Mint River, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, Spring, 2025 Far out in the wilds of western Alaska, there is a tiny work camp. It is not far from the very western tip of that land. It sits on a small shelf of hillside, near the bottom of a nondescript drainage canyon. The camp consists of a few prefabricated living units, just big enough to house a half a hundred workers. From the air, the camp is almost unnoticeable. Yet, it hides below ground a mighty effort. This small work camp is the prime focus of what will prove to be the greatest engineering project of the Twenty-First Century - that of interconnecting the Continents by tunnel and rail. It will be a railroad, yes, but one like no other -- a very-high-speed pipeline for containers, which will set the standard for railroads for the rest of the century. This 'pipeline'will provide a direct link between China, as the world's fastest growing economy, and the U.S., as the world's largest economy. Four stalwart and intrepid young men set out and strive to master the technology needed to create this mighty effort.
About the Author: About The Author Robert A. Wilcox was born in 1936 in Richmond, California, and was raised in San Pablo in a large family. At that time, Richmond was the western terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad, with ferry service to San Francisco. At night, the child could hear the mighty diesels rev their engines to climb the grade out of the rail yard. This started a lifetime love of trains and railroading. After high school and some college, Bob served in the U.S. Air Force as a radar instructor. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1961-2 with a BS in Engineering and a specialty in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. With a few years in computer hardware design, he worked for most of his career in internet software maintenance and stock market data distribution. Bob's hobbies have included model trains, along with dalliances (in some order) in camping, fishing, hunting, axe throwing, flying lessons, hiking, philosophy, painting, pottery, folk guitar, gardening, spelunking, choral music, square dancing, tai chi, photography, astronomy, writing, and poetry. The latter won him a first prize in a poetry contest. Bob and his wife have visited Alaska twice. They sailed the Inside Passage from Vancouver to Anchorage. Beautiful natural views, but Bob got seasick. They later joined a two-week tour of central Alaska. This included Fairbanks, Chena River to Tanana River, Barrow (best Mexican restaurant north of the 'lower 48'), Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse, the north half of the Pipeline, Alaska Railroad, Denali Park to Kantishna, Anchorage, Seward, Valdez, the south half of the Pipeline, Wasilla, and finally flying home from Anchorage. Bob and his wife live in Los Angeles and have two adult sons, somewhere.