info you need a bicycle map!) The only other “useful” info is that it was cited as at the base of the grade in 1911 (presumably the grade to the west), and I suppose if you were traveling westward from the flat central valley, the hills may have looked like mountains.

 

I shot RAW and my typical jpg file setting, and compared the two at 100%. No discernable difference! And both are soft. No amount of post processing is going to put fine detail in either, but I’ll send a tif of the Raw if you want to test your skill!

 

BTW..is you next intended trip “secret” or can I post on the forum a pre trip map “discovery” for you to check out?

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

 

Send me what you got Dave and I'll take a crack it. You would be surprised what detail is in the image once you know how to pull it out.

 

No secrets about the upcoming trip I just haven't had the time to do the deep dive into yet. I've gone as far as looking at my Delorme maps and a little bit of online research. I will likely post my plea for help very soon and let it go from there. I've only got three weeks to prepare so I better get movin.

 

Roadhound

 

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  • 8 months later...
Roadhound,

 

First, thanks for the coordinates. I just cut and pasted them into Google Earth search and “bingo,” I was there. That really helps those of us who are geographically impaired.

 

Having grown up in the LA area, I suppose I am permitted to say, “Leave your hands off my water.” The place is like a black hole…no offense intended ;) .

 

That was a nice piece of old alignment. And the combination of canal, power lines and wind farm was interesting.

 

I hope an old guy can get to love wind farms that spring up on the skyline. Not long ago I was driving the old 2 lane Oregon Trail Highway in far eastern Oregon where no one goes, and a big flatbed truck passed me with what appeared to be a huge aircraft wing…then I realized it was a single blade for a wind tower.

 

Mountain Home was not exactly a lovely setting for settlement, was it? And where the dickens is the “Mountain?” What is the development there now? It doesn’t appear to be a village, at least from above.

 

And a couple of questions about the stories the street names tell. I wonder if Grantline Road ran along an old Spanish land grant boundary? I bet 50 cents it did. And what in the heck is Midway Road midway between?

 

On a different subject, your photos are always as crisp as if I were there, whereas my photos are just a touch short off sharp. I have resisted buying a SLR again because I don’t want to go back to the pack mule I was when I used my old Nikon F. I used to lug around a twin lens reflex for 2.25 X 2.25 B&W, the Nikon for slides, at least three fixed length lenses, not to mention filters, and a tripod.

 

Will one of the Canon or Nikon dSLR’s with the “kit” zooms give me anything approaching the crispness of your shots? I know I am not going to invest in really good glass, so the issue is really whether a dSLR with “kit” zoom is worth the trouble.

 

Keep the Show on the Road

 

Dave

 

Dave,

 

I love dredging up old topics around here. I have done a little research on the Southern Pacific over the Altamont. (Originally the Western Pacific, the final leg of the 1869 transcontinental railroad to be built.) Midway was a watering stop where Patterson Pass road crosses the rail line. In every mention of Midway the author asks what it was midway to. My guess is that it was midway from the waterstop of Ellis three miles east of Tracy, to the top of the Altamont grade. Just a quess. Bet you forgot you even asked the question! :P

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Dave,

 

I love dredging up old topics around here. I have done a little research on the Southern Pacific over the Altamont. (Originally the Western Pacific, the final leg of the 1869 transcontinental railroad to be built.) Midway was a watering stop where Patterson Pass road crosses the rail line. In every mention of Midway the author asks what it was midway to. My guess is that it was midway from the waterstop of Ellis three miles east of Tracy, to the top of the Altamont grade. Just a quess. Bet you forgot you even asked the question! :P

 

Suey,

 

Yah, I forgot, but then was yesterday Saturday or Sunday??!! I like the explanation!

 

I love "midway" and "8 mile house," 6 mile creek, and 3 mile hill. They bring back a whole different era.

 

I also see you have a railroad interest. Roads and rails sort of go together, for all sorts of reasons. And you simply can't claim to understand roads or land use development if you don't appreciate the interurbans and streetcar lines. But that's for another day.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

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Suey,

 

Yah, I forgot, but then was yesterday Saturday or Sunday??!! I like the explanation!

 

I love "midway" and "8 mile house," 6 mile creek, and 3 mile hill. They bring back a whole different era.

 

I also see you have a railroad interest. Roads and rails sort of go together, for all sorts of reasons. And you simply can't claim to understand roads or land use development if you don't appreciate the interurbans and streetcar lines. But that's for another day.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

Through my poking around I found a really cool spot that has the Lincoln Hwy, U.S. 50, S.P. and W.P railroads, and I 580 , in the Altamont Pass all in one shot. Probably been done on this forum but was way cool to me when I found it. On 3-19 I will post a pic.

 

 

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Through my poking around I found a really cool spot that has the Lincoln Hwy, U.S. 50, S.P. and W.P railroads, and I 580 , in the Altamont Pass all in one shot. Probably been done on this forum but was way cool to me when I found it. On 3-19 I will post a pic.

 

Suey,

 

Sounds great. Looking forward to the photo. And even if it is a rediscovery, it is still yours to claim if you came by it through your own research and travels.

 

You are a great addition to this forum, and we look forard to your continued participation and insights.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

 

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Suey,

 

Sounds great. Looking forward to the photo. And even if it is a rediscovery, it is still yours to claim if you came by it through your own research and travels.

 

You are a great addition to this forum, and we look forard to your continued participation and insights.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

Thanks for the kind words Dave. This location I've drove past many times and never noticed it. The other night I was comparing Google Earth and a 1907 Chico topo and saw the curve of the road was not the same anymore. Going out on foot I saw the old roadbed, the power poles and ditches on either side of it. More interesting was the footprints in the grass of some other person checking it out. It was all great fun!

 

The coordinates of the location are:

37.72485833 -121.69513888

 

altamont002.jpg

Standing on the old roadbed, Altamont Pass Road to the left (U.S. 50 til 1938), Western Pacific trestle with Southern Pacific underpass on the left side of the trestle.

 

altamont003.jpg

 

This is looking ESE from the Lincoln roadbed, just above Altamont Pass Road you see the old S.P. which was abandoned in 1984, to the left in the distance is the Western Pacific, and on the hill in the distance are the westbound lanes of I-580 (circa 1969). The eastbound lanes of 580 at that location are the 1938 alignment of U.S. 50.

 

I love all the old telegraph/telephone poles along Altamont Pass road. They have like 20 old glass insulators on them and all the wire is broken and hanging down.

 

 

 

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Thanks for the kind words Dave. This location I've drove past many times and never noticed it. The other night I was comparing Google Earth and a 1907 Chico topo and saw the curve of the road was not the same anymore. Going out on foot I saw the old roadbed, the power poles and ditches on either side of it. More interesting was the footprints in the grass of some other person checking it out. It was all great fun!

 

The coordinates of the location are:

37.72485833 -121.69513888

 

altamont002.jpg

Standing on the old roadbed, Altamont Pass Road to the left (U.S. 50 til 1938), Western Pacific trestle with Southern Pacific underpass on the left side of the trestle.

 

altamont003.jpg

 

This is looking ESE from the Lincoln roadbed, just above Altamont Pass Road you see the old S.P. which was abandoned in 1984, to the left in the distance is the Western Pacific, and on the hill in the distance are the westbound lanes of I-580 (circa 1969). The eastbound lanes of 580 at that location are the 1938 alignment of U.S. 50.

 

I love all the old telegraph/telephone poles along Altamont Pass road. They have like 20 old glass insulators on them and all the wire is broken and hanging down.

 

Thanks for the pics Sioux. I know exactly where that is and will have to check it out on my next journey through.

 

Roadhound

 

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OK Suey and Roadhound, I have a QUESTION. It is a wmv file so it should come up in Windows Media Player. (I have come up with a substitute for typing!)

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

First of all, your interrogation methods are diabolical!

 

I believe the grassy roadbed IS the old Lincoln Highway. The paved two lane road is Altamont Pass Road, also US 50 until 1938. The other right of way you ask about is the abandoned Western Pacific (Transcontinental 1869 I believe) that is now called the Southern Pacific. The rails and ties have been removed in this section so it looks like a gravel road now. The railroad that is behind me, to the NW, is the new Western Pacific, (no relation to the old Western Pacific) that is now owned by the Union Pacific. I hope I cleared that up. :)

 

P.S. If you follow the S.P. east from there you will see where it goes under I-580 in a tunnel. On the tunnel between the east and westbound lanes it says S.P. CO. 1909 although I know the railway to be much older. If you follow it farther, you will come to where it crosses Patterson Pass Road, which is known as Midway. Which just came up on another thread.

 

Diabolical!

 

~ Suey

Edited by Boy Named Sioux
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First of all, your interrogation methods are diabolical!

 

I believe the grassy roadbed IS the old Lincoln Highway. The paved two lane road is Altamont Pass Road, also US 50 until 1938. The other right of way you ask about is the abandoned Western Pacific (Transcontinental 1869 I believe) that is now called the Southern Pacific. The rails and ties have been removed in this section so it looks like a gravel road now. The railroad that is behind me, to the NW, is the new Western Pacific, (no relation to the old Western Pacific) that is now owned by the Union Pacific. I hope I cleared that up. :)

 

Diabolical!

 

~ Suey

 

Suey,

 

Yes, it cleared it up, and quite well. Interesting! Thanks!

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Thanks for the pics Sioux. I know exactly where that is and will have to check it out on my next journey through.

 

Roadhound

 

I'm glad I have something to share. A couple other things I've noticed that a semi local might be interested in. If you look at the 1907 Tesla? map of Livermore at Chico you will see a few things in that area that have changed, and that are the same.

 

~ Greenville road south of 580 used to go in a straight line from what is now Southfront to Altamont Pass road. Now it veers to the west quite a bit. You can see on google earth the road running through the pasture there but I can't see it from the ground.

 

~ Also, Greenville used to make an eastern turn at Las Positas where the S.P. used to cross the road. It went around that hill and then returned to the present route.

 

~ The lake on the old map on Laughlin Rd is still there! I just went by there this week and the lake (some would call it a pond) was as least as big as in the old map.

 

Whoda thunk it?

 

~ Suey

 

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First of all, your interrogation methods are diabolical!

 

I believe the grassy roadbed IS the old Lincoln Highway. The paved two lane road is Altamont Pass Road, also US 50 until 1938. The other right of way you ask about is the abandoned Western Pacific (Transcontinental 1869 I believe) that is now called the Southern Pacific. The rails and ties have been removed in this section so it looks like a gravel road now. The railroad that is behind me, to the NW, is the new Western Pacific, (no relation to the old Western Pacific) that is now owned by the Union Pacific. I hope I cleared that up. :)

 

P.S. If you follow the S.P. east from there you will see where it goes under I-580 in a tunnel. On the tunnel between the east and westbound lanes it says S.P. CO. 1909 although I know the railway to be much older. If you follow it farther, you will come to where it crosses Patterson Pass Road, which is known as Midway. Which just came up on another thread.

 

Diabolical!

 

~ Suey

 

Dave, you never cease to amaze me. That is the first time I have ever seen a post on a message board done that way. I, however, will stick to the keyboard.

 

Just to clarify. The 1869 version of the Western Pacific is not the same as the 1983 company that became part of the Union Pacific RR. The original WP was created to complete the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to San Francisco and was later absorbed by the Central Pacific RR. The CPRR later became part of the Southern Pacific RR, which has since become part of the Union Pacific RR. The Western Pacific RR that was merged into the Union Pacific was founded in 1903.

 

Abandoned railbed ownership - Western Pacific (original), Central Pacific RR, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific

 

In-use railbed ownership - WP (founded 1903), Union Pacific

 

Roadhound

 

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Dave, you never cease to amaze me. That is the first time I have ever seen a post on a message board done that way. I, however, will stick to the keyboard.

 

Just to clarify. The 1869 version of the Western Pacific is not the same as the 1983 company that became part of the Union Pacific RR. The original WP was created to complete the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to San Francisco and was later absorbed by the Central Pacific RR. The CPRR later became part of the Southern Pacific RR, which has since become part of the Union Pacific RR. The Western Pacific RR that was merged into the Union Pacific was founded in 1903.

 

Abandoned railbed ownership - Western Pacific (original), Central Pacific RR, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific

 

In-use railbed ownership - WP (founded 1903), Union Pacific

 

Roadhound

 

Both you guys amaze me in your knowledge of railroads, but I suppose old roads and rails go hand in hand, or roadbed on roadbed!

 

I do have to say a little about the diabolical video thing. You can incorporate motion, as in zooming or panning a Google map, and you can combine other resources, as photos, maps, and even video within the video.

 

I often find myself frustrated because I have to annotate a map, and then draw an arrow on a photo (or vice versa) to describe something. This way I can just point it out, verbally describe it, and if I want stills, I can do a frame grab or two.

 

One of our members wanted some overlays of an old map on Google to spot the family homestead. I did that, but was also able to zoom and pan to other nearby features (cemetery, church) that were landmarks that helped explain the contest of the map.

 

I have not experimented with optimizing files sizes to speed up download, but the program I am using provides both size and quality sliders, and I can convert to different file types if I am so inclined.

 

I’ll see how it works as I go along, but I’m betting it will be a useful addition to the 'ole tool kit.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

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Roadhound & Boy Named Sioux,

 

Roadhound sounded just a little skeptical :rolleyes::o:P about the value of video screen captures, so I wanted to give a more “moving” example HERE.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Not skeptical, just to lazy to figure it out myself. I think its a great way to explain a subject and has many advantages over a long typed-out sentence. I could easily imagine you in the front of a lecture hall with your overhead projector pointing out the landmarks on the map and explaining their significance. :lol:

 

Sioux - any idea what times the trains run through the Altamont? I would like to get out there one afternoon and catch a locomotive going over the trestle but can't really spare an entire afternoon to sit and wait.

 

In regards to railroads and highways, and I apologize if I have said this before, but I believe they are closely tied together at least as far as the western half of the country is concerned. In the time between the driving of the golden spike and the coming of the automobile the railroad was the best way to get from point A to point B. The railroads were built to the power restrictions of the locomotives of the day and would follow the path of least resistance across the landscape. As manpower was replaced with machine power obstacles were carved away and the railroad lines were straightened to allow for higher speeds and in the west the abandoned railbeds became ready made roadways for that new fangled contraption called the automobile. PPOO and the Victory in Nevada are good examples of where some of the former CPRR railbeds became roads.

 

It also made sense that the new roads would follow the rail lines between towns and the coming of the automobile. Many towns in the west were established to support the railroad and the automobile may have kept some dying towns alive long after they were needed by the railroad. Many of these towns would survive up until the coming of the Interstate which then diverted traffic away from them and in time killing off the hotels, restaurants and other amenities needed by the auto traveler. (see: Wells, Nevada)

 

One other connection between railroads and roads in the West. It was a Senator from Illinois that was a huge proponent of a railroad that connected the eastern half of the country with the west. He new then that effecient travel from one coast to another was important for a strong country. Unfortunately as President his attention was diverted by a little internal squabble and he didn't live to see his idea come to fruition. However, 50 years later the first transcontinental highway was named in his honor.

 

Roadhound

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Not skeptical, just to lazy to figure it out myself. I think its a great way to explain a subject and has many advantages over a long typed-out sentence. I could easily imagine you in the front of a lecture hall with your overhead projector pointing out the landmarks on the map and explaining their significance. :lol:

 

Sioux - any idea what times the trains run through the Altamont? I would like to get out there one afternoon and catch a locomotive going over the trestle but can't really spare an entire afternoon to sit and wait.

 

In regards to railroads and highways, and I apologize if I have said this before, but I believe they are closely tied together at least as far as the western half of the country is concerned. In the time between the driving of the golden spike and the coming of the automobile the railroad was the best way to get from point A to point B. The railroads were built to the power restrictions of the locomotives of the day and would follow the path of least resistance across the landscape. As manpower was replaced with machine power obstacles were carved away and the railroad lines were straightened to allow for higher speeds and in the west the abandoned railbeds became ready made roadways for that new fangled contraption called the automobile. PPOO and the Victory in Nevada are good examples of where some of the former CPRR railbeds became roads.

 

It also made sense that the new roads would follow the rail lines between towns and the coming of the automobile. Many towns in the west were established to support the railroad and the automobile may have kept some dying towns alive long after they were needed by the railroad. Many of these towns would survive up until the coming of the Interstate which then diverted traffic away from them and in time killing off the hotels, restaurants and other amenities needed by the auto traveler. (see: Wells, Nevada)

 

One other connection between railroads and roads in the West. It was a Senator from Illinois that was a huge proponent of a railroad that connected the eastern half of the country with the west. He new then that effecient travel from one coast to another was important for a strong country. Unfortunately as President his attention was diverted by a little internal squabble and he didn't live to see his idea come to fruition. However, 50 years later the first transcontinental highway was named in his honor.

 

Roadhound

 

Rick,

 

Well said!

 

And it would be fun to catch a locomotive pulling the grade. There is something about a locomotive that brings out the kid in all of us.

 

Suey and Rick,

 

Last night I was reading my repro copy of “The Pacific Tourist,” originally published in 1884. The pages below deal with Altamont, Midway, and Livermore. Now where is that tunnel…….?

 

ARRailAlta1.jpg

 

 

ARRailAlta2.jpg

 

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

 

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Rick,

 

Well said!

 

And it would be fun to catch a locomotive pulling the grade. There is something about a locomotive that brings out the kid in all of us.

 

Suey and Rick,

 

Last night I was reading my repro copy of “The Pacific Tourist,” originally published in 1884. The pages below deal with Altamont, Midway, and Livermore. Now where is that tunnel…….?

 

 

 

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Wow, what a great find Keep!

 

The San Jouquin River Bridge is most likely at what is now Mossdale Crossing. The completion of that bridge was the last link in the Transcontinental Railroad. Driving through Banta and Tracy you can imagine the scene as it is described in that article. The flooded land still does occur, though not on an annual basis anymore. Interesting to note that even today the railbeds are raised significantly above the surrounding land. I'm not sure where Ellis is but the location of Midway is still there as is Altamont. Livermore and Pleasanton are both cities with populations in the 75,000 range.

 

I'm sure that if you dug up an article on early auto travel through that area you would read that it was a trying ordeal. I've read articles about early travel through the Pleasanton and Livermore area and during the winter months the roads were typically impassable. The soil in the Livermore valley turns to a very sticky goop when saturated which is great for growing wheat but not that good for driving an automobile across.

 

An oldie but goodie for those new to our program: Summit Garage, Altamont, CA

 

SC02_14_17.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Dave, you never cease to amaze me. That is the first time I have ever seen a post on a message board done that way. I, however, will stick to the keyboard.

 

Just to clarify. The 1869 version of the Western Pacific is not the same as the 1983 company that became part of the Union Pacific RR. The original WP was created to complete the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to San Francisco and was later absorbed by the Central Pacific RR. The CPRR later became part of the Southern Pacific RR, which has since become part of the Union Pacific RR. The Western Pacific RR that was merged into the Union Pacific was founded in 1903.

 

Abandoned railbed ownership - Western Pacific (original), Central Pacific RR, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific

 

In-use railbed ownership - WP (founded 1903), Union Pacific

 

Roadhound

Yeah! What he said! ;)

 

~ Suey

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Yeah! What he said! ;)

 

~ Suey

 

Suey & Roadhound,

 

I suppose you both know that the railroad tunnel cited in the 1884 description a few posts earlier is still there and easily visable from the freeway. HERE is the "eye in the sky" view. (It is a 3 Mb file, so it may take a few seconds to download).

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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