Rails, Tales and Trails

Parts 1 - 4

By Bill George

A new series of four Golden Notes derived entirely from the original work Rails, Tales and Trails by Bill George.

The series, conveniently divided by locality, is a step-by-step guide to secret locations, fascinating people and historic towns of the old Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento to Reno.

Part 1: Sacramento

Part 3: Gold Country

Part 2: Roseville & Rocklin

Part 4: Donner Summit to Nevada

SHS Publications

Golden Notes

Sacramento History on DVD

Journals

Books

A Legacy in Brick & Iron

By Mary A. Helmich with Kevin V. Bunker

Nine years in the making, A Legacy in Brick & Iron provides a fully comprehensive review of the development of the historic Sacramento railroad shops initially constructed by the Central Pacific Railroad and then fully developed by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Rails, Tales and Trails

By Bill George

Rails, Tales and Trails is a step-by-step guide to the secret locations, fascinating people, and historic towns of the old Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento to Donner Summit. The book shows you how to drive and walk to the sites and understand the story of how the railroad was constructed. You will go from sea level to more than seven thousand feet in elevation and view some of the most stunning scenery in North America.

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This is the first time this information has been put together in one book. This is a combination travel guide and history and explores many of the myths about the railroad and the people who built it.

Sacramento Pioneers of Power and Light

By Daniel E. Winkelman, Robert D. Livingston, and Rowena Wise Day

Sacramento Pioneers of Power and Light tells the story of how the Gold Rush led to the development of electrical power. The Folsom Power House was one of the earliest alternating current power plants in the United States. In 1895 it opened and operated as the longest transmission lines of any power plant in North America. It produced power and sent it 22 miles to Sacramento. That was the longest power transmission in the U.S. until that time. Experimental single-phase alternating current power stations were first built in the US in the mid 1880s. Ten years later the work of many engineers culminated into the work at the Folsom Power House, the facility was one of the first equipped with three phase 60 cycle power, the same type of power we use today.