Talk:Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway

Further Reading

If anyone is curious and has access to a decent library, there's also a book written by a former engineer of the line. 1850s should be out of copyright, but Google Books inexplicably lacks a scanned copy. -LlywelynII (talk) 15:19, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

John A. Williams, who would later serve as Superintendent for the BBB&C, published his survey for the railroad in 1851. This is a rare book, and it would be great to have it scanned and posted online. Oldsanfelipe (talk) 10:49, 18 July 2013 (UTC)oldsanfelipe

History

The article currently reads, "Surveying began in 1851 near Buffalo Bayou. The roadbed was graded by Benjamin F. Terry, who would later lead Terry's Texas Rangers. The next year, the first locomotive, the General Sherman, was received and the first track laid. By August 1853, twenty miles had been completed to Stafford Point. The charter called for the line to connect Harrisburg to the state capitol at Austin. The line reached Richmond on the Brazos in 1855, Eagle Lake in 1859, and Alleyton in 1860. Although the Civil War stopped construction towards Austin, the citizens of Columbus, Texas, constructed a two and a half miles branch track on their own, connecting their town to the rail at Alleyton to avoid being passed by."

I have a few suggestions for this section. I believe the road was complete to the east bank of the Brazos by the end of 1855. The town of Richmond was on the west bank, and was not connected until early in 1856. It's also worth noting the railway used a pontoon bridge to cross the Brazos.

Does anyone have a problem with such an edit? Oldsanfelipe (talk) 18:48, 20 July 2013 (UTC)oldsanfelipe

Name

Maybe the Name section can be fleshed out by explaining the strategic objective of a railroad running between Buffalo Bayou and the Brazos and Colorado Rivers. Oldsanfelipe (talk) 21:19, 20 July 2013 (UTC)oldsanfelipe